Ophelia Thinks Harder at KXT On Broadway

Ophelia Has Had Enough: Jean Betts’ ‘Ophelia Thinks Harder’ Comes to KXT on Broadway

Ophelia has a lot going on: her boyfriend, Hamlet, is being weird with her, and that was before he murdered her father and tried to cover it up. Something is rotten in the state of Denmark – it’s all these f*king men.

This isn’t the Ophelia you remember from Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’. In Jean Betts’ acclaimed play ‘Ophelia Thinks Harder’, the tragic heroine takes centre stage with a contemporary twist. Speeches are reimagined, history is rewritten, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are cross-dressing, and, most importantly, Ophelia finally gets the best lines.

Directed by Alex Kendall Robson, this latest production is full of surprises. 

“I first encountered this play a million years ago in Armidale, and now having read it countless times, and starting to get it up on its feet in the rehearsal room, it still catches me off guard. There are lines that make me laugh out loud, and others that punch me right in the gut. It’s wild.”

Robson, who studied Shakespeare at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, said:

“We have assembled a cast and crew of some of the most exciting people working in the Sydney theatre scene right now. We’re going to be making magic on that stage.”

Taking on the titular role of Ophelia is Jade Fuda, who also co-produces the show. Fuda, an experienced Shakespearean actor who has worked with Sport For Jove and Fingerless Theatre, shared her excitement for the production:

"Shakespeare's Ophelia was silenced; Jean Betts' Ophelia is not. In ‘Ophelia Thinks Harder’, she is raw, passionate, and ferociously unafraid to think, speak, and act. This play is a celebration of women breaking free from the spaces where they’ve been muted, finally claiming their place on the stage—in defiance, in solidarity, and in power."

A cheeky, irreverent, and insightful feminist reimagining of Shakespeare’s monumental masterpiece, ‘Ophelia Thinks Harder’ invites audiences to question history and celebrate the voices too often left unheard.

The play is being brought to life by Fingerless Theatre in association with bAKEHOUSE Theatre Company at KXT on Broadway, running from March 14th to 29th. Don’t miss this electrifying and thought-provoking theatrical experience.

Cast and Creatives
Starring: Jade Fuda, Eleni Cassimatis, Shaw Cameron, Lucy Miller, Hannah Raven, Julie Bettens, Pat Mandziy, Richard Hilliar, Zachary Aleksander and Finley Penrose
Playwright: Jean Betts and William Shakespeare
Director: Alex Kendall Robson
Set Designers: Hannah Yardley and Jimi Rawlings
Costume Designer: Elle Fitzgerald
Lighting Designer: Sophie Parker
Music Director: Zachary Aleksander
SFX Designer/ASM: David Wilson
Stage Manager: Caity Cowan
Co-producers: Jade Fuda and Alex Kendall Robson

Tickets available: Here

Ticket Price: $30 - $50