Those That Play the Clowns
THE STORY: What happens to a troupe of players hired by a Danish prince to expose the guilt of King Claudius? The prince, of course, is Hamlet. Set in the sixteenth-century Danish inn outside the castle at Elsinore, a rather tacky quartet of actors arrives led by an aging leading lady, and her equally faded leading man. One feels they may be making their last tour. Business hasn’t been too good, nor, we gather, have their performances. Their repertory consists of “Violated at Vespers,” “Two Monks and a Minx,” and “The Duchess Debauched.” An old suitor of the leading lady arrives and begs her hand in marriage. What ensues is equally as charming and amusing. The characters are as roguishly delightful as their language is colorful.
Formerly entitled He to Hecuba. This delightful and richly atmospheric play offers an imaginative reconstruction of the lives and circumstances of a traveling band of actors as they head towards immortality through their brief appearance in Hamlet.
