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Murder and McKee at Hamlet’s castle
Ben Hamilton
July 21st, 2017
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This article is more than 7 years old.
Have they been discussing country matters? (photo: Søren Meisner)
If Hamlet Live, the ongoing visitor attraction at Kronborg Castle in which actors play out scenes from the play in the rooms they are actually set, is demonstrating anything, it is that culture lovers have a thirst for special experiences.
So what’s the point of putting on the Bard’s other works in the castle gardens, when you can stage Hamlet in the grounds, stately residence and battlements of Shakespeare’s Elsinore.
And if the audience is out there, why go for just three productions instead of three weeks’ worth?
To up their game, eternal Shakespeare Fesival organiser Hamletscenen has enlisted the help of one of Copenhagen’s most successful theatre groups, London Toast Theatre, casting its founder Vivienne McKee in the role of Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother, under the direction of Lars Romann Engel who has hailed her casting as a “scoop”.
“To play Gertrude with Kronborg Castle as a backdrop is an unmissable chance,” enthuses McKee, a huge fan of the Bard, even though her 2016 play Shakeapeare’s Ghost claimed he was Christopher Marlowe.
Taking on Hamlet is Cyron Melville, an actor who many might recognise from Forbrydelsen, The Borgias and A Royal Affair, while Mike Sheridan will provide an original electronic score.
Not quite sure what previous visitors to the castle like Laurence Olivier and John Gielgud would think, but this Hamlet is moving with the times.
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