3 years ago poetry slam winner Edward/Edalia Day set about rewriting Hamlet using only videogame quotes. 400 hours of playing later they’ve come up with the wildest Shakespeare experience you’re ever likely to see, Super hamlet 64.
Singing ghosts, philosophical zombie shootouts and an epic boss battle between a Samurai sword wielding Ophelia and a giant mechanical beast are just a handful of the surprising turns the show takes but Edalia says despite how surreal the play is they’re keen to stay true to the themes of the original piece:
“Hamlet is about a boy struggling to cope with death. Videogames are a medium where you die a million times but never truly die.”
Combining classical text with modern poetry, the show also dissects modern ideas of privilege, gender and mortality.
Edward/Edalia is a trans/non-binary spoken word artist, animator and theatre maker based in Norwich. They trained in mime at the revered Ecole Jacques Lecoq in Paris have performed in a wealth of Shakespeare with notable roles including Bottom, Malvolio, Hamlet, Prospero and King Lear. Their first show, In The Surface of a Bubble used martial arts and masks to tell the story of where our dreams come from and this year they’re also touring Too Pretty To Punch which tackles transphobia.
Inspired by films like Scott Pilgrim Vs The World and full of retro animation and comedy songs, Super Hamlet 64 is fast paced retelling of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedy. Nominated for best new writing, best production and best actor at the Buxton Fringe.
Tour Details:
17th &18th August – The Cockpit London
7th September – The Garage Norwich
13th September – Old Fire Station Oxford
20th September – Nottingham writers studio Nottingham
21st September – Artrix Bromsgrove
3rd October – Richard Jefferies Museum Swindon
5th October – Rondo Theatre Bath
13th October – Theatre Shop Clevedon
19th October – Heart of Gaming Croydon
