It is always a gamble today when you watch a Shakespeare play, because everyone feels pressured to put a new twist or political message onto a play written in the 1600s. These concepts often fail because they either don’t make any sense or are too pretentious. Grand Theft Hamlet is a rare exception. The documentary focuses on friends Sam Crane and Mark Oosterveen as they assemble a cast of misfits to act in a production of Hamlet staged within the game of Grand Theft Auto. It was co-directed by Pinny Grylls and Sam Crane, who are also participants.
At first Sam and Mark merely socialize within the game, but the two actors long to return to the stage, so they decide to mount a production of Hamlet. They are not well-known film actors, but stage actors in the UK who are unemployed because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Putting on the play provides them with something meaningful to do amidst their isolation and anxiety about the future. This pervasive angst and dissatisfaction with life bleeds into their work on the scenes, and makes the setting of the game a necessity because all theaters are closed. I don’t think this documentary could have succeeded if it were created before or after the pandemic. The strangeness and unease of that time is felt throughout.
I was initially skeptical of the entire film being within the game, but I enjoyed how immersive it was and seeing the different ways people acted in a virtual world. Sam and Mark spend a lot of time scouting out the perfect locations within the game for each scene. They perform and rehearse on a yacht, in a casino, and even on top of a giant blimp. The setting itself is not entirely unfitting. Grand Theft Auto is an extremely violent game in which people steal, murder, and commit crimes at random. There are multiple murders and betrayals in Hamlet, and the game allows for these to be shown in bloody detail.
This is not the best production of Hamlet I’ve seen, but it is compelling to watch because of the passion of the actors and the director. Mark directs and Sam stars as Hamlet. The rest of the cast are other players and strangers that showed up to an open audition. Rehearsals within the game showcase moments of whimsy and absurd humor, but also show a personal and deep engagement with the text.
Mounting the virtual production becomes an obsession of Mark and Sam, and it quickly starts to consume a majority of their time. Mark always wants more rehearsals and time in the game, but Sam’s partner Pinny is sometimes tugging him away from the game world. Mark lives alone and seems to be struggling with depression. The play becomes his main focus and is also a source of anxiety - worrying it could fail or just be seen as a joke. I especially enjoyed the rehearsals of Sam working on the “To Be or Not To Be” monologue in various locations. It shows Sam messing up and trying over and over again to get it just right.
Sam and Mark are relatable and humble, which makes the Hamlet scenes believable even in the game world. The audience believes that Sam’s Hamlet is a “rogue and peasant slave” because we’ve seen several real moments in which Sam is vulnerable and foolish. I liked seeing the artistic struggle of ordinary actors putting on the work for its own sake and approaching it with humility. When watching the famous film versions of Hamlet with Laurence Olivier (1948) and Kenneth Branagh (1996), it is hard not to see a great actor giving his all. The audience can marvel at their performances, but may not feel pity or compassion for Hamlet.
I see Grand Theft Hamlet as being part of a series of works that argue Shakespeare’s plays are for everyone – not just great actors and elite scholars. In Goethe’s novel Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship, Hamlet becomes the obsession of the struggling young actor Wilhelm. Much like Sam and Mark, he becomes devoted to getting the role right. The death of Wilhelm’s father directly impacts his performance and makes the play feel integral to his life. Arguably one of the best episodes of This American Life is Episode 218: Act V by Jack Hitt, which documents the rehearsals and performance of a production of Hamlet at the Missouri Eastern Correctional Center. The inmates at first struggle with the text, but through rigorous rehearsal and preparation they make the words their own. Some of the actors have committed murder and other terrible crimes. They bring the weight of these experiences to their performances.
But the average person does not need to experience such great tragedies to connect with the play. As Grand Theft Hamlet illustrates, struggles with depression, anxiety, and isolation can be called upon when playing Hamlet. The play continues to resonate because the rich text can express some of our darkest thoughts and feelings in the most precise and poetic way.
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Grand Theft Hamlet is currently available to stream on MUBI.