Hamlet and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (in True Rep) at Spokane Shakespeare Society

Two Shows…One Cast…One Event…Two Nights.

Follow your favorite characters on a journey unlike any others. This summer S3 will be presenting our shows in rep—Hamlet one night, followed by Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead the next night. The same cast will tell both stories as you, the audience, follow them from life to death…or is it death to life? Find out what happens after the curtain falls the very next night.

About Hamlet by William Shakespeare:

The king is dead. Queen Gertrude, remarried his brother Claudius. Hamlet is called back from school only to discover his father may not have died of natural causes. Not knowing who to trust, Hamlet swears to discover the truth and avenge his father no matter the cost. Sharing the truth only with Horatio, Hamlet pretends he’s going insane with grief over his fathers death, hoping to expose the murders. The line quickly begins to blur between his ruse and reality, leaving everyone wondering what is wrong with Hamlet.

Murder. Insanity. Secrets. Ghosts. Something is wrong in Elsinore. And death is closer to everyone in the castle than they realize.

About Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead by Tom Stoppard:

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are on a king’s mission to deliver a message to England. The journey is long and traveling is hard, but how long does it take to get to England from Elsinore? The duo feels like they’ve been on the road forever, and surely they should be there by now…but it just keeps going. Fellow travelers seem to come from nowhere and haven’t they passed that tree before?

Confusion abounds as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (or is it Guildenstern and Rosencrantz?) try to complete their mission. From characters in rewind, to a babbling Hamlet and crazy Ophelia, the pair tries to stay focused but it’s so hard.

This absurdist take focuses on the simple messengers as they try to remember what they are doing, where they are going, and even who they are. A night of laughs and lots of eye rolls, you won’t want to miss this comedic take on one of Shakespeare’s most serious of stories.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French Inc. http://www.concordtheatricals.com