Hamlet makes a (skid)mark on Pakenham

The Listies pulled apart Shakespeare classic Hamlet and glued it back together. Picture: PRUDENCE UPTON

Kidult Comedy Superstars The Listies are back with a b-adaptation of the Bard the whole family will love – Hamlet: Prince of Skidmark

After winning over audiences with a huge summer season at the Sydney Opera House, The Listies’ very cheeky, very clever, utterly irreverent riff on Hamlet – made especially for young people – is back for a return season at Cardinia Cultural Centre this September.

The duo is thrilled to be back on the road after the production was stalled in 2020, saying it was “a great opportunity for us to revisit an important work like Hamlet and put in more zombies, fart jokes and body-flossing. Which, to be frank, it needed.”

The Listies pulled apart Shakespeare’s classic and glued it back together with hilarious costumes, loads of silliness, and plenty of interactivity with the young people in their audiences.

According to The Listies, the time is right for Hamlet’s return.

“Shakespeare is on the way up at the moment. In 2020 no one knew who he was. He was super niche and indie, like only hipsters ‘got’ him. But then he went on The Bachelor, did Celebrity Big Brother UK, and now he is massive on TikTok. We’ve heard something about a Stan special, Lego Masters, and a Kombucha endorsement, but his agent is being super cagey.”

Hamlet is already full of things kids love in a good story: ghosts, castles, sword fights, body fluids, and fun spooky stuff.

Add supersonic gags and expertly timed stage magic to the mix and you have a brilliantly-disguised Shakespearean tragedy for everyone aged five years and over.

Expect bonus pillow fights, pirates, ninjas, ninja pirates, aliens, ninja pirate aliens, zombies, and a bunch of other hilarious stuff as The Listies take kids – and their adults – on a fun-filled hour of theatre.

The only thing you can be sure of is that everyone dies at the end – including the audience!

Cardinia Cultural Centre will host Hamlet: Prince of Skidmark at 10am and 1pm on Wednesday 20 September.

Tickets are $16 for adults, $14 for children aged 16 years and under, or $55 for a family of four.

Visit www.cardiniaculturalcentre.com.au for tickets and more information.