Macbeth

Ballet by Steffen Fuchs after William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare’s “The Tragedy of Macbeth” describes the rise and fall of the royal commander Macbeth. After his change to a kingslayer he is crowned king of Scotland. But to get his power, he has to commit further murders and is finally killed himself. Driven to delusions of grandeur by the prophecies of the three witches, Macbeth and his lady rush in blind ambition towards doom. Not only themselves, but also the land hoping for peace after long wars they tear into the abyss.
The tragedy of 1606 remains highly relevant over the centuries and gains even more explosiveness in a globalized society: abuse of power and retention of power characterize language and social structure – the new tone spreads worldwide at a frightening, aggressive pace.

The ballet “Macbeth”, in which dance, music and language merge, works out with physical conciseness what is made clear across the word in the text of the work: the demise of two people, trapped in a deadly web of ambition, violence and madness. But Shakespeare does not present Macbeth as a brainless butcher. In his monologues he talks about the immense extent of his feelings of guilt. Lady Macbeth is also not the unscrupulous intriguer she thinks she is at the beginning of the play.

What happens to man when he places the right of the supposedly stronger above ethical principles? Another question that interests the choreographer is the role of witches in this drama. Do they spring from pure superstition or delusion, are they game leaders or the personification of Macbeth’s claim to power?


Premiere 28 March 2020 Theater Koblenz

Choreography: Steffen Fuchs
Music: Caio de Azevedo
Stage and costumes: Ines Alda