Hamlet, Prince of Denmark

Venue: Vancouver Playhouse

DanceHouse presents Ex Machina & Côté Danse: Hamlet, Prince of Denmark

DanceHouse, alongside community partners Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival and Théâtre la Seizième, present the BC premiere of Ex Machina & Côté Danse’s thrilling reinterpretation of William Shakespeare’s timeless tragedy, Hamlet, Prince of Denmark. Created by two Canadian icons: Choreographer Guillaume Côté, who will reprise the role of Hamlet in Vancouver, and Director Robert Lepage, this full-length production explores the play’s enduring themes of power, betrayal, and inner turmoil through movement, lighting, and minimal set design alone, offering a resonant and wordless reflection on struggles that remain deeply relevant today.

Accompanied by an evocative original score by John Gzowski, the all-star cast brings Shakespeare’s characters to life: Hamlet and Ophelia, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Horatio and Laertes, Gertrude, Claudius, and Polonius. The innovative choreography blends classical, contemporary, and street-dance influences, resulting in “gripping dance sequences [...] that breathe new life into the tale, easily replacing those ever-so-famous words with gestures. Ophelia’s suicide, Hamlet’s soliloquy, the final duel — together, Côté and Lepage make those canonical moments feel new” (Intermission Magazine).

With surtitles functioning as a kind of a Greek chorus, blood-red velvet drapery and pools of golden light from designer Simon Rossiter, the shadowy realm of dark motives and oedipal longing are made manifest. Composer John Gzowski’s original score further fleshes the narrative as the nine members of Côté Danse take on the roster of characters: Hamlet and Ophelia, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Horatio and Laertes, Gertrude, Claudius, and Polonius.

Through the universal medium of dance, the story is told anew, a play without words, but rich with its own language. 

*Note: This performance includes strobe lights