The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, is one of Shakespeare’s best-known plays and as part of William Shakespeare’s 450th birth anniversary, Shakespeare’s Globe is touring the world with the ambitious target of playing in 205 countries in two years.
The Shakespeare’s Globe will bring the pared-down, small-scale Hamlet to Bangladesh on July 15 with a staging at the National Theatre Hall of BSA. The company is arriving on an invitation from Dhaka Theatre with support from Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, International Theatre Institute, Bangladesh (ITI) and the Ministry of Cultural Affairs.
Encompassing political intrigue and sexual obsession, philosophical reflection and violent action, tragic depth and wild humour, Hamlet is Shakespeare’s “poem unlimited,” a colossus in the story of the English language and the fullest expression of his genius.
The play has been jointly directed by Dominic Dromgoole, Bill Buckhurst and designed by Jonathan Fensom, while the music has been composed by Bill Barclay.
Hamlet’s role is to be played by actors of Pakistani and Nigerian origin, Naeem Hayat and Ladi Emeruwa respectively; Chinese thespian Jennifer Leong plays Ophelia; her father and “tedious old fool” Pollonius acted by a Maori actor and activist from New Zealand, Rawiri Paratene – the new production of Shakespeare’s classic tragedy by Shakespeare’s Globe has literally put the world on stage.
With actors from diverse backgrounds and languages bringing an exuberance of accents and interpretations to Shakespeare’s lines, the play will be performed in the English version condensed to two hours and forty minutes.