I have no choice but to blog Grand Theft Hamlet, an acclaimed all-machinima documentary about two out-of-work actors who during the pandemic, log into Grand Theft Auto Online to try and stage a live production of Shakespeare's most famous play. Watch the trailer above!
Now playing in the UK and debuting in the US this weekend (check local listings), more from the official site:
It’s January 2021. The UK has just entered its 3rd lockdown and all theatres remain closed. For actors Sam and Mark, the future looks bleak. As the pandemic drags on Mark who lives alone is increasingly socially isolated, while Sam is panicking about how he is going to support his family. They channel their midlife frustrations by immersing their avatars in the horrifically violent yet beautifully rendered virtual world of Grand Theft Auto Online. They steal cars and shoot strangers, but also find moments of calm reflection walking through meadows of wildflowers. In one gaming session they stumble across a theatre and have an idea. Why not stage Hamlet inside the game? Well, there are several reasons why not, chiefly that most people in the game are intent on murderous destruction, not polite appreciation of a theatrical production. But wasn’t theatre just as dangerous and rowdy a business in Shakespeare’s time, and isn’t Hamlet, a play about revenge the perfect choice for this place?
The world of GTA Online is basically a direct recreation of Los Angeles, so while the 2020 COVID pandemic is over, the 2025 LA wildfires make the setting extra ironically poignant this year.
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