A Worldwide Tour for ‘Hamlet’

Stephen Kelly/Press Association, via Associated Press Shakespeare’s Globe in London.

“All the world’s a stage,” wrote Shakespeare. Now Shakespeare’s Globe is putting those words into action. The London theater company announced on Tuesday an ambitious plan to perform “Hamlet” in every nation on earth. A cast of eight is expected to tour with a modest production of the tragedy for two years, starting April 23, 2014, the 450th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth, and ending on April 23, 2016, the 400th anniversary of his death.

Dominic Dromgoole, the Globe’s artistic director, said in a statement: “The spirit of touring, and of communicating stories to fresh ears, was always central to Shakespeare’s work. We couldn’t be happier to be extending that mission even further.”

Shakespeare’s Globe said it aims to perform in some 205 countries and territories, some of which have never seen a Shakespeare production before, and will get around by automobile, boat, train and plane. The Twitter feed @WorldHamlet will track the show’s whereabouts.

This “Hamlet” has already toured Britain, Europe and the United States, including a stop in New York last year. (In his review, Charles Isherwood said the show “prizes efficiency, clarity, accessibility and above all energy.”) The global tour will feature a new cast performing over two dozen parts.