08/07/2018

Preview: Super Hamlet 64 at Newcastle Alphabetti


A wild night of geekery coming to Newcastle

Super Hamlet 64
Newcastle Alphabetti Theatre
Wednesday 18th & Thursday 19th July 2018



A comedy spoken word show about videogames and death, based on Shakespeare's famous tragedy.


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.
 
Photo: Andy Byrne
"Day never ceased to impress…like a man possessed at times, effortlessly switching between characters…for me, the best original play I have seen." ★★★★★ Theatre Bath

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.
 
Photo: Bill Jackson
"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.
 
Photo: Andy Byrne
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.

Photo: Bill Jackson
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.

"Clever, intriguing but funny and dark in equal measure, this piece provides a detached appraisal of the conflicting rules we live by." ★★★★ West End Wilma (on In The Surface of a Bubble)

"Day’s language is a flower-bomb of rich, thought-provoking imagery, it truly pushes the boundaries of the imagination." ★★★★

A younger theatre (on In The Surface Of A Bubble) Supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.

On The Web:

Cast/Crew:
Performer/Writer: Edward Day
AV design: Darius Powell
Pixel Art: David Cousens
Animators: Edward Day and Darius Powell
Set Design: Darius Powell
Lighting Design: David Calder
Composer: Edward Day
Stage Manager: David Calder

Tickets:
Wednesday & Thursday, 18th & 19th July
Alphabetti Theatre, St James Boulevard, Newcastle, NE1 4HP
7:30pm (Running time 1 hour 45 minutes)
Tickets £7
Available from 

Edward will also be running a workshop on Comedy Shakespeare on the 19th of July at the same venue, 2-4pm, £8
Details: https://www.alphabettitheatre.co.uk/whats-on-menu/coming-up/17-whats-on-articles/286-workshop-comedy-shakespeare

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