What if Macbeth wasn’t a Scottish king consumed by ambition, but a Disney Channel-style 13-year-old child star desperate to be famous?
That’s the gloriously chaotic premise behind Mackenzie, the new play from acclaimed Australian playwright, Yve Blake, which will premiere with Bell Shakespeare on June 11. We caught up with Blake to discuss all things child stardom, Y2K nostalgia, Shakespeare and the fear of growing up.
Described as a dark, camp and satirical reimagining of Shakespeare’s Macbeth, Blake tells us that the production will transport the audience to the “golden era of Nickelodeon and Disney Channel.” Think Hannah Montana, High School Musical and Jojo Siwa colliding with one of Shakespeare’s bloodiest tragedies.
However, given its Y2K setting and child-star protagonist, it would be easy to assume Mackenzie takes only loose inspiration from Macbeth. Blake is quick to shut this assumption down:
“People think we’ve taken the characters and then done what we want with the story, but the fact is that this is a scene-by-scene adaptation. This is a very faithful beat-by-beat adaptation.”
“Macbeth is famously full of murder… that’s all I’ll say. So best believe it’s silly, and it’s goofy, but it’s also really dark and messed up.”
The creation of Mackenzie
The idea for Mackenzie emerged during a “classic case of burnout” following the success of her hit musical FANGIRLS.
Hoping to create something that would make her laugh, Blake set out on what she thought would be a “little art therapy project” for herself, which soon evolved into something much bigger.
Three “feverish” weeks later, she had completed a full draft.
“It came from a place of intense anxiety and exhaustion,” Blake says. “I was struggling to find joy in writing, which for me felt like a crisis of the highest order.”
As she worked through Shakespeare’s story of ambition and insecurity, she found herself unexpectedly confronting fears about ageing, relevance and artistic value.
“By making the Macbeth character a 13-year-old child actor named Mackenzie, and a young woman, it was so interesting because I also got to kind of nut out some big fears that were living in my subconscious at that time, around ageing and how that might affect my value artistically.”
Discussing her award-winning musical FANGIRLS, which premiered in Australia in 2019 before making its way to London in 2024, Blake said,
“I was 22 when I wrote that musical, and so when people congratulated me on it, they meant nothing by it, but in the same breath, people would always congratulate me for my age… and I know they meant well, but it implanted this fear in me.”
“If I’m no longer 22, will people still give me a go?”
Those fears became intertwined with the story of a child star desperately trying to hold onto fame, and the result is a show inspired not only by fictional Disney Channel icons, but by real-world celebrity culture.
Blake points to everyone from Dance Moms and Honey Boo Boo to JoJo Siwa as influences, citing our “morbid fascination” with these child stars as a real influence.
“I think it’s fascinating how we are invested in a child star’s rise as we are in their fall… we will salivate over watching them become cringe and watching them lose their grip on power.”
That fascination sits at the heart of Mackenzie. Like Shakespeare’s Macbeth, the title character becomes consumed by the fear of losing power and status. The difference is that her kingdom is fame and popularity.
Y2K culture, costumes and nostalgia
While Mackenzie remains faithful to Shakespeare’s original story, the setting couldn’t be more different. Instead of fighting for a throne, young star Mackenzie is fighting to remain the world’s number one pop girl.
For Blake, the early 2000s setting offered the perfect backdrop, and she tells us that Bell Shakespeare’s costume team embraced the era wholeheartedly, making and accessorising outfits that are truly authentic to the production, while also tapping into that Y2K nostalgia.
“It all starts with Pinterest and a dream,” she jokes. She also assures us that “rhinestones” are an important part of Mackenzie and that “everyone’s going to be in low-rise jeans and a tank top over a long sleeve shirt with 7 belts.”
The Disney Channel influences extend beyond the costumes and story. The production features five original songs, which you can actually get a sneak preview of on Spotify (search “Mackenzie’s World”).
“Usually when you’re writing a song, you’re like, ‘Okay, what’s the best song I can write?’ And the question for this show was, ‘What’s the cheesiest song that sounds like it came from 2006, produced by a kids’ show or the Disney Channel?'”
“I’ve never had more fun writing music… It sounds like it’s from 2006, produced by a kids’ show or the Disney Channel.”
Making Macbeth accessible to all generations
For millennials and Gen Z audiences raised on Hannah Montana and High School Musical, the references are obvious. But Blake insists the show isn’t just for those old enough to remember the era firsthand.
A major reason she partnered with Bell Shakespeare was the company’s long history of introducing young people to theatre and Shakespeare. Blake hopes Mackenzie can become a gateway for young audiences who might otherwise never connect with Shakespeare’s work.
“If you’re 15, how are you going to relate to wanting to be the king of Scotland?”
“But if instead Macbeth is Mackenzie and instead her dream is to be the number one pop girl in the world, what then?”
The show’s social media presence has already attracted attention from theatre fans around the world, with audiences in the UK and US asking for international productions before the Australian premiere has even opened.
“It’s been so fun to have such a swell of appetite online for it.”
“We’ve got all of these Brits and Americans who keep commenting on our Instagram being like, ‘bring the show here. I need to see this. I love Macbeth. I need to see this adaptation. Show us who this character is.'”
This all proves that whether it’s kings and queens or Disney Channel child stars, ambition, insecurity, and obsession remain timeless.
Or as Mackenzie proves, sometimes the fastest route to getting excited about Shakespeare is through a pair of low-rise jeans and a 2000s pop anthem.
