Farewell to 2025 – may you meet your fitting end at midnight (drowning in a cask of wine, perhaps).
The past couple years have seen an absolute boom in Hamlet adaptations and productions. Why is Hamlet so hot right now?
In this episode, I tackle the sheer number of Hamlet productions on the scene and how those adaptations wrestle with Shakespeare’s original work and what that says about the times we live in and what we find relatable.
Hopefully you didn’t have a Hamlet year, but if you did, then you’re in good company!
Let’s hope next year is a little kinder to us all.
Adaptations discussed in this episode:
Fat Ham – Winner of the Pulitzer Prize 2022
Hamlet Hail to the Thief – Stage play
Riz Ahmed’s Hamlet
King Hamlet - Oscar Issac documentary
Scarlet – Anime adaptation
Hamnet (book) and Hamnet (movie)
Some additional background:
Four Hamlets talk about what it’s like playing the role
Riz Ahmed talk to Vanity Fair about his film
A conversation with the creators of Grand Theft Hamlet
Credit where credit is due:
Podcast art by Halie Branson
Music recording by josdvg