Many years ago, Greg Cherone and John Bettencourt got together with an idea to turn William Shakespeare’s most tragic of tragedies into a Rock Opera. The tragedy in question is MacBeth, one of his most well-known works. Greg and John got through a number of songs in the first Act done, but the project was shelved for years collecting dust and going no where. That was until a new collaborator was brought in who had a background in musical theater, Greg’s cousin, Robert Clapp Jr. Greg asked Robert to work on one song called “A Dangerous Thing” and after that was done, Robert agreed to work on another, then another until he was in hook, line and sinker. After a year or so of work, we get a finished project with two full acts, 27 songs telling the story of MacBeth.
Robert played all the instruments and even sang all the parts to kick things off so they had a base tracking of the album. They added vocals to each song by using friends, family members and even hiring singers using the app Fiverr which was very successful for them. But they still needed a name, a person that would help draw some interest into the project. Their main goal was to get a backer to help stage the show in the theater and bring these songs to life. Greg mentioned to me that he styled the Rock Opera in the same way as Jesus Christ Superstar of which all three of them are a huge fan. I believe Robert Clapp was actually in Jesus Christ Superstar at one time.
As luck would have it, during the Monsters of Rock cruise back in March of 2025, an evening dinner would start the interest in someone to sing MacBeth. On the cruise was the band Extreme and as it so happens, Gary Cherone and Nuno Bettencourt of the band are the brothers of Greg Cherone and John Bettencourt the creators of the MacBeth Rock Opera. Gary was having dinner with Jeff Scott Soto and talked to him about the MacBeth project. Later, Gary told Greg about Jeff so Greg reached out and asked Jeff to sing on one song. Jeff did it and they loved his work so they thought, why not ask Jeff to do all the MacBeth. The worst he could do is say No. Well, Jeff doesn’t like to say No and he happily agreed to handle all the vocals as he had barely enough time before his next project, a Brazilian tour.
Jeff Scott Soto had a little experience with the rock opera/musical theater style thanks in part to his work with Trans-Siberian Orchestra and the Christmas tours he’s been doing for like 17 years. Jeff brings his powerful, tenor vocals and takes the project to another level. He is commanding in his presence and when he sings, he is captivating and makes you stop and take notice. All the singers on here are fantastic, but Jeff stands out and is the perfect fit to play MacBeth. Now, I am biased, but if you hear it, you will agree as well.
Greg Cherone thought the music needed a physical copy so people have something in their hand to help grab the concept of the opera. He thought a CD would be perfect and as a collector of CDs, I agree completely with his decision. The cover art with the bloody dagger was designed with the help of Greg’s brother, Gary Cherone. It is a very effective image with the blood dripping off the dagger and the dagger being part of the word MacBeth. It makes you stop and take notice. The CD is not available for sale and Greg Cherone was kind enough to send me a copy for the review. I also did an interview with all three creators and they helped give me some background of the project. Without them, I would not have been able to do this review and have this very special piece in my Jeff Scott Soto collection so I thank them very much. This is a very special, very rare piece to have and probably one of the rarest pieces in the collection. When it finally makes it to stage, it might not even have Jeff as MacBeth, but we can hope it does and then this will get an official release for all the Soto fans out there.
Before we get to the songs, you probably want to know a little about the story of MacBeth. I will be honest and let you know I asked ChatGPT to give me a brief summary and this is what it gave me…it sums things up nicely…
Shakespeare’s tragedy about a Scottish general whose ambition is ignited by a prophecy that he will become king. Urged on by Lady Macbeth, he murders King Duncan and seizes the throne, but guilt and paranoia quickly unravel them both. To protect his power, Macbeth commits more killings, including the murder of his friend Banquo, whose ghost begins to haunt him. As tyranny spreads and Scotland suffers, opposition grows, led by Macduff and Duncan’s son Malcolm. Lady Macbeth descends into madness under the weight of guilt, and Macbeth, clinging to misleading prophecies that make him feel invincible, faces rebellion and ultimately death, showing how unchecked ambition and moral corruption lead to destruction. There is a lot more to the story, but this will give you a great idea of what a great story this really is.
ACT ONE:
“Overture” is the opening salvo in this two act play. It is an instrumental piece and without you even knowing it, it is telling you the story of the play with its music. The song consists of bits and parts from a lot of the songs in the show. Mostly from the first act, but maybe a couple from the second act as well. Of course, you wouldn’t know that on the first listen, but once you listen to it a couple times, you will pick up on that fact.
