After the Rome run, the play was performed in Milan, Teatro Nuovo, February 21 1964; Bologna, Teatro Comunale, April 15 1964, as part of the 14th Festival della Prosa; Paris, Théâtre Sarah Bernhardt, May 28-31, as part of the “Théâtre des Nations” Festival; Zurich, Schauspielhaus, June 6 and 7 1964, as part of the Juni Fest Wochen; Vienna, Burgtheater, June 12 1964, as part of the Wiener Festwochen; Vicenza, Teatro Olimpico, June 16-18 1964; London, The Old Vic, September 15-26 1964.
In the same season that featured performances of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?", Zeffirelli staged "Hamlet" for the Proclemer-Albertazzi Company. Unlike his previous approaches to Shakespearean plays, Zeffirelli did not set the story in a period defined by sets and costumes. Instead, he imagined minimalist staging and asked Danilo Donati to design timeless costumes. Before beginning rehearsals, he wrote in a letter to Masolino d’Amico, his future collaborator:
“I am developing this "Hamlet" entirely in my own way, a new approach in which, as of now, only one thing is certain: it will be a modern vision. But I am reshuffling everything: today, tomorrow, a thousand years ago. I want the romantic melancholy, the fury of the Elizabethans, the horror of the Middle Ages, but above all, the moods, the resignation, the wickedness, and the uproar of today.”
The result was a production that emphasized the enduring relevance and power of the text, avoiding the simple choice of presenting the tragedy in modern dress.
"Hamlet" was a resounding success. It represented Italy at several international theatre festivals and was hosted at London’s Old Vic as part of the celebrations for the Shakespearean Fourth Centenary.