Created by internationally acclaimed choreographer Alice Topp the ballet unfolds in a ruthless modern world shaped by political ambition, media manipulation and the fatal seduction of power.
"Macbeth is one of Shakespeare’s great tragedies, exploring themes as current today as they were when first written," Topp said, in a statement.
"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."
A co-production with West Australian Ballet, Macbeth is on tour through New Zealand, and will be staged at Dunedin’s Regent Theatre on Friday, March 13, at 7.30pm and Saturday, March 14, at 1.30pm.
There will be a warm-up/curtain-up session on Friday night from 6.20pm.
At the centre of the ballet is the rise and fall of Macbeth and his formidable wife — a dazzling power couple whose ascent to influence is as intoxicating as it is catastrophic.
Propelled by ambition and fanned by public adulation, the Macbeths scale extraordinary heights, only to find themselves consumed by guilt, paranoia and violence.
For Topp, the translation of Shakespeare’s dense, language-driven tragedy into movement is not an act of reduction, but of revelation.
"Shakespeare’s text might be dense, but it also has movement written into the language," she said.
"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."
Award-winning designer Jon Buswell has created both sets and lighting, shaping a darkly glamorous world and costumes are by Sydney-based designer Aleisa Jelbart.
The production also features a newly commissioned contemporary score by composer Christopher Gordon, performed with a live string ensemble from the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra.
RNZB artistic director Ty King-Wall said the new production showcased the company at its most daring and expansive.
"Macbeth is the Royal New Zealand Ballet as you’ve never seen us before," King-Wall said.
