Date: 8 August 2026
Time: 16:30
Venue: Scottish Storytelling Centre, Venue 30
Running time:
Rating: ★★★★★ (5/5)
Reviewed by: Howard Bunch and Gail Bronfman (Bunch)
My wife and I had previously seen the star of the show, Emily Carding, when she brought Richard III to Kansas City. It was exciting to see her again in Hamlet. At the beginning of the performance Carding hands out scripts to audience volunteers explaining their cues and lines. The performance is done in the round with Hamlet facing the audience seated in a circle of chairs surrounding the performance space. The experience of audience members, each in their own unique way, taking on a role from Hamlet definitely made the show full of surprises and humor. One audience member improvised a bit long and Carding humorously curtailed the monologue, with a gentle “enough, we get your point!,” to the delighted chuckles of the audience. A young lady surprised us all with her passionate pantomime of Ophelia’s death scene. We, the audience, were fully engaged with the plot and the words because we, the audience, were part of the play! Carding’s performance was amazing, condensing all the best and memorable parts of Hamlet into her version. I have seen Hamlet before, but I never felt Hamlet’s pain or circumstance as much as I did from Carding’s performance. It is a different experience to be less than ten feet away and watching Carding’s expressive face perform Hamlet’s famous lines, such as “To be, or not to be”… versus in the upper deck of larger theatre venues straining to hear the words but physically disconnected from the character. When Carding leaves the space as Hamlet to go to his own death, we all were heartbroken. This indeed makes the show an “experience” more than just a performance. H. Bunch gives this show an unqualified 5 stars for 1) the interactive experience, 2) the surprises that kept you attentive and on the edge of your seat, and 3) Carding’s mastery of the Bard’s classic play, delivered in an intimate and compassionate way. This is a definite good use of your precious Fringe time!
G. Bronfman adds: The generosity of heart and spirit that circulates Ms. Carding’s interpretation in becoming Hamlet’s very being is immediately felt. Audience members are given the remarkable privilege to engage, absorb, influence and become part of Hamlet’s collective consciousness. Hamlet’s tragic life-circumstances are forced upon him in the excruciatingly delicate time of the loss of his mercilessly murdered father and role model. We are first hand witnesses experiencing Hamlet’s aspirations, disillusions, fears, and fatal resolutions. Paramount to all of this is Ms. Carding’s incisive interpretation of traditional male Shakespearean roles in such a universal human fashion that it is so very exciting and inclusive, especially for women who love the Bard, to challenge themselves and revisit. 4-plus years previously, we had also been a part of her unforgettable interpretation of Richard III. Ms. Carding inspires everyone to make fearless, bold choices and supersede the stumbling blocks of any historically male-centered theatrical production. Carding’s subtle interpretations of Hamlet and Richard III in my opinion and with all due respect, rival sharply, or, are even more deeply penetrating I boldly state, than Sir Olivier’s or even Sir Branagh’s. I unhesitatingly give this show and Ms. Carding’s performance 5 stars, I only wish I could give it more.
Bunch gives 5 stars. Bronfman gives 5 stars. No disagreements here.
Go to: The Scottish Storytelling Centre, 43-45 High Street, EH1 1SR
Tix: https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/hamlet-an-experience
