“MACBETH IN STRIDE”: Performances are underway for “Macbeth in Stride.” Written by Whitney White; and directed by Princeton senior Layla Williams, the musical runs through April 12 at McCarter’s Berlind Theatre. Above: Woman (Alex Conboy, third from left) debates the nature of Lady Macbeth’s role with three Witches: Sasha Villefranche (left), Amira Adarkwah (second from left), and Kareish Thony (right). (Photo by Ron Wyatt / Lewis Center for the Arts)

By Donald H. Sanborn III

Macbeth in Stride is a musical in which the story of Macbeth is retold from Lady Macbeth’s viewpoint. More precisely, it is told from the point of view of a contemporary African American female performer, identified only as Woman, portraying, and examining the role of, Lady Macbeth.

The stage on which Woman performs seems not to be a literal space, but rather a metaphysical one. Although she is dissatisfied with Lady Macbeth’s role in the original play, Woman is constrained by the way in which Shakespeare has written it — not at the insistence of a producer or director, but because the play’s Witches, who serve as a cross between a Greek chorus and a trio of godlike beings, insist that the play’s world cannot be changed.

Woman has two main frustrations with the way in which Shakespeare writes the character of Lady Macbeth: her ambition is portrayed only as a negative trait (leading her to effect murder); and she largely disappears after she becomes queen, with her death occurring offstage.

Macbeth in Stride examines what it means to be formed, and limited by, immutable stories that were written long before we were born. Developing this, it considers the difficulty in changing established sociological and cultural systems.

The show is written by Obie- and Lily Award-winning writer, director, and musician Whitney White, who originated the role of Woman for the 2021 premiere at the American Repertory Theater.

In form, Macbeth in Stride essentially is a music concert attached to a plot. White’s largely up-tempo score is a mixture of R & B, gospel, pop, and rock.

White’s website states that Macbeth in Stride is the first entry in a series of musicals that will examine Shakespeare’s female characters, for which she currently is under commission with the Royal Shakespeare Company.

Princeton University’s Lewis Center for the Arts is presenting Macbeth in Stride at McCarter. Princeton senior Layla Williams directs the vibrant production.

“We see tropes reproduced again and again, especially when it comes to people of color and Black women in musical theater,” Williams, who proposed the production, observes in a program note. “She’s an object of desire, a best friend,” or “an unstoppable pillar of performance.” The director adds that Macbeth in Stride “intervenes in this overproduced narrative” and “centers Black women’s experiences” to interrupt “this cycle of relegating Woman’s story to the periphery.”

The Witches particularly interest Williams. “I kept facing the trope of the narrating Chorus (usually a trio) of Black women. Usually … we don’t get to learn much about them as individuals,” she writes. “When beginning this project (paired with my research in African American Studies), I anticipated this trio as being powerless. Working on this story for almost a year has flipped my perspective. I instead focus on the community the Witches offer to the Woman … and their distinct perspectives on the story as it plays out.” For Williams, the Witches evoke musical artists such as Tina Turner, the Supremes, and Destiny’s Child.

Macbeth in Stride begins with a lilting, surprisingly gentle keyboard solo in triple meter (which, in a nice bookend, we will hear again in the finale), before building into “If Knowledge is Power,” a steadily rhythmic opening trio in which the Witches (played by Amira Adarkwah, Kareish Thony, and Sasha Villefranche) invite the audience to contemplate the the concept of stories and their relationship to our identities. Villefranche has a number of solo segments, which she smoothly delivers.

If there is a predominant problem with Macbeth in Stride it is that at times the lyrics are difficult to hear (which seems to be as much an issue with the setting of words to music as it is a performance issue. In any event, the often diegetic lyrics are acclamations that repeat key phrases (such as “reach for it”).

In two key areas, White excels as a writer. She has an ability to present abstract philosophical ideas (such as dramaturgical character examination, and the cultural impact of stories) in a way that is theatrically entertaining. Further, in both her dialogue and lyrics, she delivers an almost perfect juxtaposition of Shakespeare’s dialogue against contemporary language (one song cleverly uses the “toil and trouble” line as a lyrical refrain for the Witches). It is the latter skill that particularly enables performers to shine.

