Macbeth at The Brussels City Theatre

A troupe of refugee performers from the conflict-ridden eastern Congo has found a stash ofMacbeth material in the jungle: sheet music by Verdi, old gramophone records, battered costumes. They appropriate this jumble to tell the story of their stricken country. A tale of desire, corruption and double-dealings in the midst of war and unscrupulous exploitation.

The South African theatre-maker Brett Bailey is a keen critic of colonialism. We know him from his shocking Exhibit B, an exhibition of live African people. For this contemporary adaptation of Verdi’s opera Macbeth he is collaborating with the Brussels composer Fabrizio Cassol.