Eddie Izzard to play 23 characters in Off-Broadway production of Hamlet
Eddie Izzard is set to play 23 characters in a new "accessible" production of William Shakespeare's Hamlet.
The British actor-comedian, also known as Suzy, will take on 23 roles in a one-person version of Hamlet, adapted by Izzard's brother, Mark Izzard.
The shows, directed by Selina Cadell, will run from 25 January until 3 March at Greenwich House Theater in New York.
"It's a great challenge but there is no point living and not going for challenges," Izzard told The Associated Press soon after the play was announced. "You're just at the edge of your skill set and pushing out even further."
Izzard will play a wide range of characters, including ghosts, poets, lovers, noblemen and soldiers, among others.
"I want it so that 10-year-old kids can grab this. I want it for the people who don't find Shakespeare easy, like I didn't when I was a dyslexic kid," the actor said of the adaption.
Last year, Izzard, her brother and Cadell worked together on a one-person adaption of Charles Dickens's Great Expectations, which played at Greenwich House Theater and in London's West End.
"I have always gravitated towards playing complex and challenging characters and Hamlet is the ultimate," Izzard continued. "This is a production for everyone, a timeless drama with an accidental hero. Selina, Mark and I want audiences to see and hear an accessible, touching, scary and dramatic Hamlet."
