Hamlet’s Mum
A comedy play, Hamlet’s Mum tells the story of Queen Gertrude and the women of the court (Ophelia, the maid, treasurer, the gravedigger) and how their lives have been affected by Hamlet’s male violence. The crown has enlisted the help of Doctor Dorothy Faunt, for whom Queen Gertrude has a soft spot—if not more. Can they band together to overcome the “Hamlet problem”?
Written by Julia Smith and Directed by Miko Chrobot, Hamlet’s Mum is a feminist and lesbian comedy from the same writer of An Ideal Wife and Romana and Julia. It is written in accessible contemporary English, and has everything you expect from a comedy: witticism, farce, slapsticks, romance, and even dance scenes. The play is a celebration of womankind, queerhood, and life.
Trigger warning: Due to the play’s engagement with William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, there are mild (but humorous) references to homicide, toxic masculinity, misogyny, necrophilia, and male violence.
