“One of the first things you learn about me is that I do not believe in ghosts.”
Scrawled in the margins of Shakespeare’s play, Horatio draws his breath in laughter and pain to tell the story of someone jangled out of tune – himself.
Horatio has followed his situationship home for Christmas break. The fact that the young man in question is heir to the throne of Denmark, and the son of a murdered warlord, soon proves to be the least of his worries.
Horatio loves people deeply and he’s starting to suspect that the person he loves most may be more dangerous than plague, Nordic winter, or plot devices. But when it comes to ghostly affairs, Horatio may have a secret or two up his sleeve as well.
A blast of fresh air for the world of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Horatio, In Thy Heart is a new play by Merlin Stevens about the courage of setting boundaries and the complexity of mourning people who were bad for you.
The writer says: “There have been a few adaptions of ‘Hamlet’ that have zeroed in on the doomed and deeply romantic relationship between Hamlet and Horatio but very rarely have these adaptations been put onstage and there is a clearly an appetite for more. As a transgender writer, I have gotten very interested in how gender identity and expectations of masculinity are woven into the tragedy of Hamlet. Although Horatio is not burdened with the mountainous expectations and misogyny that afflict Hamlet, he is not able to save Hamlet from himself… This play isn’t just a retelling of Hamlet, it’s also about the courage of setting boundaries, recognising the ways people you love have hurt you, and the complexity of mourning people who may have been bad for you.”
Written and performed by Merlin Stevens, the additional voiceover cast of Horatio, in Thy Heart, includes: Soso Swinson (she/her) as Ophelia, Shannon Stuart (they/them) as Mother, Alexander Lewarne (he/him) as Father, Joe Lewis (he/him) as Guildenstern, Rosie May Cook (she/they) as Rosencrantz, Trey Augustus (he/him) as Hamlet and Sue Brooke Miles (she/her) as King Hamlet.
Award-winning production company Achy Bits Productions continues its tradition of revelling in the queer shadow play behind the scrim of classic texts.
Horatio, In Thy Heart Listings Information
Venue: Brockley Jack Studio Theatre, 410 Brockley Road, London, SE4 2DH
Box office: www.brockleyjack.co.uk or 0333 666 3366 (£1.80 fee for phone bookings only)
Dates: Tuesday 14 – Saturday 18 July 2026 at 7.30pm.
Tickets: £17, £15 conc., 13+.
Running time: Seventy minutes with no interval
