One actor plays Hamlet AND his dead dad AND his mom in drag. Shakespeare just got weird.
The ghost of the King of Denmark tells his son Hamlet to avenge his murder by killing the new king Claudius, Hamlet's uncle. Hamlet feigns madness, contemplates life and death, and seeks revenge. His uncle, fearing for his life, also devises plots to kill Hamlet.
Acting
Lars Eidinger plays four roles including his own mother. Unhinged brilliance.
Direction
Thomas Ostermeier drags Hamlet screaming into contemporary anarchy.
Production
Minimalist set, maximalist chaos. Dirt, blood, and broken furniture everywhere.
Director
Hannes Rossacher
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This production comes from Berlin's Schaubühne theatre, notorious for deconstructing classics until they barely resemble themselves.
Eidinger's casting as multiple roles mirrors Hamlet's famous line 'I have that within which passeth show'—here, identity literally passes between performers.
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