Hamlet, Globe to Globe

February 13, 2017
With candor, humor, and erudition, English theater director Dromgoole (Will and Me) tells the incredible story of how, from 2014 to 2016, London’s Globe Theatre company performed Hamlet all over the world, in nearly 200 countries. The basic point of both the book and tour is that Shakespeare’s masterwork is universal and timeless. Readers get an informal history of the play’s origins, the state of the theater in Shakespeare’s time, and the ways the play has been produced between then and now. Dromgoole, executive director of the Globe from 2005 to 2016, draws on his vast knowledge of Shakespeare to explain in great detail what the play communicates and how the audience in each country relates to that. He is humble about the larger ramifications of the Globe Theatre’s remarkable feat, but justifiably proud of what his actors and stage crew accomplished. Dromgoole is wise and witty; thoughtful, self-assured, even cocky; and, at times, verbose and esoteric. But he is never dull. His mission was to bring Hamlet to the world to show that Hamlet is the world, and he succeeded admirably. A wide readership, not just Shakespeare buffs and scholars, can enjoy this book. Agent: Patrick Walsh, Canongate Books (U.K.).

Starred review from February 15, 2017
Knock, knock. Who's there? Hamlet.To help celebrate the 450th anniversary of Shakespeare's birth, Dromgoole (Will & Me: How Shakespeare Took Over My Life, 2006, etc.), the artistic director of the Globe Theatre in London, came up with a fantastical idea: to perform Hamlet in all 204 countries in the world. "With a few detours to avoid war and epidemics," they did, settling on 197 countries--no North Korea, of course, and for some reason, France passed. This is Dromgoole's thoroughly enjoyable and charming story of how they did it: "Unprecedented chutzpah and a healthy quantum of stupidity helped launch the mission." They picked Hamlet because, in the author's estimation, it is "a unique play in the canon of world drama" and possibly "the strangest and most beautiful play ever written." Dromgoole tells several stories. Besides detailing the two-year tour itself, it's a story of the play, its themes and language, famous past players, and how it has been performed and received over the years. He describes how the 12 original players (plus a few others here and there) and four stage managers were chosen. The tour kicked off in London in April 2014 with two performances. Then it was off to the Netherlands. By mid-May, they had 10 performances under their collective belts. In early August in Mexico City, the company was "crumbling like a castle under bombardment." Players were ill, and the city was "decked out in full Day of the Dead splendor." Scenes were omitted, but the play must go on. On the island of Palau, the queen demanded a personal fee of $1,500 to use the performance hall. In Cambodia, the play's poster featured Hamlet holding Yorrick's skull; the irony was palpable. In Saudi Arabia, it was the "first time that Shakespeare [was] performed with men and women on the stage." The final performance took place at the Globe in April 2016. Sly, witty, and delightful--a glorious Shakespearean romp.

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March 15, 2017
How did Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, land in Somaliland? As artistic director of London's Globe Theater, Dromgoole took Shakespeare's most famous character not just to Somaliland but also to 189 other countries as part of an ambitious worldwide celebration of the 450th anniversary of the Bard's birth. In Dromgoole's breakneck journey from a retractable-roof theater in Poland to a crammed cream-and-gold palace in Peru to a sweltering, bat-infested auditorium in Cambodia, the narrative covers an astonishing swath of world-girdling geography. But Dromgoole hurtles through time as well as space, visiting the late sixteenth century, when the Lord Chamberlain's MenShakespeare's troupeexperience the thrills and trials of touring before making their home in the Globe. To recapture the Elizabethan theatrical magic of Hamlet in far-flung twenty-first-century venues, Dromgoole's four modern stage managers and 12 modern actors must repeatedly wrest from Renaissance blank verse a human drama that still speaks to the spirit across national and ethnic boundaries. No chronicle ever gave more compelling meaning to Shakespeare's conviction that all the world's a stage. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

December 1, 2016

Artistic director of the Globe Theatre in London, Dromgoole had the wildly ambitious idea of celebrating the 450th anniversary of Shakespeare's birth by taking Hamlet to every country on the planet. Two years, 193,000 miles, and 190 countries later, with audiences including Syrian refugees, he retraces a journey that embraced dangers such as possible ambush in Somaliland and political upheaval in Ukraine while giving the performers a whole new view of the play.

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from April 15, 2017

London's Globe Theatre celebrated the 450th anniversary of William Shakespeare's birth in a most global manner: by taking the play Hamlet to every countries on the planet (even North Korea), an amazing journey that spanned two years and covered 193,000 miles. Former Globe artistic director Dromgoole begins with the idea and bringing it to fruition: why Hamlet was the first choice, followed by finding financing, actors, and rehearsals. Half the cast was nonwhite, including both actors who portrayed Hamlet. Performances began in Europe, then moved to the Baltics, Latin America, and so on. There were translation problems, food poisonings, Ebola, and hotels, transportation, and politics to deal with. As part of these travels, we learn more about Hamlet, as Dromgoole brings an understanding of where the play is being performed to how the audience has perceived it. Perhaps one of the most fascinating chapters concerns the performance in Cambodia, home of the communist Pol Pot regime and infamous Killing Fields. VERDICT For all lovers of theatre, Shakespeare, and those interested in how other cultures interpret an icon of Western literature. For those who think they understand the play, this is a must-read. [See Prepub Alert, 10/31/16.]--Susan L. Peters, Univ. of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2017

London's Globe Theatre celebrated the 450th anniversary of William Shakespeare's birth in a most global manner: by taking the play Hamlet to every countries on the planet (even North Korea), an amazing journey that spanned two years and covered 193,000 miles. Former Globe artistic director Dromgoole begins with the idea and bringing it to fruition: why Hamlet was the first choice, followed by finding financing, actors, and rehearsals. Half the cast was nonwhite, including both actors who portrayed Hamlet. Performances began in Europe, then moved to the Baltics, Latin America, and so on. There were translation problems, food poisonings, Ebola, and hotels, transportation, and politics to deal with. As part of these travels, we learn more about Hamlet, as Dromgoole brings an understanding of where the play is being performed to how the audience has perceived it. Perhaps one of the most fascinating chapters concerns the performance in Cambodia, home of the communist Pol Pot regime and infamous Killing Fields. VERDICT For all lovers of theatre, Shakespeare, and those interested in how other cultures interpret an icon of Western literature. For those who think they understand the play, this is a must-read. [See Prepub Alert, 10/31/16.]--Susan L. Peters, Univ. of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.