Australian premiere of Macbeth ballet brings modern interpretation to Shakespeare
Choreographer Alice Topp has created a new ballet interpretation of Shakespeare's Macbeth, which reimagines the story in a modern boardroom setting. The production, a collaboration between the West Australian Ballet and Royal New Zealand Ballet, focuses on the psychological complexity of the characters.
Why it matters
This represents a significant cultural adaptation of a classic literary work, demonstrating the evolution of traditional performing arts into modern contexts.
The battlefield becomes a boardroom in Alice Topp's new ballet interpretation of Macbeth. ( Supplied: Stephen A'Court, Royal New Zealand Ballet )
Link copied Share Share article For choreographer and former Australian Ballet dancer Alice Topp, one of the attractions of creating Macbeth for ballet was there was no model for how it should be done.
"Creating a brand new ballet where there is no template for it meant that we could explore and discover and roam together," she tells ABC Arts.
The other attraction, Topp says, is that the themes stand the test of time.
She says she was eager to explore the darkness and human complexity of the story, replete with political ambition, psychological manipulation and violence.
"Macbeth and Lady Macbeth aren't just pure villains," Topp says.
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