Hamlet
By William Shakespeare
Ludlow Brewery
June 2016
We cut this lengthy beast down to two hours and really drove the story along - to the appreciation of many who complemented the edit. A few innovative plot twists also amazed some well-versed members of the audience, particularly the attempted murder of Polonius by Claudius (before being finished off by Hamlet). The tight and supportive ensemble was key to this production's success along with superb performances and characterisation all round - including a tour de force by Daniel Wilby as the Dane.
“Congratulations to everyone involved in Hamlet at Ludlow Brewery tonight. I can honestly say it's one of the best productions I've seen. A fantastic team effort, it was brilliant!” Wayne Swann
“Two Hamlets in two nights for me - but that lot in Stratford can't match the freshness and originality or Rooftop Theatre Company! Super performances - a Hamlet possessed.” Chris Barltrop
“That was such a fresh and entertaining production! The best version of Hamlet I have seen! Congratulations!” @EmiStickland
“Fab night @ludlowbrewery with @rooftoptheatre for Hamlet....esp loved the rendition of Mr Sandman & the scene from Brief Encounter..Bravo!”
@quarryhousebnb
“Incredible performance of Hamlet by @rooftoptheatre last night. Clever, funny, disturbing, heartbreaking & intense.” @heatherbel1
Cast & crew
Hamlet - Daniel Wilby
Ophelia - Poppy Wilde
Claudius - Peter Gillham
Gertrude - Elizabeth Howard
Horatio - Ian Seddon
Polonius - Ewan Gibb
Laertes - Morgan Rees-Davies
Chorus - Skye Witney, Simon Bolton, Paul Sayers
Director - Simon Bolton
Producer/ Assistant Director - Paul Sayers
Deputy Stage Manager - Kate Farmer
Lighting and sound - Wild Edric Media
Original music - Steve Dunachie
Photography - Ellizabeth Howard
Reviews
Bev Jenkins, Guild of Drama Adjudicators
“I love this company — the edgy two fingers up to society, those maverick, dangerous directors with their barbed wire minds and the beautifully bound cast.”
Mark Topping, actor and voice
“The most real, most human and comprehensible Hamlet I’ve ever seen.”
Diane Lyle, arts lover
“A brilliant production, a brilliant adaptation — brilliantly performed.”
Simon DeVay - actor
“Well what can I say? Bravo!”
Prue Britten - Ludlow Ledger
“Rooftop Theatre Company took a much-loved, much-used and lumpy seventeenth-century feather bed and gave it a prodigious shaking.”