When Dance Speaks Louder Than Words: Queensland Ballet's Hamlet Comes to Brisbane

Shakespeare's most enduring tragedy is reimagined through the language of movement — and Brisbane is its Australian premiere destination.

There is a moment in every great production of Hamlet when language falls away and something more primal takes over. For choreographer Leo Mujić, that moment is the entire show.

Queensland Ballet presents the Australian premiere of Hamlet — a bold, cinematic reimagining of Shakespeare's most enduring tragedy — at the Talbot Theatre, Thomas Dixon Centre, from 19 June to 18 July 2026. Choreographed by Mujić, Artistic Director of the Croatian National Theatre, and set to the haunting music of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Camille Saint-Saëns, this is ballet with the emotional density of theatre and the visual power of film.

The Prince, Reimagined in Movement

The story is familiar: a young prince returns home to find his father dead, his uncle crowned, and his mother remarried. But where Shakespeare gives Hamlet his famous soliloquies to wrestle with grief, doubt and revenge, Mujić gives him his body.

"Through my choreography, I aim to capture both Hamlet's psychological states — his sense of betrayal, his grief and quest for revenge, and Ophelia's lack of power and agency," Mujić explains. "The steps become a reflection of their inner turmoil, revealing what words cannot express."

It is a translation that Mujić has spent decades perfecting. With costumes by Manuela Paladin Šabanović and electrifying staging by Stefano Katuna, the production is designed to immerse — and to unsettle.

Queensland Ballet's Artistic Director Ivan Gil-Ortega describes Mujić's work as immediately and viscerally alive.

"Though Shakespeare can be hard to follow, dance makes the story immediate and visceral. The virtuosic dance-drama propels the audience into a world of betrayal and trickery, one where ghosts and humans collide."

A Story for Right Now

Mujić is unambiguous about the parallels between Hamlet's Denmark and our own moment in history.

"Though it was written over 400 years ago, this story could not be more topical. As Hamlet says, 'Time is out of joint', and in the world right now, we could all agree that we are, in many ways, out of joint and at war with ourselves."

"Hamlet has become a symbol of humanity and all the qualities that characterise us — love, doubt, despair, humour, courage and the fight for truth," he continues. "In the choreographic process, I am most interested in transforming the spoken word into gestures, choreographed sequences, emotional duets and dynamic group scenes. This allows me to bring a new depth and empathy to the characters."

The Choreographer Behind the Vision

Leo Mujić. Photo: Boris Scitar

Leo Mujić's path to this production is itself a story worth telling. He was sixteen when the Yugoslav War broke out and left Belgrade for Lausanne, where he studied under one of the twentieth century's great dance visionaries, Maurice Béjart. As a performer he worked alongside Jiří Kylián, William Forsythe, Mats Ek and Hans van Manen — before turning his formidable experience toward creating work of his own.

He has since created works for the Paris Opera Ballet, Stuttgart Ballet, Staatsballett Berlin, The Royal Ballet London and the Queensland Ballet, among many others. His choreographic language — drawn from classical technique but shaped by theatrical instinct — transforms gesture into psychology, and movement into meaning.

"Shakespeare's works lend themselves beautifully to new interpretations, and this ballet will be an unforgettable experience in our home at the Thomas Dixon Centre," Gil-Ortega added.

Did You Know?

• Hamlet is arguably Shakespeare's most understandable work — and his longest.
• Shakespeare was born and died on the same date: 23 April.
• Since the 18th century, there have been over 19 ballet productions of Hamlet alone, including Robert Helpmann's 1942 production for Sadler's Wells Ballet.
• Only Dracula and Sherlock Holmes have appeared in more films than Hamlet.
• Disney's The Lion King is based on Hamlet.
• Shakespeare's most famous play has been adapted for screen more than fifty times, across many languages.

See It

Hamlet, choreographed by Leo Mujić, plays at the Talbot Theatre, Thomas Dixon Centre, from 19 June to 18 July 2026. Book now at queenslandballet.com.au.

Production photos: Darja StravsTisu / foto©novkovic. Portrait: Boris Scitar