Bard on the Beach is back for the Summer season its 35th Season in Vanier Park with a few of Shakespeare’s plays, Hamlet is a tale of revenge and existential crisis. A young prince returns home to mourn the death of his father only to uncover a dark secret he can’t ignore. His struggle to move forward with purpose awakens deep questions about life, existence, and if it’s better “To be or not to be.” As he attempts to make sense of a world that has shifted beneath him, we are invited to see ourselves in _Hamlet_ and to consider the blurry lines around loyalty, self, and all the things that are in heaven and earth.
The story continues … Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, has returned home to Elsinore for his father’s funeral, only to learn that his mother, Gertrude, has married his uncle Claudius, who is now King of Denmark. Disturbed by this turn of events, a melancholic Hamlet continues to mourn the loss of his father and his friend Horatio brings news of a ghost that resembles the late King Hamlet wandering the grounds of Elsinore. Hamlet starts to realize that things may not be exactly as they seem and resolves to try and catch a glimpse of the ghost for himself. Elsewhere, Laertes, the son of Polonius, speaks with his sister Ophelia while preparing to return to France. He warns Ophelia to steer clear of Hamlet’s affections, and when Polonius overhears this and learns that Hamlet has been courting his daughter, he forbids Ophelia from spending any more time with Hamlet. That evening, Hamlet, Horatio, and the watchman Marcellus wait outside, where the ghost reveals himself to Hamlet as his father’s spirit. He tells Hamlet that he was not killed in an accident, but rather, murdered by his brother Claudius, and asks Hamlet to avenge his death. What happens next is a tragic saga of betrayal, murder, political intrigue, and revenge that has captivated audiences for generations.
Get advance tickets and go and see this production before it ends September 30.
