JUNE 2016
Alphabetti Theatre

In the 400th anniversary year of Shakespeare’s death, Cranked Anvil presented an exciting and contemporary season of three of his most well known and loved plays – re-imagined for modern audiences.  In an intriguing and fascinating twist on the classic texts, conceived and realised by our artistic director Paul Dunn, these productions proved to be exhilarating and stimulating as well as highly accessible.

Elsinore’s.  A trendy jazz café in Newcastle’s bustling Quayside. A thin cover for a seedy underworld of organised crime and small-time Geordie mafia. ‘The King’ has died and his brother has married his widow and taken over The Business. But “something is rotten” as conspiracy, double-dealing, and treachery are rife. Where life is cheap and the currency is murder, will young Hamlet revenge his father’s untimely death?

“Director Paul Dunn has relocated the action to Newcastle’s Quayside and created a show with Tarantino-esque action … Music adds a flavour to the show. David Jackson plays the music confidently and Natasha Haws has the opportunity to express her quality as a vocalist … The move of the setting to Tyneside has been successful and the capacity audience appreciated the quality of the acting on show. We look forward to the next production, Henry V, with keen anticipation.“
North East Theatre Guide

Directed by Paul Dunn
Assisted by  Sarah Seymour
Original music composed and performed live by David Jackson

CAST
Paul Dunn  Hamlet
Natasha Haws  Ophelia
James Barton  Claudius
Patricia Whale  Gertrude
David Foster  Horatio
Sean Kenney  Polonius
David John Hopper  Laertes
John McMahon  Ghost of Hamlet’s father
Wayne Miller  Rosencrantz
Andrew Dawson  Guildenstern
Lee McShane  Reynaldo
David Jackson  Player
other roles played by members of the cast