| Gertrude - The Cry | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Howard Barker |
| Date premiered | 2002 |
| Original language | English |
Gertrude – The Cry is aplay by BritishplaywrightHoward Barker. The play had its world premiere in 2002, directed by the author, in the great hall ofElsinore Castle,Denmark as part of the annual international Hamlet Festival.[1] Its original production featured actorsTom Burke, Sean O'Callaghan, Jason Morell, Justin Avoth, Emma Gersch, Jane Bertish andVictoria Wicks.
Gertrude – The Cry is Howard Barker's reworking ofShakespeare'sHamlet, focusing on the character ofQueen Gertrude, the mother ofPrince Hamlet in Shakespeare's play. It is not the first time Barker took an existing play as the basis for a reworking. In 1991, he re-imaginedChekhov'sUncle Vanya in his playVanya, and in 1986 he adaptedThomas Middleton'sWomen Beware Women.
Barker considersGertrude to be one of his major works, remarking that "It's probably my best play... The one for which I feel the greatest satisfaction in".[2]