This show is one of the reasons I always hang back on completing the Top 20 list until I watch some of the previews. Because the preview of this show sold me on the concept.
I am WAY behind the normal audience curve on this one. I had a bunch of options to see this play before now, even in the Fringe back in 2011, and for whatever reason, often scheduling-related, I just didn’t.
But the preview got me. It reminded me, “Oh yeah, I grew up on this story, both of these stories. And the actors are good, and committed to the bit. And there’s live music.”
This preview worked on me, where another show I was anticipating putting on this list did not. So that other show dropped off, and Hamluke took its place.
Sometimes it’s as simple as “Oh, I get the joke here” vs. “Oh, a lot of other people are getting the joke here, but I very much am not so… maybe I’m not the audience for this play that I thought I was.” Hamluke happily fell into that first category, and won me over.
Hamluke
Nightfall Productions
Venue: Rarig Thrust
Show Description:
A long time ago in a castle far, far away... young Hamluke is thrust into a tragic tale of betrayal and revenge in this "Star Wars" version of "Hamlet" as told by Ewoks, droids, and Jedi Knights!
Hamluke is written/directed by local playwright/director Brad Erickson and has been performed previously for the Minnesota Fringe, the One Act Competition for the Minnesota State High School League, and for international audiences at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
Genre & Content:
Comedy, Drama, Puppetry, Shakespearian Elements, Literary Adaptation, Kid Friendly
Warnings:
Flashing Lights, Gun/Weapon Usage
In the preview, Clarence Wethern, who was himself back in the day quite literally the best Hamlet I’ve ever seen on stage, this time played this show’s version of Obi-Wan Kenobi, and Wethern was doing a killer Alec Guiness impression, which I very much appreciated.
Since you can’t swing a dead cat in this town without running into a production of Hamlet, I’ve seen my fair share of Hamlets over the years and that script is hardwired into my brain whether I want it to be or not.
And I’m actually old enough that I was a teenager when the original Star Wars trilogy came out, so A New Hope was just “Star Wars” for me. My brother and friends and I saw it a total of eleven times in the movie theaters when it first came out, including one memorable outing at a drive-in with my dad, who did not really know what he was getting himself into with the movie on that very big outdoor screen. So that script is also hardwired into my brain - hence the appreciation for Wethern channeling Guiness.
The character names are delightfully ridiculous, starting with Hamluke and Darthius, and continuing on through Queen Gertrudala and Opheleia, Horeepio and R2-Datio.
There’s also a fun, epic history of Hamluke on the More Information tab of their Fringe show page, so I’ll link to that here, if like me you enjoy behind the scenes content.
It’s wild how something as simple as hearing those themes again, played live by musicians, just kind of gets me where I live.
Update 7/29/2025 - I neglected to post the video of the preview I've been talking about:
Here’s some handy links to my Fringe Top 10, Top 11 to 20 and Returning Favorites lists for this year, as well as all the coverage of this year’s Minnesota Fringe Festival.
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