Ian McKellen – a titan of acting who can do anything – returns after years to the role of Hamlet. In the Royal Theatre in Windsor, which has been deserted during the pandemic, ghosts appear, including the ghost of Hamlet's father, to remind the chaotic world and his son of the indestructible power of revenge and theatre... The crazy idea of casting an 85-year-old actor as the young Danish prince allows for a completely different perspective on Shakespeare's most famous play, and the decision of the directors of the latest 'Hamlet' (directed by Sean Mathias) to make Elsinore various spaces of the Theatre Royal Windsor – the stage, backstage, dressing rooms, audience, theatre corridors – is a testament to the respect for the belief of the greatest playwright of all time that the world is but a stage. Here is 'Hamlet' like never before: gripping, unconventional, original, yet faithful to Shakespeare and his views on theatre and the human condition in the face of personal tragedy.
Ian McKellen is a magician of the theatre and a specialist in Shakespeare. In addition to Hamlet, he has portrayed characters such as Romeo, Macbeth, Coriolanus, and King Lear. He is known to global audiences from major film productions (Gandalf in 'The Lord of the Rings' and 'The Hobbit' or Magneto in the 'X-Men' film series). For his achievements, not only in acting, he has won the adoration of the public and the most important awards (Tony, Golden Globe, and six Laurence Olivier Awards).
After the performance, the audience will watch an unpublished interview with Ian McKellen and Sean Mathias.