After ten years of holding a top position in pop/rock music, Janek Ledecky was mixing his sixth solo album in 1997, when the producer of the album, Martin Kumzak, suggested the idea of a musical version of Hamlet. Janek thought „why not?” before realizing just how crazy the idea was. Many composers around the world have tried to compose an opera or musical of Hamlet, but all have failed. Yet, Janek became obsessed with the project even though he had never before composed a musical. His friends and colleagues called him crazy, much like the hero of our play. When no producer would touch this project, the craziness grew. Janek built his own theatre in Prague and produced it himself. He’d used his last dime, even sold his motorcycle, but somehow the craziness paid off. In November of 1999 the musical Hamlet opened in the brand new Kalich Theatre and ran an unprecedented 650 performances! It went on to play more than 150 performances in Slovakia. Three successful CDs followed /highlights, complete recording and symphony album/. A book about its creation became a huge success in the Czech Republic.