Macbeth power play is a part of all of us

A new dance theatre production plays the Grand Theatre tomorrow and Wednesday, telling the story of Scottish General Macbeth, who is given a prophecy by three witches that he will become king of Scotland.

Fuelled by ambition and pushed by his wife, Macbeth murders King Duncan, takes the throne and enters into a spiral of guilt, paranoia, further murders and eventually madness and death.

Artistic director of the Mark Bruce Company, Mark Bruce answered some questions for The Gazette.

What are your thoughts on Shakespeare’s Macbeth?

“Macbeth hits you fast, cuts through to the bone, and for me it is the least ambiguous of Shakespeare’ plays.

We recognise fundamental traits inside ourselves and the consequences of acting upon them.

The vicious pursuit of power to fill a void will always be relevant - the Macbeths are everywhere in every age, because they are a part of us.”

When did you discover Macbeth and what did you think?

“I first read Macbeth as a teenager and returning to it now the images, atmosphere it evokes have not changed. Its power lies in a relentless tale of supernatural horror told with a beauty and symbolism that reaches to the tragic state of the ‘other’.

The supernatural is always present in Macbeth, bending our own thoughts and perceptions as well as those of the protagonists.

It infects us, always one step ahead, and Macbeth’s decisions are made in the world of a nightmare as if there is no separation between thought and action. Murder is done and descent is rapid.”

Why choose Macbeth?

“It is something I have always wanted to do. I had a vision of Macbeth’s world and some of the cast in mind. It was the same with Dracula and The Odyssey.

The choreographic language of Macbeth is very specific and detailed and I felt I had the right dancers at the right time in their careers to pursue this vocabulary.

I do feel there is a time when you are ready to do a production and you can’t really contrive that.”