Join the critically-acclaimed Pantaloons Theatre Company as they put on a frantic disposition to tackle Shakespeare’s greatest tragedy in their own anarchic style.
When he discovers that his uncle has murdered his father, married his mother and traitorously taken the crown of Denmark there’s only one course of action for Hamlet: feign madness, frequently monologue and take swift revenge. But outrageous fortune has other plans for the poor Prince of Denmark…
While this most unsettling of plays might seem an unlikely one for the usually comic Pantaloons to perform, the company is always keen to explore the effects of moving between laugh-out-loud comedy and intense tragedy, just as Shakespeare did himself.
The critically-acclaimed Pantaloons began life twenty years ago busking plays for donations in parks and on the streets, where they developed an attention-grabbing, interactive and playful performance style.
Even covid couldn’t stop this dynamic company who managed to tour socially-distanced outdoor shows in 2020 and 2021 and were among the first companies to be back in theatres when they reopened.
“It’s important for us to be there for our audiences who have been so supportive of us over the years,” says producer Mark Hayward. “And in the current cost of living crisis we are committed to keeping our ticket prices as low as we can to keep theatre accessible to as many people as possible.”
So, with live music, audience interaction, brevity-boosting abridgements, comic turns and tragic twists in their production of Hamlet, there’s only one question: To be there, or to be square?