“Fair is Foul” is our introduction to the Weyward Sisters who is actually only one person. From South Africa, Abigail Strickland, brings to life all three sisters. I love how they have a young voice, and quite sexy and alluring rather than making them old and ugly witches. It draws you in a little more and makes things way more interesting.
“Windswept Prophecies” gives us our first taste of MacBeth and Jeff Scott Soto. MacBeth and Banquo (Lucius R) come across the Weyward Sisters and they tell their prophecies to both MacBeth and Banquo. There is some great orchestration and I love the use of bagpipes as this does take place in Scotland. It is hear that MacBeth is told he will become Thane of Cawdor and then later become King. Banquo is told his descendants will hold the crown…this terrifies MacBeth later as you will see.
“Noble MacBeth” is a ceremonious feel as they celebrate MacBeth’s victories in battle and he is crowned Thane of Cawdor! Another track with that has Jeff on vocals along with Lucius R.
“Encounter” sees MacBeth realize the prophecies are coming true and he sends a letter to Lady MacBeth and telling her about the prophecies. A short piece with more vocals by Jeff Scott Soto.
“It’s Already Happening” brings us to Lady MacBeth played by Laura Wright who does such a great job. She seems to have some training in this style as she plays it beautifully. Lady MacBeth immediately figures she has to be the woman behind the man and she starts planning what needs to happen to make sure her loving husband becomes King.
“Sovereign” carries the story forward as the King and his wife come to visit his cousin MacBeth and stay at their castle. King Duncan is played by Rick Berlin and Prince Malcom is played by Dave Munro. They sing here is the King praises his son Malcom and he goes on and on about him. The song responds in kind.
“Black and Deep Desires” is a darker toned song as MacBeth is questioning whether or not do kill Duncan. His wife makes sure that MacBeth understands that the King can’t see tomorrow and must be killed that evening.
“A Dangerous Thing” is one of the highlights of the album as Jeff Scott Soto really goes all in with MacBeth. Here MacBeth is thinking that his dark desires to be King is a dangerous thing. He is wondering if the Weyward Sisters were simply imagining things. There are some angelic voices backing Jeff as the music gets more intense. The violins are playing and musically, it is one of the best songs of the whole show as it encompasses the whole story into one concise song. It was the first song Jeff recorded and helped him get the whole gig.
![A Dangerous Thing [LYRICS] - Jeff Scott Soto](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/TFcxknu3D84/hqdefault.jpg)
“If We Should Fail” is another pivotal moment in the show. It has MacBeth questioning what they are about to do and he keeps asking Lady MacBeth what happens if they fail. Lady MacBeth never answers his question and keeps pushing to complete the deed. She has already drugged the guards so they won’t see MacBeth kill the King. They will frame the guards and will get away with everything. She explains everything to him in detail. It is a great back and forth between Jeff and Laura. The music gets more intense and so does Jeff’s vocals as he makes you feel how much MacBeth really doubts they should do this. Laure is stern in her response and reassures him all will go as planned.
“The Deed is Done” is a dark, morose tone as the music states the importance of what is happening as MacBeth is killing the King. A short instrumental piece that is as eerie as the deed being done. The notes are frantic and disturbing. A great little piece.
“Pouring Rain” espouses that Lady MacBeth would’ve have murdered him herself he didn’t resemble her father. Then MacBeth sings is thinking he’s cursed. MacBeth brought the daggers back to their room as he now questions what the hell he has done. It is late in the night and she is encouraging him to return the daggers to the guards bodies. Jeff and Laure both highlight the magnitude of what has been done. You can feel Jeff’s doubts about it all. The guilt has already kicked in and no doubt will get worse.
“A Porter’s Song” brings us the humor that is needed at this point as it has been really dark for the last few songs. The Porter is Richard Saunders and he is simply magnificent in this role. The piano notes hitting, the snoring and the “knock, knock, knock” is nothing but pure humor. The Porter was drunk off hiss ass and now being woken by a knocking at the gate. He falls back asleep more knocking and more singing about his hangover. At the gate is MacDuff wanting to see the King. MacDuff joins in on the song and he is played by Charlie Bonnin. I will admit this is another of my pieces of the show. Perfect timing for some humor before the bodies are found and things go from bad to worse.
