Following a critically acclaimed debut at the Edinburgh Fringe, this tragicomic ghost story returns to London for a limited run at The Glitch in Waterloo, offering audiences a theatrical deep-dive into the untold story of theatre's most famous forgotten fool.
Going beyond the bittersweet aside in Hamlet's graveyard scene, Yorick is resurrected as the show flips Shakespeare’s original script on its head, asking whose stories get to be told and reclaiming tragedy for the quirky and queer. Through songs, storytelling, and sly audience interaction, this reimagining of the Bard’s most-performed tragedy turns the spotlight on this sidelined comic character, exploring the invisibility of history's funny people, and their aching need to get a laugh.
Speaking ahead of the show’s London return, Rennie says: “The negative space around Yorick has so much to say about status and identity in the performing arts, and his manic drive to make people laugh at whatever cost captures the existential angst underlying many comic performers. I can’t wait to dazzle and provoke audiences and hope that people feel the full spectrum of emotions with him, from mirth to madness to melancholy.”
Rennie, known for his genre-bending approach to storytelling, is no stranger to reinventing classic tales. His previous work includes Hand Christian Andersen-inspired digital adventure story, Up, Up, Up and Away! (Creation & Mercury Theatres), Dickensian Gothic, Spirit Box (London Horror Festival), and the supernatural drama, Entwined, loosely based on Jekyll and Hyde and recently presented with Omnibus Theatre’s Engine Room scheme.
Hamstrung is playing at The Glitch in Waterloo, a vibrant and diverse performance space run by VAULT Creative Arts, a multi-award-winning, internationally renowned arts company, and the previous producers of VAULT Festival, London’s largest festival of performing arts. With a mission to support the UK’s best emerging talent, The Glitch offers a fitting platform for Rennie’s irreverent yet poignant tribute to theatre’s forgotten figures.
For anyone who has laughed through their pain, questioned their purpose, or simply wondered what lies beyond the graveyard scene, Hamstrung promises an unforgettable evening that blends the tragic and the comic and comments on who is seen and who is silenced.
Hamstrung runs at The Glitch from 11-16 June. Tickets and more information available via VAULT Creative Arts: www.tickettailor.com/events/vaultcreativearts/1623130