Filmed at the Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, the production was directed by Margaret Williams and sees Peake’s Hamlet consumed by despair, struggles to exact revenge for his father’s murder, with devastating consequences.
The film is distributed by Picturehouse Entertainment and will open in nearly 300 cinemas, including branches of Hamlet, on Monday 23rd March 2015.
Producers say the use of eight cameras operated by “an expert team” have allowed them to capture “the intensity of the stage production with all the polish and care of a feature film.”
Directed by award-winning Artistic Director of the Royal Exchange Theatre Sarah Frankcom (Masque of Anarchy, Punk Rock, A View from the Bridge), the stage production played to sell-out houses throughout its run.
Sarah Frankcom comments: “As a director I think you can only begin to think about doing HAMLET if you are absolutely passionate about a particular actor.
“Right from the beginning of this production it felt like a thrilling opportunity to explore, excavate and interrogate something with Maxine Peake, the most fearless and most courageous actor that I’ve ever worked with.”