If there were ever any doubt that Hamlet is the greatest of all Shakespeare plays—even perhaps the greatest play ever written—then Dominic Dromgoole’s newest book puts any discussion to rest. In 2014, to celebrate the 450th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth, Dromgoole, then artistic director of London’s Globe Theatre Company, devised a brilliant if insanely ambitious plan: to tour Hamlet to every country in the world. Two years, 193,000 miles, and 190-plus countries later, the Globe actors and staff had pulled off this remarkable feat with characteristic professional aplomb.
Thankfully, given the amount of planning and administrative tedium that must have been involved in such a grand undertaking, the author doesn’t spend too much time explaining the logistics of organizing the trip itself. The Globe actors performed in blazing deserts and under a blinding thunderstorm in an outdoor theater in Prague; they braved an Ebola epidemic in Africa and overcame defective theatrical sets in Poland. They also came into intimate contact with the truly weird—most notably the military base of Djibouti, where they were surrounded by secret service agents from at least three world powers, and a tour of an Addis Ababa mansion owned by a peculiar Frenchman who singlehandedly runs the city’s diplomatic life. In Mexico, the entire troupe came down with an epic case of the runs and the apparent mother-of-all-stomach-viruses.
Everywhere they went, the 12 actors were welcomed with open arms. In one of the most touching moments in this book, the troupe performed in front of Syrian refugees who had lost almost everything and now lived in a camp in Zaatari, Jordan. I can’t say that I was too surprised to read of their success: Shakespeare is loved around the world, and no one does Shakespeare better than the Globe. I visited Armenia a few years back and was astounded by the number of natives I met named “Gamlet” (“Hamlet” in Armenian), “Cordelia,” “Ophelia,” and other Shakespearean names.
In order to pull off this 24-month tour, the company selected actors who could play multiple roles: three Ophelias, three Poloniuses, and so on. Ladi Emeruwa and Naeem Hayat were brought on board to play Hamlet himself, joined by John Dougall, Keith Bartlett, Rawiri Paratene, Tom Lawrence, Beruce Khan, Miranda Foster, Amanda Wilkin, Phoebe Fildes, Jennifer Leong, and Matthew Romain. (Dromgoole and Bill Buckhurst directed, joined by four stage managers.)
Why Hamlet? According to Dromgoole, because it is the perfect play, and one that stands the test of time, geography, and presentation. Who’s there? To be or not to be?—a seemingly endless plethora of famous lines all spring from this singular source. With stunning monosyllabic riddles-within-riddles, and lines that give every actor an uncanny freedom of interpretation, Hamlet is a play of unlimited linguistic wealth. Others that didn’t pass the test include Macbeth (too dark) and Romeo and Juliet (disappointing third act).
Globe to Globe is roughly divided into geographical sections according to the travel schedule: Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, North America, and so on. It’s a grueling trip and, towards the end, we begin to feel some of the actors’ fatigue. But along the way we’re privy to a host of amusing stories and biographical anecdotes, and Dromgoole’s wit and English sarcasm turn his narrative into a fun read. What makes it truly worthwhile, however, is his inclusion in each chapter of a meditation on Hamlet itself: a history of the players who first performed it in the 17th century; a disquisition on meter and rhyme; a short description of early traveling troupes in Europe, his evaluation of filmed versions of the play.
Christopher Atamian is a writer and critic in New York.
