Hamlet-911

Hamlet-911 Synopsis

Incisive and comical, Ann-Marie MacDonald's Hamlet-911 interrogates white male privilege in the theatre while also grappling with urgent themes of adolescent suicide and personal crisis.

The plot follows actor Guinness Menzies, a television star, who lands his dream role as Hamlet at the Stratford Festival - largely to impress his father, Rex, a renowned Shakespearean actor at the festival. Rex plays the Ghost, while Guinness's wife, Sue, is cast as Gertrude, a role for which his real mother is deemed too old. Before a high school matinee a student named Jeremy messages Guinness for help with a class project, but Guinness ignores him. Unbeknownst to the actor, an online predator is grooming Jeremy, pushing him toward suicide. After a fight with Sue, Guinness crashes his bike and wakes up in a surreal Underworld, part nightmare, part comedy, where time is out of joint, his understudy may replace him, and he's forced to relive his own family drama onstage. Guided by an usher-jester named Yorick, Guinness must complete a mysterious quest before he can return - and before it's too late for Jeremy.

This new edition of the playscript provides essential context for reading and staging the work. It features a substantial critical introduction by Neta Gordon, exploring the history and national significance of the Stratford Festival and how MacDonald's drama draws on Shakespeare's Hamlet. It also includes an engaging interview with MacDonald and director Alisa Palmer, tracing the play's multi-year development and eventual production at Stratford.