A Commedia dell’Arte adaptation of Shakespeare’s Famous Tragedy

Hamlet is a Commedia dell’Arte adaption of Shakespeare’s famous tragedy as you have never seen it before. A short and punchy 100 minute show packed full of larger than life characters and physicality, clever and adaptable stagecraft and a diverse troupe of 5 actors who multi-role to bring this tragic tale to new and relevant life in two stunning outdoor venues will make for an unforgettable experience.

Hamlet – Set in 1939 in Copenhagen, Denmark with the world on the precipice of World War Two, the famous Circus Belli is enjoying the height of its success. After the sudden death of their Ringmaster Hamlet senior, his brother Claudius takes both the whip as the new Ringmaster and owner of the circus Gertrude as his new wife. Left alone in the grief of losing his father, seeing him so easily replaced and his mother so quickly remarried, young Hamlet is visited by the ghost of his father commanding he seek revenge on his uncle Claudius who murdered him. And so the descent of our story begins. As Hamlet seeks avenues to enact his revenge the darkness of his intentions spreads through the circus like a disease and the facade of the showy world of Circus begins to crack dragging everyone into the maelstrom and no one is immune. Hamlet, the Circus and Denmark are all symbolically connected in their demise as we witness Hamlet driven to his end by revenge, the demise of Circus as the pre-eminent form of entertainment as television dawns on the horizon, and the demise of Denmark into World War Two as their peaceful neutrality is ripped away by Germany. Does history repeat itself or will this time be different? Set in two stunning outdoor spaces; the Garden for the Future in Bendigo and The Fairfield Amphitheatre in Melbourne, audiences are encouraged to bring a picnic of food and drink, comfortable seating and prepare for the weather (camp chairs and blankets for green grass in Bendigo, and rugs and cushions for the stone steps of Fairfield) making this a truly wonderful night out at the theatre.