“The best Hamlet I have ever seen... If productions could be awarded six stars, this Sydney Shakespeare Company production would be given that honour... The choice of setting was inspired... Steven Hopley directed himself in an understated and totally believable Hamlet... The entire cast was captivating... We were totally and absolutely a part of the performance from beginning to end... Not just a great production of a great play, but an experience that will stay in our memories forever.”

Arts Hub

“There are many pleasures to be had on our Sydney foreshore, but few carry the cultural wit and charm of the Sydney Shakespeare Company's current production of Hamlet... I have never seen a group of people so subdued by beauty as I experienced at interval... it was just so beautiful to see that play, performed by that company in that location... Be prepared for a different Hamlet, a relaxed Hamlet and above all, a profoundly intimate Hamlet. The deliberately small crowd blend in with the performance immediately, being encouraged to follow Horatio from the start, in a delightfully clever blend of narrative truth revealing itself... It is impossible not to connect deeply with the unfolding drama... A sense of tight suspense replaces the loyal academic fascination that unfortunately accompanies Hamlet so easily these days, and remarkably, this play becomes something fresh... Steve Hopley is a witty, clever and understated Hamlet... All the performances are superb... The spectacular surrounds blend in beautifully with the play as if it were always meant to be performed in that location... 2015 has gifted me many fine and thrilling productions, but so far Hamlet on Fort Denison has been the most rewarding and unforgettable experience. Fans of the play particularly will be rewarded. Highly recommended.”
Lisa Thatcher

“What a treat this is... We get a very real sense of Hamlet’s Elsinore, we become part of the play itself, observers and conspirators to confessions and murders, and it makes a normally ponderous play seem fresh, new, and exciting... There are glimpses of a beautiful compassion here which I haven’t seen for a long time in Hamlet. Rather than feeling like a play that is being performed because ‘it is Hamlet, one of the greatest dramatic works in the Western canon,’ it feels alive, dangerous, and unpredictable, very much human, as well as being aware of being part of something bigger than we can “dream of in our philosophy.” There is much to like here, and a lot to admire... A strong and refreshingly revealing production which sets a high benchmark for future productions of the play.”

The Spell of Waking Hours