Backstage before their production of Hamlet, two of the company are preparing for the show. But as they receive a series of phone calls from their boss recounting increasing misfortune afflicting the rest of the cast (and the van of props), it seems that they must perform the entire show themselves with whatever comes to hand.

Nike Redding’s arrogant Hamlet and the Tom Corradini’s ignorant understudy are united in their dislike for each other. The star is pretentiously doing warm up exercises, while his cover follows half-heartedly in ill-disguised disdain. But using Lecoq-inspired physical theatre, they must now join forces throw themselves into a drastically reduced production.

Puppets left lying around from a previous show are used to dispense with Gertrude and Polonius, and in a Hamlet cut to the bone, other minor characters are cast off with barely a thought. Mime, clowning and physical theatre are flung into the mix as, seeking more sex and violence, they bring the original Viking myth of Amleth back to the fore, and contemplate whether it could be more interesting if it was set somewhere else less boring than Denmark.

Occasionally it feels as if they are throwing as many physical theatre tricks as possible at the production, a showreel of Shakespeare clowning. But if Redding’s use of Corradini’s head as the skull in the Gravedigger’s scene is the result, then that is fine with me. In fact, there is perhaps a missed opportunity for more audience engagement; after all, this is a production based around clowning and physical theatre, with the conceit that they don’t have enough of a cast to do the show.

Somewhat surprisingly, they do manage to cover quite a lot of the play, and even have time for a digression about whether Romeo and Juliet has a happier ending. For those looking for fresh fun perspectives on Shakespeare this is a little treat in the new venue for Teatro Fisica in the Fruitmarket.