One of the tricky parts about being a critic is my experience of seeing so much theater and film is both helpful and not helpful. What I mean by that is something can feel tired to me who has seen 150 shows this year that the average person who see’s only a few will find fresh and exciting. MadKing’s latest girl-power piece MacB*tches is a good example of this. I did enjoy watching this MacBeth influenced play about drama girls that takes a dark turn but I probably would have enjoyed it more if I hadn’t also seen Heathers, We are Tigers, She Kills Monsters, and recently at Fringe Dramapocalypse. It’s not the repetition that’s the problem. I am famous for seeing many shows on repeat. It’s just in comparison to each of these similar shows MacB*tches comes up short, and it really isn’t until the last 15 minutes that I felt it started to earn its title.

I should clarify that MacB*tches is only 85 minutes with no intermission so an unhinged final act of around 15 minutes is no small part of the entire experience. I also found the cast to be excellent especially Mati Turner as queen bee Rachel. She is upset because she did not get the lead as Lady Macbeth, and a perky freshman named Hailey did. Hailey is played with the right youthful enthusiasm by Madison Hale and it does seem odd at first that she would be selected over Rachel for such a dark and twisted role. What was the director referred to as ‘Eric’ thinking? Well it becomes clear that he is the actual villain of the piece- manipulating and using these young girls in any way he can with the promise of impending theatrical greatness.

Indeed it is this disappointment that fuels Rachel’s character and leads her to eventually explode at the perky Hailey who she knows has replaced her. The problem is that the hour of the girls being civil to each other is a little dry and uneventful. Especially with the witches from Macbeth present throughout the play it keeps seemingly like something exciting is going to happen but it doesn’t until that unglued finale I keep talking about. Honestly I felt like the witches were a bit of a bait-and-switch and even in the finale they were underused. As I mentioned the recent Dramapocalypse had almost the exact same plot but used the Macbeth curse and an angry Shakespeare’s ghost in a much more entertaining way (that gave them juicy dialogue and something to do rather than just leering close to the other actors as it is here.)

This production is directed by Stina Madriaga-Stone and she keeps things simple not distracting from the actors or their performances. There is also a clear chemistry amongst the cast with Turner and Hale leading the way with Adalee Grindstaff, Sophia Abbott and Siena Crivac playing the other drama girls that each have different briefly developed arcs (Grindstaff getting the most story to work with as the innocent and inexperienced member of the group.) They all do what they can with the material, and it can be fun to watch in moments but I’d be lying if I didn’t say I wanted more. I also wish the script had actually involved the plot of Macbeth in more interesting ways. At the end, for example, Rachel has blood all over her hands, and I was waiting for her to say “out out damn spot.” Something more overt to Shakespeare might have been fun especially for a character as hard-core as Rachel.

After my out of theater reaction I was told by MadKing that they have something fresh and exciting coming for next year’s season. I think this is a smart move. While it is good for a company to find a niche (especially in a market that needs more edgy daring material) they also never want to be in a rut. Recently Kismet Productions did Ordinary Days in that same space and that was something new and refreshing but it still has some grown-up elements. Honestly even something like The Spitfire Grill would be a great choice that is still female-centered with themes of abuse, misogyny, feminism and young womanhood still explored. Anyway, I do love what they are doing at MadKing and MacB*tches has fun moments and performances- especially that finale. It is playing until August 23rd. Tickets can be purchased here.

MacB*tches is a play by Sophie McIntosh. It is loosely inspired by Shakespeare’s Macbeth and was first performed in 2022.

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