Bell Shakespeare’s Mackenzie is one of the company’s most exhilarating new works in recent memory. Written by Yve Blake, this wildly inventive reimagining of Macbeth gleefully trades Scottish battlefields for the dazzling, cut-throat world of early-2000s children’s television.
The result is a deliciously funny, surprisingly poignant and fiercely intelligent satire that never loses sight of the Shakespearean tragedy beating beneath its glittering exterior.
At its heart is Mackenzie, a 13-year-old newcomer whose first television role becomes the catalyst for an increasingly unhinged pursuit of fame. Blake’s script is razor-sharp, finding endless comic possibilities in the absurdities of celebrity culture while exposing the emotional cost of ambition, exploitation and parental expectation.
Like Shakespeare’s original, the play charts a descent fuelled by prophecy and unchecked desire, but here the witches are replaced by an eccentric make-up artist whose prediction of superstardom sends everyone spiralling towards an inevitable catastrophe.
Virginia Gay directs with infectious confidence, embracing the play’s gloriously camp sensibility without sacrificing its emotional core. Every scene crackles with energy, effortlessly balancing outrageous comedy with moments of genuine heartbreak.
Gay understands that the humour lands hardest when grounded in recognisable truths, allowing the production’s increasingly surreal twists to feel entirely earned. The pacing is exhilarating, with the songs emerging naturally from the storytelling rather than interrupting it, adding another layer of wit while propelling the narrative forward.
Kimberley Hodgson is simply sensational as Mackenzie. She captures both the awkward innocence of a young performer desperate to please and the intoxicating confidence that success begins to breed. Hodgson’s performance evolves with remarkable precision, charting Mackenzie’s transformation from hopeful child actor into a figure consumed by ambition while retaining enough vulnerability to ensure the audience never loses sympathy for her.
Nikki Britton delivers a magnificent performance as Ruth, Mackenzie’s relentlessly ambitious mother. Equal parts terrifying, hilarious and heartbreakingly recognisable, Britton creates a stage mother whose every action is motivated by a warped sense of love and aspiration. Her comic timing is impeccable, but it is the flashes of desperation beneath the bravado that make the performance so memorable.
Ryan González brings enormous warmth and charisma to Beau, whose friendship with Mackenzie provides much of the production’s emotional grounding. Billie Palin displays impressive versatility across multiple roles, while Anusha Thomas shifts effortlessly between characters with remarkable clarity and precision.
Jane Watt proves to be an irresistible comic force, relishing every opportunity to inhabit the eccentric Pickle, the Producer and a host of other delightfully exaggerated creations.
Blake’s original songs are a genuine highlight. Catchy, clever and packed with biting satire, they lovingly evoke the glossy bubblegum pop of the early 2000s, amplifying the emotional highs while exposing the absurdity of the entertainment industry with gleeful precision.
Keerthi Subramanyam’s design embraces theatrical simplicity while allowing the costumes to become a dazzling extension of the characters themselves. Every costume feels perfectly judged, capturing the gaudy optimism and manufactured glamour of children’s television while subtly charting the characters’ emotional journeys.
Kelsey Lee’s dynamic lighting shifts seamlessly from brightly lit television spectacle to darker psychological territory, while Tom Lowndes, making an impressive theatrical debut as sound designer, creates a vibrant sonic landscape pulsing with nostalgic energy.
Elle Evangelista’s choreography injects every musical sequence with infectious exuberance, perfectly capturing the polished awkwardness of manufactured pop performances.
Wickedly funny and irresistibly entertaining, Mackenzie is a triumphant production that delights from beginning to end.
Mackenzie
Fairfax Studio – Arts Centre Melbourne, 100 St Kilda Road, Melbourne
Performance: Friday 24 July 2026
Season continues to 9 August 2026
Bookings: www.artscentremelbourne.com.au
For more information, visit: www.bellshakespeare.com.au for details.
Images: Anusha Thomas and Kimberley Hodgson in Mackenzie – photo by Brett Boardman | Anusha Thomas, Ryan González, Nikki Britton (hidden), Jane Watt, Billie Palin and Kimberley Hodgson (centre) in Mackenzie – photo by Brett Boardman | Ryan González and Kimberley Hodgson in Mackenzie – photo by Brett Boardman | Jane Watt, Kimberley Hodgson, Ryan González and Billie Palin in Mackenzie – photo by Brett Boardman
Review: Rohan Shearn