NYT take Shakespeare into their own hands

Michael Lesslie's 'Prince of Denmark' is a masterful and thoroughly enjoyable example of how Shakespeare's genius can be reinvented and used as a springboard for modern theatrical innovation. Originally enjoying a sold-out run at the National Theatre in 2010, this production performed by the National Youth Theatre repertory company boasts a cast of fifteen of the NYT's most talented performers, aged between 18 and 25. The play is a prequel to Hamlet, and director Anthony Banks and his cast assuredly and entertainingly conjure their own imagining of the Bard's world, without cheapening it or dumbing it down. Lesslie's writing is convincingly Shakespearean but never pastiche.

What is Prince of Denmark about?

Prince of Denmark is a modern prequel to Hamlet, in which we witness the characters of Shakespeare's tragedy in their youth. Hamlet, Ophelia, Laertes, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are present, with their well-known deeply complex personalities fascinatingly explored in their more youthful, developmental stages.

We witness the characters as they fight, reconcile and fall in love. The play is ingeniously laced with events and lines which foreshadow its sequel, along with a convincing dose of authentic, uproarious Shakespearean humour. This will appeal not just to lovers of the original play who may appreciate the subtle references, but anyone who enjoys intelligent, witty and modern theatre.