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A bold and bloody re-telling of Macbeth marks the start of the Royal New Zealand Ballet’s 2026 season, bringing this most visceral of tragedies to the stage in an explosion of high-octane contemporary ballet.
Choreographer Alice Topp (Aurum, Logos, High Tide) focuses on naked ambition, political power and transgression in this new, original staging, bringing Shakespeare’s iconic characters into a shadowy world of manipulation by media, boardroom intrigue and sudden violence.
The seduction of success and adulation give way to doubt, paranoia and madness, with Alice Topp’s mesmerising movement and Christopher Gordon’s pounding new score, performed live by members of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, inexorably driving Macbeth and his Lady to a conclusion that is as inevitable as it is devastating.

Book more than one show from our 2026 season through our 'Subscribe and Save' package, and save up to 20% on your tickets. (Excludes Dazzlehands).


Macbeth

Choreographer Alice Topp (Aurum, Logos, High Tide) brings naked ambition, political power and transgression to the fore in this new, original staging, propelling Shakespeare’s iconic characters into a shadowy world of manipulation by media, boardroom intrigue and sudden violence. As the Macbeths emerge as a dazzling new power couple, triumphantly atop a glamorous social set, the view from the top is dizzying – and the fall vertiginous.
The seduction of success and adulation give way to doubt, paranoia and madness, with Alice Topp’s mesmerising movement and Christopher Gordon’s pounding new music, layering a full orchestral and heavy metal score with live string octet, inexorably driving Macbeth and his Lady to a conclusion that is as inevitable as it is devastating.
Macbeth has been created with significant support from the Haythorne Circle. Presented in association with Aotearoa New Zealand Festival of the Arts and Te Ahurei Toi o Tāmaki Auckland Arts Festival, Macbeth is a co-production with West Australian Ballet.
&#8216;Stars, hide your fires. Let not light see my black and deep desires.&#8217; &#8211; Macbeth, Act I Scene IV
Book Macbeth as part of a ticket package with The Sleeping Beauty or Winter Season and save 20%.
Recommended for audiences aged 14 and over; parental discretion is advised.
This performance is approximately 2 hours in length, including a 20-minute interval.

A bold and bloody re-telling of Macbeth marks the start of the Royal New Zealand Ballet’s 2026 season, bringing this most visceral of tragedies to the stage in an explosion of high-octane contemporary ballet.

Subscribe & Save

Dazzlehands

4–19 Apr 2026

Winter Season

16 Jul – 1 Aug 2026

The Sleeping Beauty

29 Oct – 20 Dec 2026

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