macbEth
A THIRD WORLD BUNFIGHT PRODUCTION
(SOUTH AFRICA)
11 March - 15 March 2015
Aotea Centre
Concept, design and direction Brett Bailey
Verdis score re-arranged Fabrizio Cassol
Conductor Premil Petrovic
"There can be no denying the power and originality of this astonishing appropriation of Verdi's MacBeth one comes away chilled and thrilled" - Telegraph, UK
South African director Brett Bailey's arresting and utterly original macbEth makes its New Zealand debut exclusively at Auckland Arts Festival 2015.
From 13 -15 March 2015 at the Aotea Centre, Verdi's original opera of ambition, corruption and witchcraft will be relocated to post-colonial Africa and powerfully re-interpreted by ten rich-voiced opera singers from Africa and an onstage chamber orchestra.
Set in today's Congo, Shakespeare's tale of ambition, corruption and witchcraft is dramatically retold, with the MacBeths as Congolese warlords, the three witches as double-crossing businessmen, and Dunsinane as the Great Lakes region of Central Africa.
The result is opera and theatre for now, even though the original work was composed over 160 years ago.
Featuring a mix of Verdi's original score combined with imaginative re-arrangements by Belgian composer Fabrizio Cassol, and threaded through with African musical and theatrical influences, macbEth is highly stylised theatre.
Soprano Nobulumko Mngxekeza, singing in Italian, is simply stunning as a fearsome, fearless Lady MacBeth..."manipulating her lustrous soprano with an ease that many an operatic diva would envy." (The Telegraph).
Brett Bailey has been described as one of the most intelligent and soul-bending artists in South Africa. He is a playwright, designer and director, and has worked throughout South Africa and in Zimbabwe, Uganda, Haiti, the UK and across Europe.
Bailey has directed the opening show for the 2009 World Summit on Arts and Culture in Johannesburg, and for three years was curator of South Africa's only public arts festival, Infecting the City. This year he delivered the International Theatre Institutes World Theatre Day message to UNESCO.
His multi-faceted, award-winning work is renowned for shining a spotlight on the troubled, post-colonial landscape of Africa.
"The text is fiercely modern, delivered in a traditional operatic style that is arresting, unnerving and wholly refreshing" - Time Out, UK
"...see this production if its the only theatre outing you have this year. Its an unforgettable musical and dramatic experience" - The Argus, South Africa
"Never again can opera be referred to as a European phenomenon see this production if its the only theatre outing you have this year. Its an unforgettable musical and dramatic experience" - The Argus, South Africa
"Visually and musically breathtaking" - The Sunday Independent
SEASON DETAILS
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Show |
MacbEth |
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Where |
Aotea Centre |
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When |
Wednesday 11 March -Thursday 12 March, 8.00pm Saturday 14 March -Sunday 15 March, 8.00pm |
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Duration |
1hr 40mins no interval |
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Price |
Premium $128.00 Friend/Conc/Group $118.00 A Res $98.00 Friend/Conc/Group $89.00 B Res $78.00 Friend/Conc/Group $69.00 C Res $58.00 D Res $45.00 |
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Bookings |
Book at Ticketmaster outlets: www.ticketmaster.co.nz/ P: 09 970 9700 or 0800 111 999 |
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Information |
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Social Media |
Facebook: facebook.com/Aklfestival Twitter: @Aklfestival |
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Video |
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Media enquiries |
Meredith McGrath, Publicist P: +64 (0)9 3740317 M:+64 (0)27 4473247 E: Meredith.mcgrath@aaf.co.nz |
*Contains images of violence.
With support from The Wallace Foundation.