Gay Hamlet Project's Newsletter 1
Gay Hamlet Project's first newsletter, we will be publishing every Tuesday.
Why are we adapting Hamlet as our first project? The two most primal reasons are because it's supposed to be the best-known play in modern theatre and for the authorship debate behind Shakespeare. Since we long for your participation, we estimate anyone can browse the text online or search for the multiple versions already made. As for the second reason, since we want you to participate in a co-creation project, it's a great anecdote that might help enhance the experience. We believe time will prove its pertinence.
How is our adaptation different from the traditional play? First of all, Gertrude is not Hamlet's mother but his half-sister and the murdered king, owner of the strip club, is not Hamlet's father but his late husband- despite the fact Hamlet is not gay. Ophelia and Laertes are siblings, but Polonius is not their father. Polonius and Laertes were lovers in the past, but are still close (they work together).
Our version is about class division: Polonius, Laertes and Ophelia work in the strip club (as security manager, bartender and cloakroom girl in charge of the bathrooms and 'special events'. Hamlet, Gertrude, Claudius, and the murdered owner were the investors. The first group wants to keep the place and the second seeks to sell, Hamlet and Ophelia are unsure on how to proceed; hence, Hamlet debate is not "to be or not to be" but rather "do I sell or not" the club.
The testament (the most significant deviation from the play) states that if the six heirs cannot reach a consensus, a poker tournament will decide the club's ownership.
Hamlet is a professional poker player.
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