A Two Woman Hamlet, Old Red Lion Theatre
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Nora Williams, Sharmila Peake, Deanna Strasse, and Lolly Taylor tell us about their Shakespearean performance, with a twist, and how they are making Ophelia a whole person rather than a prop for Hamlet. A Two Woman Hamlet is at the Old Red Lion Theatre from 12 to 14 August as part of the venue’s SHAKEFEST season as part of Camden Fringe. Find out more and book here.
What can audiences expect from the show?
A Two Woman Hamlet is a fun, fast-paced take on Shakespeare’s classic play, with more than one twist along the way. It’s a seriously trimmed but original-language version of Hamlet (mostly second quarto, for the true nerds out there), with all the parts shared between two performers. One of the main differences between this and other Hamlets you might have seen – aside from the casting – is that we take Ophelia’s agency really seriously and read against the text, in some cases, to try to give her a full humanity. Shakespeare isn’t really interested in her as a whole person, so much as he’s using her (and all the other characters) as a prop in Hamlet’s story.
Mara Sherman, who conceived the show and directed the original production in 2018, said that she wanted to do a version of the play that took all the relationships seriously, because you so often see productions of Hamlet where it feels like he’s the only one who had any rehearsals – everyone else just seems like an afterthought. But the stakes of the story are so much higher if we all believe that Hamlet and Ophelia care about each other, and that her other relationships are important, too. So we’re excited for audiences to see how we’ve reinterpreted her character. In the current climate, we also feel it’s important to say that our conception of ‘woman’ is an inclusive one – auditions invited anyone to come along who anyone who self-identifies as a woman, or for whom womanhood and/or femininity is a core part of their identity. This is an inherently queer show, and we say emphatically that trans women are women, and trans rights are human rights.
Is Camden Fringe going to be the show’s first time on stage, or have you already performed elsewhere?
We previously performed a workshop version of the show at the Lakeside Theatre in Colchester, Essex. The show was originally developed by Sherman and Friends for Capitol Fringe in Washington, DC in 2018, and they also performed at Edinburgh Fringe in 2022.
What was it that drew you to this show and role?
I have always wanted to be in Hamlet. I’m a cliche in that it’s been my dream show for a long time; I never really wanted to play the role of Hamlet, but I always wanted to at least be able to say I was in a production. And it’s woman-focused! I would have been foolish not to at least audition.
Deanna Strasse
I threw myself back into theatre after we were released from lockdowns, but focused on modern plays. A Two Woman Hamlet was a wonderful opportunity to flex my flabby classical muscles.
Sharmila Peake
No show has pushed my voice and movement skills like this one, as we play all the characters! Also the amazing women I get the pleasure to work with.
Lolly Taylor
How challenging has this role been for you?
Playing a variety of characters has been daunting. Finding the flow and rhythm of each and then jumping from one to the other. Classical acting is also not my strongest suit so the text itself has been daunting, but my team has been incredibly supportive and bolstered me when I really needed it. DS
It has been a little challenging to take on twelve roles from Shakespeare’s longest play (we have snipped the text here and there) – as a millennial I prefer to answer via gif, so imagine the scene where Boromir keeps fighting, despite arrows sticking out all over him. It’s like that, but with 8632% more women involved. SP
Immensely challenging! Not only do these amazing women do the whole show just the two of them, but as the understudy, I have to know all the parts! LT
Being a fringe festival, we all know sets have to be bare minimum, how have you got around this with your set and props?
We have a bare-bones set – just two hat stands and two folding chairs – plus a truly spectacular range of props and costume pieces to help distinguish all the different characters. It all fits nicely into a plastic storage box and a big IKEA bag, making it really simple to set up, break down, and transport.
What has been the biggest challenge in realising the writer’s vision for the show?
One of the biggest challenges has been that we’re actively resisting some of what’s in Shakespeare’s text, while still using his words. Once you start trying to give the other characters more dimension, it becomes clear just how much Shakespeare structured the play around Hamlet and his interiority. Maybe that feels really obvious – I mean, he’s the title character, after all! – but it takes a tonne of work to shift the story so that it prioritises the many, dysfunctional relationships in the play, at the expense of Hamlet’s singularity. It’s still his play, but he’s not necessarily the most important person in every scene. I think it’s important to add, too, that we’re not trying to “fix” or excuse Hamlet. He’s a bad dude! He does nasty things! We’re contextualising him within this broader toxic culture in the castle, where truly everyone is making terrible choices and really should be going to therapy, but instead they’re hurting each other. And that’s a more interesting and challenging story to tell.
If you had to describe your show as a meal what would it be?
It’s an all-you-can-eat buffet, for sure. There’s something for everyone here, but more importantly, the cast takes on so many different challenges and personas during the performance. You can’t pin them down to just one thing!
If your show had a soundtrack what songs would definitely be on it?
We love warming up to Shania Twain’s ‘Man! I Feel Like a Woman’ (of course!) and Whitney Houston’s ‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody’.
What is the weirdest or most unconventional prop used in your show?
We’re all kind of obsessed with Laertes’ puffer gilet. There are specific props for every character, to help everyone keep them all straight, which we found through raiding our closets and trying stuff out. The minute Sharmila put on the gilet for Laertes, we knew we had a winner. It totally changed her posture and solidified the characterisation of Laertes as a protein-loving gym bro. It supports the actor to create a physical contrast with Hamlet, who we see as more of a lanky philosophy PhD.
What words of advice/encouragement would you give anyone thinking about doing Camden Fringe next year?
In the words of the late, great Carrie Fisher: ‘You don’t have to wait to be confident. Just do it, and eventually the confidence will follow’. Even if you don’t think you’re ready, take the plunge! You’ll learn so much and have a great time along the way.
Thanks to Nora Williams, Sharmila Peake, Deanna Strasse, and Lolly Taylor for sharing their passion and enthusiasm for their Hamlet, that takes some of the attention away from the leading man.
A Two Woman Hamlet is at the Old Red Lion Theatre from Tuesday 12 to Thursday 14 August.
