The play's the thing
Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the King!
In this sumptuous staging of Shakespeare's powerful
story of doubt and revenge, we discover a world of plays
within plays as the drama intensifies both on-stage
and off.
Hamlet's struggle with truth, meaning, morality and
action is brought to life in a riot of colour and visual
acrobatics. And behind the scenes, another dark story
of obsession and betrayal unfolds. The characters in
Hamlet are actors - but can we ever know on which side
of the stage reality lies?
"The finest thing about Shakespearean drama
is that the work can be restaged for every generation,
and in so many different ways. In Nicki Greenberg's
version Hamlet is played by an inkblot with a crowquill
in his scabbard. The settings sparkle; the interior
of the castle has a decor of suspended clock parts,
curious only until we realise that 'time is out of joint'.;
Polonius pops in and out of a sheet of paper as he reads
Hamlet's letter to Ophelia; and Ophelia walks us physically
through the botanicals so we don't need opera glasses
to follow the symbolism of the flowers. Greenberg's
adaptation of The Great Gatsby was entirely in monochrome
and it's exciting this time around to see her unpack
a palette of riotous colour." - EDDIE CAMPBELL
HAMLET is published in Australia and New Zealand by
Allen and Unwin. For more information please visit www.allenandunwin.com.
