Reading this was an enjoyable experience as it provides historical context to how the play was toured around the UK and the rest of the world

I’m currently reading ‘Hamlet, Globe to Globe: Taking Shakespeare to Every Country in the World’, and although only three quarters of the way through it is holding up well enough to make me confident enough to pop it in this list. In 2012 The Globe invited theatre troups from every country in the world to come and perform a Shakespeare play in their own language on the hallowed stage. This was a resounding success, so much so that when the season had ended all those who worked on the project felt a little flat and were left asking ‘what now?’ They decided for their next project to do the travelling themselves, taking one Shakespeare play to every country on the globe. The book is written by Dominic Dromgoole, the former director of The Globe, and is an enjoyable look into the stresses and strains that go into planning such a tour, as well as the farcical moments that can only happen when travelling. Dromgoole gives fascinating insights into why they chose ‘Hamlet’ to be the play they toured, talks about the text itself and how differently it is received depending on the country the company currently find themselves in. There are also some great giggles to be had at the adventures the actors encounter which each new touch down. I’m not particularly a huge devourer of the Bard but I think this makes for an enjoyable read whether you dabble in his works or not.

I chose to request a copy of this book because I wanted a bit of a change from the kinds of books I have been reading and also because Hamlet is one of my favourite Shakespeare plays. This book is part analysis of Hamlet, part travel memoir and it is interesting and insightful without.
The idea was for the company to perform Hamlet in every country around the world as part of the events commemorating the anniversary of Shakespeare’s death.
They chose Hamlet because they knew it would travel well as it had so many different elements to it. Dominic Dromgoole says they chose it because of its linguistic brilliance, psychological insight, political activity, mythic resonance, and simple family truth. Together they combine to create a statement about what it is to be human that has never been supposed, both in the age it was written for and since.
The author argues that Hamlet was the perfect play to choose to take on tour because it already brings people together.
“It is recited in schoolrooms, quoted in boardrooms, mumbled by lovers, pondered by sages, argued over by critics, passed on from parent to child, cursed by students, and wept over by spectators. In silence, it is stored in the heart as a fortifying secret by millions of us afraid of the bruising world. It is part of the fabric that surrounds us and sits within us. It has become, in large part, us.”
I liked the way the author didn’t try to gloss over the tough times and opposition they faced along the way and prior to starting the tour.
I loved reading all about their travels and the different things they saw over their travels. I particularly enjoyed reading about the performance in Prague as I have recently visited there myself.
I would say that, just like Hamlet, this book contains whatever you are looking for when you chose to read it.

Not for me, sorry. The discussion of the meal at the Fat Duck in a time of austerity put me right off.

Hamlet: Globe to Globe is a book about a huge project and one that those interested in Shakespearean theatre in the UK and beyond probably have heard about: Shakespeare’s Globe theatre took Hamlet on a tour to, as far as possible, every country in the world. In this book, Dominic Dromgoole describes their endeavours alongside thoughts on Hamlet and performing the play around the globe. Part memoir and part book about Hamlet and performance, Hamlet: Globe to Globe gives a sense of the excitement of the project whilst telling anecdotes about the reality of the undertaking.

Each chapter is focused around a theme and jumps between anecdotes about the tour and certain countries and Dromgoole’s discussions about Hamlet, which are fairly light and open, focused on character and performance. His vision of Hamlet as elusive and protean, as a play that should be less revered than actively used, fits with the book and project, suggesting that the play was right to be performed around the world in English. Whilst Dromgoole gives a rather romanticised image of Hamlet as a play at the beginning of the book, throughout the book he emphasises how it worked differently at different points in the tour, suggesting that he believes his romantic image of Hamlet as universal play full of human themes.

The specific anecdotes are the best part of the book, from playing in refugee camps and in hostile environments to the company doing speeches at the Globe in front of Obama. Political context is given for some of the performances and, though not perfect, shows an appreciation for the histories and contexts in which they ended up bringing their production. Descriptions of rotational casting practices and rehearsal methods adds theatrical interest, as does information about how they worked around some of the more difficult venue issues.

Hamlet: Globe to Globe is a subjective, endearing description of a touring production, one which accepts with self-deprecation that originally they naively believed they could change the world, but instead discovered that the world was a turbulent and difficult place, much like the world of the play.

As a student of Shakespeare and ardent supporter of the Globe I loved this mix of travelogue, they're history and historical & textual insight into Hamlet. Engagingly written and wonderfully detailed without being name dropping or sycophantic. I was lucky enough to see this play in its first tour of the UK and followed it around the world with interest.