“A Demon Walks Among Us” finds MacDuff along with MacBeth finding the bodies. Charlie is another standout singer as he talks about a demon walking among them for the killing. The demon is no longer in hell. It is Treason. He tells Malcolm who is total disbelief. They blame the guards and MacBeth claims he just killed them for what they have done. MacDuff is mad that he would do such a thing as he is not judge and jury. It is the beginning of a disagreement that will only grow. All do a great job on this one and a great finale to Act One.
ACT TWO:
“Pray Scotland Pray” kicks off Act Two and we get the character Ross played by Jeff Munro. Ross sings about how darks things have become and that Scotland is turning dark. He wants to pray for Scotland. The pace picks up and they try to decide who should be King as Prince Malcolm has fled for his safety. Next in line is MacBeth and then he is crowned as King.
“Another Deed is Done” sees MacBeth go after Banquo as he fears the prophecy that Banquo’s descendants will be King so he must stop that before that happens. Banquo startst to think this was all the doing of MacBeth and starting to suspect him. Lucious R sings this one and with Jonathan Clapp who plays Banquo’s son Fleance. Banqou fights hard and takes on three swordsman and he is killed, but his son escapes.
“Fir For A King” has us back at the castle and in the middle of a banquet celebrating MacBeth’s coronation. MacBeth is told of Banquo’s death and the escape of the son. This really bothers MacBeth and the guilt starts to really eat at him as he suddenly sees the ghost of Banquo standing in front of him. He starts to lose it and the people don’t know what is going on nor what he sees as they see nothing. He is not well. This has several singers, mostly Jeff and Laura. Jeff shows the madness in his tone and vocals to match the scene. And then he calms down, but he still is fixated on the vision. MacBeth notices that MacDuff does not attend the banquet and now MacBeth wants him murdered.
“Double, Double, Toil And Trouble” is another of my favorite tracks. It sees the Weyward Sisters visiting MacBeth again. MacBeth is trying to get some sleep when they show up. It starts with Jeff on vocals before Abigail comes in as the Sisters. We get the great, dark ingredients for the spell they are about to case. I love how they take them straight from the play. The “Double, Double’ chorus is brilliantly done by Abigail. The pacing on the delivery of the lyrics is perfect beat for beat. Wonderfully done. “Something Wicked This Way Comes” for sure.
“MacBeth’s Dream” has MacBeth being dreaming about the new prophecies of “The Armed Head” which is a reference to MacDuff; “The Bloody Child” which is reference to none of woman born will harm him; “The Crowned Child With A Tree” which is a reference to the army that is coming to end MacBeth. The final vision is of a all of Banquo’s descendants with the last one holding a mirror reflecting all to hold the thrown. Jeff’s panic in his vocals shows the desperation and the fear in his visions.
“All The Keeps Me Human” is another showcase song for Jeff’s vocals. MacBeth is going over the edge. He now wants to kill all of MacDuff’s family…kill them all. Jeff shows the frantic desire to stay in power. It is darker and scary.
“Never Enough” sees Prince Malcolm ready to come back and be King as he approaches MacDuff in joining him. MacDuff is in despair at the fate of Scotland. Malcolm pretends to be evil now and tests MacDuff to see where is loyalty stands. When MacDuff won’t come with him, Malcolm tells him is was only kidding and wanted to make sure he knew where his loyalties really are. And the song ends with a little humor which I won’t spoil.
“All My Pretty Ones” is the most heart-wrenching song on the whole album. And another one of the best. MacDuff learns of the death’s off his entire family. There is a great line where MacDuff says he must “dispute it as a Man, And feel it like a Man”. Then the music goes dark and Malcolm’s heart breaks. The vocals are handled by Charlie Bonnin and he makes you feel every tragic emotion. You can almost hear is voice break. The piano at the start of his vocal solo is gut-wrenching and empowering as he is fully committed now to destroying MacBeth.
“Rinse Away” takes us back to the castle where Lady MacBeth is having nightmares and she sleepwalks to try and wash her sins away. Running water over her bloody hands and wants the blood gone. The guilt is immense. She sees King Duncan as similar to her Father and she regrets everything she has done. So much so that after the song, she kills herself. Laura Wright really nails the performance and you can feel her heart breaking. A great showcase for her.
“Malcolm’s March” sees the Malcolm’s army grab tree branches to hold in front of them to hide their numbers as they march upon MacBeth’s castle to overthrow the current King.
