YORICK OR THE SKULL

Every person on the planet who has heard of Shakespeare knows the image of Hamlet holding a skull in his father’s graveyard, saying: “Alas, poor Yorick. I knew him.” And yet, we don’t. Beyond a name, and that Yorick was a jester who Hamlet knew as a child, we know nothing about his life, and more importantly, his death. Until now –

Yorick, or the skull tells the story of the last court jester at Elsinore, starting on the night Hamlet is born. Told from Yorick’s perspective, we are introduced to his closest friend, Hamlet, who has just become king and is still unskilled in dealing with state matters, a serious dispute over land with King Fortinbras of Norway being the most urgent. Hamlet’s young queen Gertude has just given birth to an unsmiling son, and his brother, Claudius, utilises Gertrudes sadness over her boy as the perfect excuse to separate them, leaving the child’s upbringing entirely to Yorick. 

As the threat of war grows, so does the tension of “playing the fool who knows better” for Yorick. Being the king’s adviser, as well as his entertainer, exposes the fragile bond between art, politics, and censorship. And it is only when Fortinbras marches on Denmark, and Hamlet is forced to choose between his truth and his pride, that Yorick’s role is fully brought to light.

As the audience, you’ll get an intimate view of Elsinore’s court as it turns sour, answering many of the questions Hamlet Jr walks around with in his own play. What happened to make Fortinbras so vengeful towards Denmark? What made Gertrude marry Claudius so quickly after Hamlet Sr’s death? What did the Ghost mean when he told his son he had died with sins? And, the question we all want answered: how did Yorick end up in that grave?

In true jester fashion, it will be full of music and songs, humour, and heartfelt connections with the audience.