2026 - 1st Play - macbitches by Sophie McIntosh

Soooo … I am recognizing that I was VERY far behind in documenting the remainder of July 2025’s plays. Thus I will be revisiting those. However, I’m excited to start August! I have accumulated a ton of plays over the last year and am digging into those. I’m reading the ones first that people have talked about and my interest is peaked!

This play had me at the title. Truly, I don’t love the word “bitch” which I think has been completely overused and misogynized (is that a word? probably not, but it makes the point), so I personally have been trying to avoid it in my own practice. That being said, I recognize that, like the word “queer”, there has been a female-positive reclaiming of the word “bitch” in the last few years which I do appreciate, hence my excitement about the name of the play. However, on reading I think that the “bitches” of the title of this play are unfortunately the kind of “bitches” because of whom I have a) abandoned the use of that word and b) who I don’t really want in my life and have avoided for years (the joys of getting older include purging most of those sorts of people from your daily life, huzzah!).

Summary: “When freshman acting major Hailey unexpectedly scores the coveted role of Lady Macbeth, her upperclassmen rivals immediately invite her over to “celebrate.” As the Fireball and Svedka flow, the young women interrogate their own ambitions as well as the power structures that have shaped their education—and when the night spirals into violent and shocking acts of betrayal, they come to learn that what’s done cannot be undone.” Theatrical Rights Worldwide website.

Laura’s thoughts in brief:

Things I liked: An all-female cast, YES!!! Different perspectives. Each student brings a different “type” to the table. I’m not going to say stereotype, because the play is more complex than that, but it does lean that way sometimes. I really liked the character that constantly tried to point out where boundaries had been crossed! I appreciated the character that was so dedicated to the craft of acting that she believed that crossing boundaries (others’ and her own) was worth it for “the work”, because many of us were that person in the 90’s (sigh of embarassment) and maybe even in later decades. HOWEVER, my college acting students would be on her so fast and calling her out for that behavior - it made me feel that this character, and maybe the whole show, feel like they’re in the wrong decade. I did appreciate that not all of the characters were awful, although (#notallbitches?). And, (tiny SPOILER) that they’re not all TRULY awful until the alcohol kicks in and truths come out. I loved that there are massive and dramatic twists in the last scene that I did not anticipate. BUT, that last scene seems to kind of come out of nowhere. The whole play up to that point feels too real and predictable for those of use who have experienced theatre school, or even any kind of competitive program and drinking excessively (heard about from a friend, wink, wink). I know this was supposed to be things I liked. Well, fail on that, but I don’t need a “things I disliked” paragraph now, so...

Sadly, some of this tale of young women in a BFA Theatre program rings too true. The play is clearly a criticism of many things that world entails, which are relevant and important, but not particularly new and surprising. Also I’m not sure I want to live in it. Some of the reviews describe this show as “brilliant.” Hmm. I was not left with that - frankly, it didn’t really seem that groundbreaking to me. I think my students will probably love this show, and I’ll likely use scenes from it in class, because they’ll be fun to play with, but I don’t really have much interest in seeing it or doing a production of it.

READ MORE! Here’s what others had to say about productions:

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/22/theater/macbitches-review.html

https://stagebuddy.com/theater/theater-review/review-macbitches

https://thetheatretimes.com/dont-you-hate-it-when-assholes-are-talented-macbitches-at-chain-theatre/

https://tamingofthereview.wordpress.com/2025/04/08/macbitches-is-giving-mean-girls-with-the-sound-and-fury-at-the-forefront/