“Tomorrow” is another great performance by Jeff. MacBeth is told of the Queen’s death and then he does the great speech from the play that includes the lines…
Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
Jeff speaks the lines rather than sing even though his tone has a slight singing cadence to them. It is done perfectly and another of his greatest moments in the story. Then MacBeth is told of the army approaching as they prepare for battle. The song goes back to the beginning of Act Two with another chorus of “Pray Scotland Pray”.
“Clanking Steel” is the final battle between MacDuff and MacBeth. MacBeth shows his cockiness that he can’t be killed by any man born of a woman. He quickly learns that MacDuff was born by “C” section and not a normal birth. The swords clank and then a scream and…spoiler alert…MacBeth is killed. The back and forth between MacDuff (Charlie) and MacBeth (Jeff) is exciting and electrifying. The swords clank and that scream by Jeff at the end lets you know it is all over.
“Requiem for A Tyrant” ends it all with a tribute to MacBeth. If you listen close, you can hear parts of the song “A Dangerous Thing” so it is sort of small reprise of that song. It is a sad, tragic piece and a fitful end to all the misery that MacBeth had brought upon Scotland. It is bombastic, dramatic and the orchestration takes it to another level. A fitting way to go out.
And there you have it. It is an amazing story and it has Jeff Scott Soto like you have never seen him before. It is such an interesting take on Shakespeare’s MacBeth and I like how it is bringing Shakespeare back to the masses. I know it made me want to go back and read the play which I don’t think I’ve done since I was in high school…and I probably only read the Cliff Notes version. Greg Cherone, John Bettencourt and Robert Clapp have outdone themselves with this rendition of MacBeth. They picked the best parts of the play and brought them to life in a modern musical style. The singers on the album help to bring it all to life. Musically, Robert Clapp is amazing as he did all the instruments and the choices made on the orchestration, the bagpipes and all the music capture the essence of the play. The drama, the tragedies, the humor all done to perfection. It isn’t a story where you really want to root for the King, but it does tell a story that is engaging, exciting and keeps your interest until the very end. The more you listen to it, the more you get out of it and the more intriguing it becomes..
If you want find out more about the Rock Opera, you can go to MacbethARockOpera.com and check it out.
THE JEFF SCOTT SOTO SERIES:
- Panther – ‘Panther’ (1986) – recorded in 1984
- Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Force – ‘Rising Force’ (1984)
- Yngwie Malmsteen’s Rising Force – ‘Marching Out’ (1985)
- Kuni – ‘Lookin’ For Action’ (1988)
- Kryst the Conqueror – ‘Deliver Us From Evil’ (1989) / ‘Soldiers of Light: The Complete Recordings (2019)
- Eyes – ‘Eyes’ (1990)
- Eyes – “Nobody Said It Was Easy” (1990) – 7″ Single – Bonus Edition
- Talisman – ‘Talisman’ (1990)
- Talisman – “I’ll Be Waiting” (1990) – 7″ Single – Bonus Edition
- Skrapp Mettle – ‘Sensitive’ (1991)
- Axel Rudi Pell – ‘Eternal Prisoner’ (1992)
- Bakteria – ‘Deficate! Suffocate! Mutilate! Masturbate!’ (1992 / 2009)
- Eyes – ‘Windows of the Soul’ (1993)
- Talisman – ‘Genesis’ (1993)
- Axel Rudi Pell – ‘The Ballads’ (1993)
- Biker Mice From Mars – ‘Biker Mice From Mars (Soundtrack)’ (1993)
- Takara – ‘Eternal Faith’ (1993)
- Talisman – ‘5 Out Of 5 (Live in Japan)’ (1994)
- Talisman – ‘Humanimal’ (1994)
- Axel Rudi Pell – ‘Between the Walls’ (1994)
- Gary Schutt – ‘Sentimetal’ (1994)
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Love Parade’ (1994)
- Eyes – ‘November Mass / Full Moon’ (1994)
- Axel Rudi Pell – ‘Made in Germany (Live)’ (1995)
- Takara – ‘Taste of Heaven’ (1995)
