Eddie Izzard will return to Australia in June 2026 to present a daring one-person staging of The Tragedy Of Hamlet, an ambitious theatrical feat that sees the Emmy-winning and Tony-nominated performer embody all 23 characters in Shakespeare’s most enduring drama. The production arrives following sold-out runs across the United States and United Kingdom and a wave of acclaim for Izzard’s transformation of the classic tragedy into a modern, intimate showcase of performance craft.
Australian audiences will experience the production in major theatres around the country with Izzard performing at the Sydney Opera House from 9 to 21 June, Brisbane Powerhouse from 24 to 27 June, Arts Centre Melbourne from 30 June to 12 July, and Perth’s Heath Ledger Theatre on 27 and 28 July. Tickets go on sale Monday 10 November at 10am.
Izzard’s Hamlet honours the stripped-back spirit of early Shakespeare productions, performed on an uncluttered stage that allows Shakespeare’s text to take centre stage. The performance is adapted by Mark Izzard and directed by Selina Cadell, and places the audience inches from the emotional and psychological turmoil of Denmark’s troubled prince.
With no set distractions, Izzard switches between roles, voices and personas, recreating the world of the royal court and the layers of deceit, fear and fate that drive the plot. In taking on every part – from Hamlet and Claudius to Ophelia, ghosts, scholars, tyrants, fools and poets – Izzard delivers a theatrical challenge that only a handful of performers have ever attempted.
“The world of Hamlet is timeless, and the journey of the accidental hero is something audiences continue to connect with,” Izzard said. “I have always gravitated to complex roles, and Hamlet stands as the pinnacle. We want audiences to experience a version that is accessible, dramatic, emotional and frightening, all at once.”
While internationally regarded for comedy, Izzard’s career has always intertwined theatre, film and stand-up innovation. Her West End debut arrived in 1993 with Live At The Ambassadors, earning an Olivier nomination and establishing her as an inventive storyteller. A succession of landmark tours followed including Unrepeatable, Dress To Kill, Stripped and Wunderbar, with Izzard later performing shows in four languages and famously running 131 marathons to raise funds for humanitarian causes.
Izzard’s Broadway appearances include A Day In The Death Of Joe Egg, earning a Tony nomination, and Race, while London theatre credits range from Edward II to The Cryptogram. Screen audiences have seen her in everything from Bryan Fuller’s Hannibal and The Riches to Valkyrie, Ocean’s Twelve and Victoria & Abdul opposite Dame Judi Dench. Her memoir Believe Me became a bestseller in both the US and UK.
This tour marks Izzard’s second major solo dramatic production following her theatrical interpretation of Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations, which played to strong box office results in London and New York.
Director Selina Cadell brings decades of theatre and screen experience, including Royal Shakespeare Company productions and acclaimed London seasons. Her television work includes roles on Doc Martin, Poirot and Midsomer Murders, and she also directs opera with Operaglass Works.
Mark Izzard returns as adapter after working with Eddie on Great Expectations and supporting multilingual stand-up tours across Europe. The siblings first collaborated at the Edinburgh Fringe in 1981 and have since developed a shared creative approach that fuels their stage relationship.
Australian Tour Dates
Sydney, Sydney Opera House, 9 to 21 June
Brisbane, Brisbane Powerhouse, 24 to 27 June
Melbourne, Arts Centre Melbourne, 30 June to 12 July
Perth, Heath Ledger Theatre, 27 to 28 July
Tickets on sale Monday 10 November at 10am.
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