Alex Conboy is outstanding in her portrayal of Woman. She delivers a charismatic and powerful performance that commands and deserves the showy cross-lighting that Lighting Designer Alex Slisher gives her in more than one sequence.

A singer who is equally comfortable in high and low vocal ranges, Conboy offers a stunning rendition of every song she performs. As an actor she is well suited to White’s blend of Shakespeare and contemporary dialogue, delivering both with fiery flair.

The singers are accompanied by a sturdy band comprised of Music Director Solon Snider-Sway (keyboard), Hal Olson (drums), Jacob Emerson (guitar), and Kai Gibson (bass). Snider-Sway and Sound designer Nathan Leigh deserve credit for enabling a successful blending of voices that serves White’s harmonies well; and an even balance between voices and instrumentalists.

In recounting the events of Macbeth, the musical broadly borrows Shakespeare’s story beats. Lady Macbeth manipulates her husband into murdering King Duncan and seizing his throne.

For an actor to portray the malleable Macbeth, Woman drafts a Man (Rowan Johnson) “from the band.” Johnson — a sturdy, expressive baritone — gracefully accompanies himself on cello as he sings.

In having singers accompany themselves on an instrument (Conboy plays a keyboard late in the show), Macbeth in Stride scripts a device that, for other shows, has been added by directors, most notably by John Doyle for various shows with scores by Stephen Sondheim. In both cases, seeing a character play an instrument is relevant to character and theme.

Conboy and Johnson are amusing in the scene in which Lady Macbeth convinces her husband to commit the murder. Here, Macbeth is portrayed as dimwitted; he does not understand his wife’s plans when she conveys them to him in the original dialogue — it is only when she switches to contemporary (read: simple) English that he catches on.

The musical’s 90-minute length enables it to be performed without an intermission. Nevertheless, there is a palpable two-act structure. During a brief interlude, the Witches invite an audience member to join them on stage to discuss the show. During the April 5 performance a man from the audience recalled that Macbeth is “the Scottish play” (a reference to the story’s setting), and complimented the actors on their performance.

At the beginning of the second half, the murder has been accomplished and Lady Macbeth is queen. Costume Designer Miriam Patterson outfits Woman in a mostly white outfit, but punctuates it with red (including gloves), accentuating the blood figuratively on Lady Macbeth’s hands. Throughout the show she wears a leather vest, suggesting protective armor the underlines the character’s warrior-like strength.

Set Designer Sahaf Chowdhury (with scenic artists Carlyn Perlow and Sidney Martin) echo the white and red of Woman’s costume. The performers are flanked by three stone archways, each bearing slogans such as “change the truth.” The use of red paint for this graffiti darkly suggests that to effect cultural or societal change, blood is necessary.

Inability to effect swift change, even when one attains (at least nominal) power, is an issue on which the Witches confront Woman. When the latter talks about changing the system, the Witches remind her that, now that she is queen, “You are the system.”

Williams’ staging makes skillful use of vertical levels, placing a metal platform above the stage. Woman and the Witches take turns towering over each other (and Man), reflecting consistently shifting power dynamics.

Why do they imagine us this way?” Ultimately, the beauty of Macbeth in Stride is that we cannot fathom that Lady Macbeth ever fades as a presence. White has given performers a tour-de-force role in the form of Woman; and the Lewis Center’s production — Conboy’s performance in particular — makes the most of this.

Presented by the Lewis Center for the Arts’ Programs in Theater and Music Theater at Princeton University, “Macbeth in Stride” will play in the Berlind Theatre at McCarter Theatre Center, 91 University Place in Princeton, through April 12. A post-show discussion with Assistant Professor of Theater Rhaisa Williams; Princeton Arts Fellow Raja Feather Kelly, who has choreographed a prior production; and Princeton senior Layla Williams, director of the Lewis Center’s production, will follow the April 11 performance. Content Advisory: The Lewis Center’s website cautions that the production “mentions blood and murder.” For tickets or additional information, visit arts.princeton.edu/events/macbeth-in-stride-a-musical-by-whitney-white/2025-04-04/