Kings become politicians. Witches shape-shift into social media influencers. Boardrooms replace battlefields.
More than 400 years after Shakespeare wrote Macbeth, acclaimed Australian choreographer Alice Topp has reimagined the classic tragedy for today’s world in a gripping new contemporary ballet.
Six years in the making, Macbeth is a co-production between West Australian Ballet and Royal New Zealand Ballet and will make its Australian premiere at His Majesty’s Theatre this September, following its world premiere in Wellington in February.
The New Zealand season received widespread critical acclaim.
The production follows Topp’s acclaimed Butterfly Effect, which premiered during West Australian Ballet’s 2024 season.
“Despite being centuries old, the themes in Macbeth are just as potent and relevant as ever,” Topp said.
“Setting it in the turbulent world of politics and media influence felt like fertile ground to explore this spiralling psychological drama fuelled by ambition, betrayal and manipulation. It feels current and highly relatable in times of great instability globally.”
To bring that vision to life, Topp joined forces with longtime collaborator and award-winning lighting and set designer Jon Buswell, alongside costume designer Aleisa Jelbart and dramaturg Ruth Little.
Composer Christopher Gordon crafted an original score that gives Macbeth something rarely heard in ballet. Rather than a traditional 50-piece pit orchestra, Gordon envisioned something larger: eight musicians from the West Australian Symphony Orchestra performing live alongside a recorded score featuring 126 musicians from around the world.
The result is a rich, cinematic soundscape drawing on influences ranging from 1940s big band and 1970s funk to progressive rock and EDM.
“The first time I saw Alice’s Macbeth take shape, it unfolded like a movie I was a part of,” West Australian Ballet Artistic Director Leanne Stojmenov said.
“I understood immediately the power of this production and how deeply it will resonate with audiences today. It’s exactly the kind of bold, ambitious work that belongs here.”
Macbeth will play at His Majesty’s Theatre from 4 to 19 September.
