Adapted by Eddie Izzard’s sibling Mark Izzard, this “Hamlet” is among the best “Hamlets” on stage, screen, or stream. From the first scene of the iconic tragedy on the battlements of the royal castle at Elsinore when Marcellus relieves Francisco from his watch and where he, Horatio, and Bernardo encounter the Ghost of Hamlet’s father, to the closing scene where dead Hamlet’s body is being borne away as the peal of ordnance is shot off, Izzard’s portrayal of each of the twenty-three characters is authentic, unique, and refreshing. It is not an easy task to perform a solo performance of “Hamlet, Prince of Denmark,” but Izzard does so without missing one iambic pentameter beat.

The advantage of having a single gender-fluid actor portray all the characters in Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” is that throughout the performance, the focus becomes the bard’s characters, their conflicts, and the enduring narrative/plot they drive forward. The universality of each character is not confined to sexual status and the setting (mood and time). The themes of deception and false appearances and spirituality and revenge are not exclusive to sexual status. The exception would be the tragedy’s theme of misogyny. Ophelia and Gertrude are victims of their powerlessness which results in their deaths. Of course, there is misandry as well as misogyny throughout.

Izzard paces, struts, sashays, stomps, wafts, and glides across Tom Piper’s multilevel set, pacing through Tyler Elich’s impressive lighting which serves to create spaces for “Hamlet’s” characters to emerge from Izzard’s imagination and find a home. The audience knows what Gertrude’s bedroom looks like, and where the players unmask the killer king. Adding to the success of this production is Selina Cadell’s staging and Didi Hopkins’s movement direction.

Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” has become Izzard’s life. She has perfected the embodiment of the tragedy’s characters so well that even the slightest glance, the subtle turn of her body, or the endless catalog of her facial expressions identify a characteristic of a character that is unmistakable and often haunting.

There are many characterizations that will surprise the audience, amuse the audience, and remind the audience of the timeless story of the young Dane whose promise to avenge his father’s death led to his own death and the deaths of those who sought to deem him mad. Thank you, Izzard, for your gift which continues to give audiences the opportunity to revisit and reimagine “Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark.”