Anna Tsygankova is a riveting Lady Macbeth in Pickett’s new production

Following on from successful literary adaptations including Emma Bovary for the National Ballet of Canada and The Crucible for Scottish Ballet, Helen Pickett has now turned her attention to one of literature's most famous females in Lady Macbeth. Her interpretation sees high intensity from the off, lucid storytelling and highly physical choreography. It initially flows well in a whirlwind of passion and suspicion, but Act 2 struggles for momentum with a less tangible narrative despite committed performances from a slick Dutch National Ballet.

Anna Tsygankova in the title role, is a theatrical ballerina. We get to know her in a dramatic opening vignette which showcases her fiery charisma and need for control. Small but mighty, she entirely immerses herself in the role, exerting authority in an opening solo with the flick of a wrist, fingers splayed rigidly and a killer extension that shoots up next to her head.

Presumably, it’s a deliberate choice that she does not have much natural chemistry with her Macbeth (Giorgi Potskhishvili). The pair barely share a glance because it's clear she is the manipulator-in-chief. They may lack authenticity, but the physicality in their opening pas de deux is gorgeously executed and tells us exactly who is in charge in this relationship. They look good together, Potskhishvili is strong and reserved in contrast to his explosive wife, her legs wrapped around his torso, sweeping around to balance on his shoulder, consumed by her own ego but looking angelic in a floaty white nightdress. It’s a clear introduction and we immediately understand their relationship is fraught with tension, a rather calculated passion and deceit.

Pickett is also successful in creating clearly distinguished characters in the supporting cast. Edo Wijnen’s spritely Banquo had a quick trajectory. We see brief moments of an easy chemistry with his best friend Macbeth, before he finds incriminating evidence on him for the murder of King Duncan and is himself quickly disposed of. Lady Macbeth’s confidant, Lady MacDuff (Nina Tonoli) is a constant presence amongst her friend’s developing hysteria, a vision of composure in emerald green.

Luis F. Carvalho’s set designs are opulent and effective, so attractive in fact that one can ignore the artistic licence taken with the period of the designs. The sweeping baroque-style staircases move and rotate to signify the Macbeths’ residence and the scene of a lavish ball. As one might imagine of the Shakespeare tragedy, there is not much room for joy in Pickett’s production and Peter Salem’s tense score, but the celebration of Macbeth’s impending reign offers opportunity for a well put together ensemble scene full of regal colours and swagger. But even in celebration, there is a subdued, ominous tone, the soft drumming present in Salem’s music is like a heartbeat that pulses with increasing urgency.

The final scene of Act 1 sees some clever split staging for a banquet following Banquo’s murder. On one side of the stage we see the grandeur of the dining room and the congested chaos of the kitchen on the other. The boundaries blur dramatically when the ghost of Banquo is seen in a vision by Macbeth. It also signals the beginning of Lady Macbeth’s true decline.

There is an effective shift in chemistry for Act 2. Tsygankova’s bluster and arrogance is diminished, she appears physically weakened, either alone or haunted by memories. Macbeth has no time for his wife’s hysterical behaviour and reacts coldly to her, later injecting her with a tranquiliser.

The action falters as we stumble between visions and reality. But ultimately there is not enough action to sustain the purposeful pace set by the first act. There is the brutal end for Lady MacDuff and we see the three witches waft in and out without much impact, which seems a waste of what could be more meaty roles for the trio.

All that is clear is Lady Macbeth cuts an ever more lonely and desperate figure and Tsygankova completely commits to the traumas her character has endured. In a brief reconciliation with her husband her body is heavy, relying on him to support her physically for the first time.

There is a lot that is engaging in Pickett’s Lady Macbeth; the storytelling, designs and choreography come together well at some key moments and the central relationship is vividly drawn. The ending, however, is disappointing. Lady Macbeth, now finally alone, takes her own life but this is not clearly visible from my vantage point. The curtain falls. The audience did not immediately understand this was the conclusion. Such a tour de force of a character deserves a better demise to match.

Vikki's travel was paid for by Dutch National Opera and Ballet