It’s only ever a matter of time before my inspiration of the week is Shakespeare, in some form or other!
Last week I went to see the current production of ‘Hamlet’ at the RSC. It’s one of my favourite plays because I was part of a production of it in Sixth Form, where I fell in love with the magnificent soliloquies, the witty dialogue and the wonderful ‘play-within-a-play’ device. For years afterwards I could quote whole scenes – I’m blessed with a very good memory.
This current production is graced with a young and unknown actor, Luke Thallon, in the title role and I thought he was brilliant. He was able to deliver some of the most well-known lines in a way that made them different, spontaneous and fresh in the moment. THAT is a real talent.
I could take issue with the ‘concept’ and setting of the production. I could moan about how much was cut. I could quote my favourite quote from Gregory Doran, former Artisitc Director at the RSC:
Gregory was being interviewed prior to a performance of ‘Hamlet’ that he directed with a stellar cast, including David Tennant as Hamlet and Patrick Stewart as Claudius, he talked about the pressure of taking on this iconic play. People had been asking him, ‘What are you going to do with ‘Hamlet?’
His reply has stayed with me and remains my yardstick for evaluating all productions of Shakespeare’s plays:
He said in the interview that his reply had been, ‘I have enough to do in ‘doing’ Hamlet, let alone doing something ‘with’ Hamlet’.
Directors often appear to think that in tackling the well-known and loved plays of William Shakespeare they have to find a way to make it fresh and new. We’ve seen ‘Julius Caesar’ performed by an entirely black cast and set in an unnamed African state ruled by a dictator. We’ve seen ‘The Merchant of Venice’ set in pre-war London with a female Shylock. We’ve seen ‘the Tempest’ set in the Arctic. We’ve seen ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ with all the characters’ genders swapped…
Interesting as these productions can be, for me the best productions are the ones where the text is the star of the show. I want to enjoy Shakespeare’s lovely words without the distractions of an crowded set, over-the-top costumes, loud music or gimmicky 21st century references.
So, despite the intrusion of a Titanic theme, young Luke Thallon captivated me with his portrayal of Hamlet and I fell in love with the play all over again.
…and there is a beautiful moment of pure theatre at the end, which is only possible because of the Titanic-based set. So maybe I can live with it.
I would definitely go and see it again.
