THE HAMLET COMPLEX

Things turn imaginative and spectacular when the Norwegian National Ballet’s house choreographer Alan Lucien Øyen is let loose on Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

When The Hamlet Complex had its world premiere in 2018, it was like a spirited, contemporary Hamlet. 

"It is absolutely crazy and more than a little imaginative", said Dagsavisen

Now, after an extraordinary spring, the Norwegian National Ballet’s house choreographer Alan Lucien Øyen has reimagined the piece – in a mix of dance, theatre and film.

Popular culture plus Shakespeare

The piece is abridged, but is still a place where Shakespeare’s text meets popular culture.

The characters are the same as in 2018 – led by the Norwegian National Ballet’s principal dancer Silas Henriksen as Hamlet and actress Kate Pendry in a central role as Queen Elisabeth the First.

Found the Oedipus complex in Hamlet

We also meet Freud, who discovers the Oedipus complex in a therapy session with Gertrude, mother of the young Hamlet.

The music was written by the award-winning film composer Henrik Skram, and the choreography was developed in collaboration with the dancers.

“This is a production you have to see”, "The result is a colourful game of word association and a painstaking exploration of Hamlet as myth and person - and a fascinating piece of dance theatre", "Sparkling choreography, striking effects" - Aftenposten

Photos by Erik Berg