More Theater Monday - The Tragedy of Macbeth and Are the Bennett Girls Okay?

We received complimentary tickets to The Tragedy of Macbeth for review purposes. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.

What: The Tragedy of Macbeth

Where: Assembly Hall

             The Church of St. John the Evangelist

             189 George St.

              New Brunswick, NJ 

Who: Recommended for Ages 14 and Up Due to Intense and Graphic Content

When: Through October 25, 2025

The Tragedy of Macbeth is a slightly more modern retelling of Shakespeare's "Scottish play." It is set in the location where it is being performed, Middlesex County, New Jersey. It is about the clash between the Dutch and the earliest Scottish immigrants and deals with issues that include race and gender in early America.  While this is an interesting premise, the execution of it is less so. 

Although a curtain speech explains some of the background of the show, this is a rare show that could actually have benefited from more exposition rather than less, especially since there is no playbill to introduce the characters. Thus, it is very confusing trying to figure out who is who and what is going on, especially if you struggle with the old-time language and way of speaking. It also makes it impossible to single out any standout performances because the names of the performers are unknown. True, the performances are generally good; however, some definitely stand out more than others.

The more familiar you are with Shakespeare's Macbeth, the more likely you are to follow what is happening in this play.  Even familiarity with that play may not be enough to help keep what is going on in this one entirely straight. However, it's better to come in with at least some knowledge of that play, and we definitely wouldn't recommend this show for anyone completely unfamiliar with it.

And that's our view. For more about The Tragedy of Macbeth or to purchase tickets, visit 

www.eventbrite.com/e/macbeth-tickets

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We received complimentary tickets to Are the Bennett Girls Okay? for review purposes. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.

What: Are the Bennett Girls Okay?

Where: West End Theatre 

              The Church of St. Paul & St. Andrew

              263 W. 86th St.

              New York, NY 

Who: Recommended for Ages 14 and Up Due to Mature Themes

When: Now extended through November 30, 2025

Are the Bennett Girls Okay? is a retelling of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. While the gist of the story remains the same, the focus is more on the Bennett family. Thus, for example, although Mr. Darcy is a character in the show, he is not a primary character, and he and Elizabeth don't have many scenes together. Mrs. Bennet, however, although not a primary character in the novel, plays a huge role in the show.

The performances in general are delightful. The entire cast plays off each other extremely well. The show is infused with a warm and lovely feeling of family that is lacking in the novel. However, this is partially because the characterizations are not exactly the same. For instance, in the book, Elizabeth and Jane are close, but they are not as close with their other sisters, and at times, they even seem somewhat disdainful of their younger sister's behavior and attitudes. In the show, however, it is clear that these girls all love each other partially because they are all bonded in having to deal with their overbearing mother, played to hilarious effect by the marvelous Zuzanna Szadkowski.

The show takes a much lighter and funnier approach to the material than the novel, which is much more serious in tone. This is not to say there is no darkness in the show. In fact, at one point, a character is rather violently disposed of, but even that is dealt with rather irreverently and actually takes place off stage.

You don't necessarily have to like or be familiar with Pride and Prejudice to enjoy this show. However, anyone who is in it mostly for the romance, which is downplayed here, will not likely enjoy it.  Anyone open to a lighter, funnier, more family-focused version of the story is sure to love it. 

And that's our view. For more about Are the Bennett Girls Okay? or to purchase tickets, visit bedlam.org/w-o/are-the-bennet-girls-ok

Tune in tomorrow for Tips for Tuesday.

Photo credits:

All The Tragedy of Macbeth photos supplied by Kampfire PR

All Are the Bennet Girls Okay? production photos by Ari Espay

Images used in this post were sent by publicists, artists, and/or  PR firms and are used by permission.  Address any concerns regarding image usage here.