Celebrated as one of Shakespeare’s greatest tragedies, Macbeth is a psychological exploration of fate, free will, and conscience…and the Royal New Zealand Ballet is thrilled to open its 2026 season with a searing interpretation of it.
Created by internationally acclaimed choreographer Alice Topp (Aurum, Logos, High Tide), the ballet unfolds in a ruthless, modern world shaped by political ambition, media manipulation and the fatal seduction of power.
“Macbeth explores themes as current today as they were when first written,” says Alice. “An epic story fuelled by political ambition, passion, desire for power and the burden of guilt, its potency endures. Our Macbeth is set in a hierarchy-hungry, high-society city, where political storms, media frenzy and personal ambition collide.”
The ballet centres on the rapid ascent and brutal downfall of Macbeth and his formidable wife – a glittering power couple whose ambition proves equally intoxicating and fatal. Following public acclaim, they rise to extraordinary heights only to be cut down by guilt, paranoia and bloodshed. Through the raw physicality of contemporary ballet, the pair’s psychological unravelling is mercilessly exposed.
“Shakespeare’s text might be dense, but it also has movement written into the language,” continues the choreographer. “The story is a psychological drama, full of behaviours, emotions and atmosphere. All the movement is right there in his words, and my role is to find where those emotions land in the body and let them speak physically.”
Long-time RNZB collaborator and award-winning designer Jon Buswell has created both set and lighting, crafting a darkly glamorous world that mirrors the ballet’s volatile political landscape. Costumes by Sydney-based designer Aleisa Jelbart – lauded for bold contemporary work across ballet, opera and theatre – bring a sharp modern aesthetic that amplifies the production’s themes of power, status and image.
And then there’s the newly commissioned contemporary score by composer Christopher Gordon which underpins the whole production. Performed by a string ensemble from the New Zealand Symphony, it fuses sweeping orchestral sound with driving heavy-metal elements to deliver relentless momentum that echoes the characters’ rapid descent into chaos.
Macbeth undoubtedly stands as one of the most ambitious new works in the ballet company’s history. A bold and bloody retelling of Shakespeare’s iconic tragedy, it promises audiences a searing, high-octane theatrical experience that speaks to the contemporary world while honouring the enduring power of the original.
“Macbeth is the Royal New Zealand Ballet as you’ve never seen us before,” says artistic director Ty King Wall. “Alice is bringing a world of bloodshed, betrayal and intrigue to our stages in a cutting-edge production which draws upon the versatility of our dancers, the skill of our technical team, and demonstrates our incredible artistic range as a company.”
A co-production with West Australian Ballet, Macbeth will premiere as part of Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki Auckland Arts Festival at Kiri Te Kanawa Theatre, Aotea Centre, 4-7 March. Visit rnzb.org.nz to learn more.
