Queensland Ballet's Hamlet: Leo Mujić's Imaginative Choreography

Serbian-born choreographer Leo Mujić restages his critically acclaimed ballet adaptation of Shakespeare's Hamlet with Queensland Ballet in Brisbane. Premiered at the Croatian National Theatre in 2024, the production runs at Talbot Theatre until 18 July. Mujić translates the spoken narrative into dance using a mix of classical ballet and fluid physicality, with sharp movements, gyrations, and floor rolls. The score, adapted by Bálint Rauscher, integrates works by Tchaikovsky (Symphony No. 5, Marche Slave, Fatum, Hamlet Fantasy Overture) and Saint-Saëns (Danse macabre, Symphony No. 3, Les barbares). Set design by Stefano Katunar features pointed metal grills and panels evoking Elsinore. Costumes by Manuela Paladin Šabonović use rich fabrics and pale gauzes to suggest royal decay. Lead dancer Edison Manuel portrays Hamlet with passionate energy, interacting with masked dancers representing soliloquies. Joseph Moss plays a devious Claudius, Georgia Swan a conflicted Gertrude, Libby-Rose Nieder a charming Ophelia with an exquisite mad scene, and Taron Geyl as Laertes shows exceptional strength. Joshua Ostermann's Ghost appears more frequently than in the play, and Rian Thompson delivers a strong Polonius.