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Guy Roberts in One Man Hamlet Guy Roberts in One Man Hamlet Guy Roberts in One Man Hamlet Guy Roberts in One Man Hamlet



One Man Hamlet

Call me what instrument you will, though you can fret me, yet you cannot play upon me. - Hamlet, Act III, Scene II

European Performances presented by:
Prague Shakespeare Festival
Mermaid Theatre Company

United States Performances presented by:
Prague Shakespeare Festival
Mermaid Theatre Company
Classical Theatre Company

One man. Eighteen Characters. Ninety Minutes. In his tour-de-force one-man presentation of Hamlet, Guy Roberts presents unique insights into the mind of Shakespeare's greatest and most famous creation. Using only Shakespeare's words, in a conflated text that incorporates the First Folio (with additional aspects from the First and Second Quarto), the audience experiences the world of the play through Hamlet's eyes - only seeing and hearing the scene and moments that the character Hamlet himself experiences in the play. Taking this singular journey with the Prince of Denmark, audiences will understand the actions, themes and motives of the play as never before. Whether seen as story of devastating human domestic passions or a suspenseful political mystery of intrigue, revenge and betrayal, the tragedy of Denmark's "sweet prince" continues to challenge and inspire.

PSF Artistic Director Guy Roberts starring as Hamlet, states, "Perhaps what keeps Hamlet fresh and exciting is that these questions remain for each audience: why does not Hamlet immediately avenge his father's murder? Is it the weight of the conscience 'that doth make cowards of us all?' What keeps us from acting on our basest and most immediate impulses-is it social convention or personal morality-or simply the fear of punishment? What keeps us alive when all forces point towards giving up and submitting to death-that 'undiscovered country from whose bourne no traveler returns?' Is Hamlet a hero? Perhaps-but the ambiguity of his heroic nature is what keeps him so fascinating. Though the play contains as much intrigue (and possibly bloodshed) as many action movies, perhaps no hero-or villain-in history has embodied such a complexity of thought and emotion. In the end, Hamlet is an exciting and essential theatrical experience where audiences must decide for themselves whether he is philosopher, dilettante, hero, villain, lover, madman, fighter, victim or some fluid, ambiguous and contradictory combination of all of these."

Originally Conceived, Directed and Performed by
GUY ROBERTS

Houston performances co-directed by
John Johnston
Artistic Director
Classical Theatre Company

For interviews, more information, and touring opportunities contact
Guy Roberts
Artistic Director
Prague Shakespeare Festival
guy@pragueshakespeare.org