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William Shakespeare’s longest & most complex play has been whittled down to a Fringe-sized show by the English Repertory Theatre, performed at the glorious Spotlights Venue on Hanover Street. It is always an absolute treat to walk into spaces like Spotlights, my neck sprung back, as my eyes were fixated and mesmerised by the ceiling decor.

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This production is a rather risky rendition of Hamlet, being that Hamlet is played for the first time ever, by a woman.  The young Prince Hamlet is the central character in a tragedy about a Danish prince seeking revenge on his Uncle; who married Hamlet’s widowed mother immediately after the death of the King.  Hamlet believes there has been a murder, and won’t rest over the conspiracy until the bitter end.

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While the script retains Shakespeare’s perfect Elizabethan English, the dramaturgy places the audience firmly in the modern era. The cast convey this high intensity drama with a very physically elaborate enactment; portraying very deep emotions through the brilliantly fluid and poetic delivery of each line. The play was performed in such a way that I was fully able to understand the events and the complexities of the relationships between each character, which I would say, allows for this production to be suitable for people of all ages and literary ability. And a female Prince Hamlet – well, it worked for me! FOUR STARS

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