- Talisman – ‘Life’ (1995)
- Jeff Scott Soto, Gary Schutt, Michael Voss, Neal Grusky – ’24th of June: Alive ‘N Kissing’ (1995)
- Axel Rudi Pell – ‘Black Moon Pyramid’ (1996)
- Human Clay – ‘Human Clay’ (1996)
- Talisman – ‘Besterious’ (1996)
- Talisman – ‘Best of’ (1996)
- Yngwie Malmsteen – ‘Inspiration’ (1996)
- Axel Rudi Pell – ‘Magic’ (1997)
- Human Clay – ‘U4IA’ (1997)
- Boogie Knights – ‘Welcome to the Jungle Boogie’ (1997)
- Takara – ‘Blind in Paradise’ (1998)
- Talisman – ‘Truth’ (1998)
- Takara – ‘Eternity: The Best of 93-98’ (1998)
- ‘Rock Star: Music from the Motion Picture (Soundtrack)’ – Various Artists (2001)
- Humanimal – ‘Humanimal’ (2002)
- Humanimal – Find My Way Home: Limited Edition E.P. (2002)
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Holding On E.P.’ (2002)
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Prism’ (2002)
- Talisman – ‘Live at Sweden Rock Festival’ (2002)
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘JSS Live at the Gods 2002’ (2003)
- Talisman – ‘Cats & Dogs’ (2003)
- Jeff Scott Soto – The Queen Sessions (2003)
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Believe in Me E.P.’ (2004)
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Lost in the Translation’ (2004)
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Live at the Queen Convention 2003’ (2004)
- Soul SirkUS – ‘World Play’ (2004/2005)
- Talisman – ‘Five Men Live’ (2005)
- Talisman – ‘World’s Best Kept Secret DVD (2005)
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Essential Ballads’ (2006)
- Journey – ‘Live from Atlanta (Bootleg)’ (2006)
- Talisman – ‘7’ (2006)
- Talisman – The Albums Ranked Worst to First
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘B-Sides’ (2006)
- Redlist – ‘Ignorance’ (2007)
- Jeff Scott Soto – LA Rocks Demo / Vinnie Vincent Demo 1988 (2008)
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Beautiful Mess’ (2009)
- Jeff Scott Soto – “21st Century” / “Gin & Tonic Sky” CD Single (2009) – Bonus Edition
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘One Night in Madrid’ (2009)
- Trans-Siberian Orchestra – ‘Night Castle’ (2009)
- W.E.T. – ‘W.E.T.’ (2009)
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Live at Firefest 2008’ (2010)
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Damage Control’ (2012)
- W.E.T. – ‘Rise Up’ (2013)
- W.E.T. – ‘One Live in Stockholm’ (2014)
- Jeff Scott Soto – The Authorized Biography (2014)
- SOTO – ‘Inside the Vertigo’ (2015)
- Joel Hoekstra’s 13 – Dying to Live (2015)
- Talisman – ‘Live in Stockholm’ (2015)
- Talisman – ‘Vaults’ (2015)
- SOTO – ‘Divak’ (2016)
- Sons of Apollo – ‘Psychotic Symphony’ (2017)
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Retribution’ (2017)
- W.E.T. – ‘Earthrage’ (2018)
- SOTO – ‘Origami’ (2019)
- Sons of Apollo – ‘Live With the Plovdiv Psychotic Symphony’ (2019)
- Sons of Apollo – ‘MMXX’ (2020)
- Talisman – “Never Die (A Song For Marcel)” – 7″ Single (2020)
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Live and Loud in Milan 2019’ (2020)
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Wide Awake (In My Dreamland)’ (2020)
- SOTO – ‘Revision’ (2020)
- Octavision – ‘Coexist’ (2020)
- W.E.T. – ‘Retransmission’ (2021)
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘The Duets Collection, Vol. 1’ (2021)
- Jeff Scott Soto – ‘Complicated’ (2022)
- Jeff Scott Soto – The Solo Albums Ranked Worst to First
- Ellefson-Soto – ‘Vacation in the Underworld’ (2022)
- Slam – Slam (2023)
- Art of Anarchy – ‘Let There Be Anarchy’ (2024)
- D’Luna – ‘Monster’ (2024)
- W.E.T. – ‘Apex’ (2025)
- Ellefson-Soto – ‘Unbreakable’ (2025)
- Shakespeare’s MacBeth: A Rock Opera (Featuring Jeff Scott Soto) (2025)
- Jeff Scott Soto – ALL THE ALBUMS Ranked Worst to First
- Jeff Scott Soto / Jason Bieler – Live In Concert (2022) – Bonus Edition
- Jeff Scotto Soto / Jason Bieler – Live in Concert (2023) – Bonus Edition
