Hamlet! The Musical

Pleasance Courtyard
5 -30 August, 17.00

Twice as long and without the laughs of the original. Joking! This is a very entertaining musical adaptation by Alex Silverman, Timothy Knapman and Ed Jaspers. There are many references to recent and current musicals – the Avenue Q-esque Rosencrantz and Guildenstern and Lloyd- Webbery, (or was that Eurovision?), To Be or Not to Be.

A very talented and hard working cast of six play a variety of roles in this pacey and tuneful adaptation. Jack Shalloo‘s ginger, nerdy Prince is a delight, as is Stephen Webb‘s Errol Flynn – channelling Laertes. The band is great though the sound is a bit harsh and overly loud. The neat, mobile set and witty costumes are inventive.

Possibly the script could have done with a few more funny lines. However, this ideal festival fare is a jolly jape, not something you could say about the source material.