Shamlet is a cheerful and unpretentious farcical comedy from a company that knows how to please an audience. How many other shows are able to boast joyful applause at the end of each scene? Poking fun or involving silliness with a sensible subject like Shakespeare is always going to be a crowd-pleaser when it is done well.
The story is an assortment of hopeless wannabe actors put together as a shambolic theatre group by director Joan. Prima donna Joan, who experienced artistic differences with Helen Mirren on the set of Prime Suspect, has hopes of staging Hamlet but settles for a reworked, musical version of Macbeth. Meanwhile producer Marcus organises to have the play staged in a derelict theatre in Stratford, so that he can fulfil his obsession: rob Shakespeare’s grave of his bones and claim two lost plays buried with him. We then discover that it is the ghost of Shakespeare who has informed Marcus of those lost plays including his personal favourite, a sequel: Love’s Labour Won.
It is impressive how, with a relatively large cast, each actor is able to stand out on their own as distinctive comic creations. Writer Andrew Doyle has constructed his characters in the high camp tradition, but they make you laugh, not cringe. A particularly enjoyable touch was a techno arrangement of a scene within a scene involving the three witches in Macbeth. Although Harry Dickman as Shakespearewas instantly adored by the audience, my personal favourite would be Claire Carroll as Joan who played an over the top character without overacting.
With faultless acting and a straightforwardly funny script it is easy to see why Shamlet is universally loved by Edinburgh audiences and critics alike.
NATASHA HULLUGALE