Sebastian Baczkiewicz conjures up a head in a box, judicial murder and political skulduggery in a thrilling prequel to Shakespeare's Hamlet. Set in an alternative 1930s Europe.
By Sebastian Baczkiewicz
Set in an alternative Europe in the 1930s, Elsinore imagines the turbulent world of the Danish Court in events that take place some years before the story told in Shakespeare's Hamlet.
King Hamlet's brother, Claudius, is sent to Spain as Denmark's new ambassador. On the way, he is captured by the infamous pirate Captain True. Back in Elsinore, meanwhile, the King must deal with a possible rebellion.
Directed by Marc Beeby & Sasha Yevtushenko
ELSINORE is a prequel to Shakespeare's Hamlet, exploring the relationships at the Danish court, particularly the troubled, not to say murderous relationship between King Hamlet and his brother Claudius. The plays are set in an alternative Europe in the early 1930s. Denmark is a powerful, militarised country with a small Empire around the Baltic which it is fighting hard to maintain. There is more than a hint of totalitarianism in the air. The realism of this is sometimes combined with moments of magical otherworldliness, not out of keeping with Shakespeare's original play.
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Credits
| Role | Contributor |
|---|---|
| Claudius | John Light |
| Hamlet | John Heffernan |
| Dauphin | Ed Gaughan |
| Captain True | Chetna Pandya |
| Polonius | Clive Hayward |
| Anders | Neil McCaul |
| Olsson | Rupert Holliday Evans |
| Yorick | Tayla Kovacevic-Ebong |
| Katya | Isabella Inchbald |
| Beatrix | Abbie Andrews |
| Archimedes | David Reakes |
| Horatio | Philip Bretherton |
| Laszlo | Adam Fitzgerald |
| Director | Marc Beeby |
| Director | Sasha Yevtushenko |
| Writer | Sebastian Baczkiewicz |
Broadcasts
- New Year's Day 2018 14:15Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4
- Fri 4 Oct 2019 14:15Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 4