AustLit

Hamlet is a tragedy, set in Denmark. The ghost of Hamlet's father, the King, calls on him to seek revenge on Hamlet's Uncle, who is accused of murdering the King.

'Hamlet's father has just died. By the time they've filled in the grave his mother has remarried. Hamlet suspects foul play, and it's troubling his spirit. Or maybe he was always troubled. Ophelia is in love with him. His best friend Horatio can't work him out. Then, on a cold, still night, Hamlet meets the ghost of his father...' (Publisher's blurb)

'Denmark is in turmoil. The palace is seething with treachery, suspicion and intrigue. On a mission to avenge his father's murder, Prince Hamlet tries to claw free of the moral decay all around him. But in the ever-deepening nest of plots, of plays within plays, nothing is what it seems. Doubt and betrayal torment the Prince until he is propelled into a spiral of unstoppable violence.

'In this sumptuous staging of Shakespeare's enigmatic play on the page, Nicki Greenberg has created an extraordinary visual feast that sweeps up all in its path as the drama intensifies both on stage and off.

'An hour-long comedy bomb of Shakespeare plus ninjas. And zombies.

'The Listies are the maestros of children’s theatre. Their tremendous storytelling, comedic genius and infectious imaginations make kids all over the world fall in love with theatre while howling with laughter.

'Now, they have created a new, very cheeky, interactive version of Hamlet for children. This comic adventure shatters the fourth wall and glues it back together with turbo-charged story-telling and silliness.

'Helsingor revisits the story of Hamlet through the persona of Horatio. The novel wittily fills in gaps left by the original play, focusing on the often humorous character of Horatio. He is dragged from his humble beginnings and his bawdy student days with Hamlet in Wittenburg, into the tangled centre of politics at Elsinore. We witness a myopic Horatio, a would-be actor, bumble his way through the dramatic events, through the dark intrigues of the Court, and the bitter struggle between Protestants and Catholics.

'She is the girl who will be queen: Ophelia, daughter of Denmark's lord chancellor and loved by Prince Hamlet.

'But while Hamlet's family stab, poison or haunt one another, Ophelia plans a sensible rule, one filled with justice and the making of delicious cheeses. Even if she has to pretend to be mad to make it happen, Ophelia will let nothing, not even howling ghosts, stand in her way.

'This is Shakespeare's play, but with what might also have happened behind the scenes.