Whitney White: Celebs Rumors

For musical theater lovers intrigued by the idea of a lively 90-minute pastiche of rock, soul, and ballad paired with an interesting premise involving Shakespeare and social justice, Macbeth in Stride is the show for you. With an onstage band and performance at the heart of the production, this is all about clapping along, a goodly portion of expository — some of it sung — and participation as required.For those with a shorter attention span, fear not: there are whiffs of live-concert crowd-rousing, keening gospel gatherings, and even intimate evenings in a piano bar.The question is, other than being very entertaining, does Macbeth in Stride actually have something to say?Maybe, perhaps, sort of.The concept of writer-performer Whitney White is certainly compelling: it starts with a personable and inclusive invitation to consider with new eyes the way Shakespeare writes his female characters, Lady Macbeth in particular (called Woman here).White begins by asking, who was she really? Her answer arrives through the lens of a Black woman laying claim to their world and their power.This is an intriguing premise, but anyone who knows the play will be stumped by a threshold question: why choose a character who is murderously power-mad to the point of driving herself insane? Despite a fair amount of spoken and sung angst, the answer to the question never quite surfaces, and White’s attempts to fill in the gaps never convinces.More to the point, White’s Lady Macbeth presents as too smart, capable, and 21st-century-centered to see murder as her way to power.When even the three witches query her ruthlessness, it’s time to make the message clear, but it still never quite adds up.

“The Queen’s Gambit” is heading to Broadway in the form of a musical!

Mitski has been confirmed to write the music and lyrics for an upcoming stage adaptation of The Queen’s Gambit.The stage adaptation – first announced in 2021 – was announced to be moving forward today by producers Level Forward on social media, in which it confirmed Mitski’s role in the musical.A post shared by Level Forward (@levelforward)Playwright Eboni Booth (Primary Trust) writing the play while Obie Award-winner Whitney White (Jaja’s African Hair Braiding) is set to direct the stage adaptation. The stage musical adaptation has yet to receive a debut date but is currently in production.Mitski said of her involvement in the stage adaptation, per The Hollywood Reporter: “Before Level Forward even brought the idea of making a musical of The Queen’s Gambit, I was a fan of the Netflix show, and an even greater fan of the original novel.

A stage musical adaptation of The Queen’s Gambit, Walter Tevis’ best-selling novel which became a hit series on Netflix, is in the works, with Oscar-nominated singer-songwriter Mitski attached to write the music & lyrics, playwright Eboni Booth (Primary Trust) writing the book and Obie Award-winner Whitney White (Jaja’s African Hair Braiding) set to direct.

A trio of new shows joined Broadway last week to mostly decent box office figures as the fall season begins to take shape.

EXCLUSIVE: Entertainment company Madison Wells Live, LaChanze and Taraji P. Henson have joined the producing team of Manhattan Theatre Club’s Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, a world premiere play written by Jocelyn Bioh and directed by Whitney White heading to Broadway this fall.

Jaja’s African Hair Braiding, a new play written by Jocelyn Bioh and directed by Whitney White, will make its Broadway debut in a world premiere production by the Manhattan Theatre Club next fall.

Wyatte Grantham-Philips editorKiKi Layne made her stage return in Aleshea Harris’ “On Sugarland,” an off-Broadway production that will take its final bow on March 20.Layne, known for prominent onscreen roles in “If Beale Street Could Talk” and “Coming 2 America,” stresses her love for acting across all mediums.“I just love the opportunity to play in these different worlds and be a storyteller,” Layne told Variety during a telephone interview earlier this week. “I’m very grateful for everything that’s happened for me in TV and film… But I definitely started to feel this pull to get on stage again. It’s a different beast.

Gordon Cox Theater EditorAleshea Harris’ “What to Send Up When It Goes Down” isn’t a traditional play, but audiences shouldn’t come away with the mistaken impression that the show — a play, a ritual, a pageant and a celebration all in one — isn’t carefully constructed and structured.Listen to this week’s “Stagecraft” podcast below:“It’s something that happens a lot with Black theater and with Black art, especially with this kind of art which blurs a line between ritual and theater,” said Harris (pictured, above right), appearing on the new episode of Variety‘s “Stagecraft” with the production’s director, Whitney White (pictured, above left).