Lexi Wolfe‘s newest play, Absent Thee:After Hamlet, is a two-handed play that puts the spotlight on the close relationship between Horatio and Hamlet from the famous play Hamlet by William Shakespeare. The play had its debut on October 11th, 2026, at Folkestone Live, and it was an honour to be in the audience.

Hamlet has been dead for a while, and Horatio is still struggling to let go and move on without him by his side to share the “ups and downs.” However, what will it take for him to let go and finally let his friend rest in peace.

How do we keep memories of our loved ones alive? Do we talk to them at a place where you had both once “hung out” in the hope that their spirit might be present. Are we visited by their ghost? There’s no rules or guarantees about  what happens to those we leave behind and what will happen in life after their death.

Grief has no boundaries, rules, or timescale, and navigating the road after losing a loved one is at the heart of this new play. Defining emotions and deep connections that everyone will relate to who has lost someone they loved unconditionally and has nowhere to channel these feelings into.

Horatio honours his friend with honesty and flashbacks to their lives together, without pretending that everything was perfect. The only guarantee anyone has in life is that we all become a memory that will be kept alive by those who love us.

Although this was its debut performance, as with all Slade Wolfe Productions, this will not be its last and I would like to see it again in a year or so because I can guarantee it will have worked on further until it’s a finely tuned play.

For more information about Absent Thee: After Hamlet and Folkestone Live, please use the link below.

Four Stars.

https://www.folkestonelive.com/

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