Oh, thank you, you just said everything I was thinking.
Actually, I have a point 5:
5) Lady!Horatio has definitely been done before. Sometimes because there aren't enough male actors, sometimes because the director wants to play up the sexual tension between Hamlet/Horatio without being overly controversial (sad that changing the gender of a character is less controversial than creating a relationship between characters the way they are). Either way, it's pretty common. If you're going to gender-bend in Hamlet, Horatio is the obvious candidate.
no subject
Actually, I have a point 5:
5) Lady!Horatio has definitely been done before. Sometimes because there aren't enough male actors, sometimes because the director wants to play up the sexual tension between Hamlet/Horatio without being overly controversial (sad that changing the gender of a character is less controversial than creating a relationship between characters the way they are). Either way, it's pretty common. If you're going to gender-bend in Hamlet, Horatio is the obvious candidate.