Reader Reviews
Hamlet (Olivier (National Theatre), West End)
Back to Show Details| Score | Comment | Date |
 | One of the most painful evenings I have spent in the theatre. I never "suspnded disbelief" once. The production failed to engage me and much of the time I could barely hear the actors. An utter waste of an evening. - Numb bum | 19 Feb 11 |
| A trully terrible production. Arogant, clattered and empty of any deep thought. Rorty - try to find another director! - Bovary | 11 Feb 11 |
| My planned trip to see Hamlet in December fell victim to the December weather but this has become a must-see event so it was worth settling for a seat at the back corner of the stalls even if one or two members of the cast struggled to project that far. Of course any review of Hamlet should be 5 stars as it is one of the greatest plays ever written so we are really reviewing the director's vision and the actor giving what will probably be a career-defining performance. Nicholas Hytner has come up with a modern dress version with Elsinor as a police state under the usurping Claudius but without finding the overwhelming sense of fear that Rupert Goold created for his Stalinist Macbeth. Claudius is surrounded by a clique who seem to be aware of his crime but who seem to suppress that to protect their own position. There is even a suggestion that Ophelia is murdered by the king's henchmen to further provoke Laertes; plausible but not what Shakespeare intended. David Calder is an unusually serious but more sinister Polonius and Clare Higgins plays Gertrude as a woman seeking refuge in drink. Gertrude is a fairly thankless role for a great actress but Dame Clare (she must be next in line) is particularly brilliant in an electrifying closet scene. Alex Lanipukin and the lovely Ruth Negga are excellent as Laertes and Ophelia but I was less convinced by Patrick Malahide as Claudius who seemed most daunted by the vast Olivier space. There can be no reservations over Rory Kinnear's towering performance as Hamlet. I think I have seen every play that Kinnera has appeared in since Festen and Mary Stuart and it is astonishing how he has grown as an actor - he has long since lost any suggestion of over-acting. His Hamlet is a direct progression from his superb performance in The Revenger's Tragedy as Hamlet, imitially consumed by grief, becomes consumed by a desire for revenge, feigning madness but clearly in the grips of a fatal depression. Kinnear is the best Hamlet I have seen even if the production itself just falls short of those loft heights. - David Baxter | 20 Jan 11 |
| Where to start? Well, it would have been nice if we could hear the actors for starters. I sat almost centre stalls, five rows back and I had trouble hearing Hamlet. Luckily last night the performance was "captioned" otherwise I'm sure those in the balcony would have missed much of it. That is UNFORGIVABLE! Hamlet may say "The PLAY'S the thing" but, Mr Hytner, so are the bloody WORDS! Patrick Malahide's Claudius was more like a provincial banker than the scheming brother of a king. And as much as I love Clare Higgins her Gertrude was very much business as usual. Ruth Negga brought nothing to Ophelia and when she appeared with a supermarket trolley any vestige of the charm which Shakespeare has imbued his character with finally disappeared. And how were we meant to interpret her being bundle off stage by two of Claudius' heavies - was she to be murdered? A liberty too far. James Laurenson's Ghost was a disappointingly feeble spectre in visage and in voice. David Calder was the best thing in the play. The performance lasted a bum numbingly three hours and fifty minutes including the interval. And at the curtain it didn't get as enthusiastic a response as it may have, not a bad one, but no standing ovation and only a few cheers and not just because of a lot of numb bums but I suspect because we were disappointed. The production had been hyped so much that the reality was altogether a different experience. But the wonderful thing is there will always be a next time. And despite Mr Hytner's slings and arrows of outrageous fortune - the bard always wins in the end. - rds | 20 Jan 11 |
| Really disliked this production and left at the interval, not done that more than a few times in 20 years of serious theatre-going. The only actor that I could hear was Rory Kinnear, all the others seem to be suffering from a distinct lack of vocal clarity that is unforgivable. I was so bored that I ended up counting seconds between audience members coughing fits, 15 seconds was the most! - Red | 17 Dec 10 |
| Thsi truly is the worse production of Hamlet I have ever seen. - ils | 19 Nov 10 |
| It never fails to amaze me how after so, so many Hamlet’s that new ways of seeing and understanding the play are found and this is certainly true of this production. I feel that more of the play was uncovered this time than ever before. For example, I especially liked how they interpret the demise of Ophelia. The whole surveillance state back drop made so much sense, everyone being watched and knowing perhaps more than they should? In Rory Kinnear we have a very strong, clear and credible account of Hamlet, one to really enjoy and admire. I especially liked his delivery of the soliloquies, his only chance to escape the shackles of the state and be himself. Fine support from an ever excellent Clare Higgins who gave the impression she wasn't quite as naive as she appeared. Patrick Malahide as Claudius was also very convincing. After seeing many, many Hamlets over the years. this will certainly rank very highly amongst them. - Paul Wallis | 27 Oct 10 |
| I’m fond of Shakespeare but not that fond of Hamlet. It always seems overlong and ponderous and I find it hard to believe in or be moved by it. Give me a more cracking yarn like Richard III any time. Yet somehow, its hard to resist re-visiting it – maybe to find what I haven’t yet found or maybe to see how an actor rises to the challenge of that pinnacle for a leading man. My first one was Roger Rees and my second Kenneth Branagh; both deeply introverted and neither RSC productions really did it for me. Then there was highly strung Daniel Day-Lewis on the same stage (before he had his breakdown, withdrew and was replaced by a dying Ian Charlston) and cool Adrian Lester at the Young Vic. A couple of adventures followed with Ingmar Bergman’s Swedish Hamlet and Ninagawa’s Japanese Hamlet. After a long break, I started again as I couldn’t resist Jude Law or David Tennent, both of whom turned in very good interpretations but neither production was totally satisfying. I regret not giving Simon Russell Beale and Ben Wilshaw a crack. One of the pleasures of going to the National in recent years has been to see the range and growth of Rory Kinnear, but I thought it might be too soon for him to tackle Hamlet. Well, I was certainly wrong there, as it was the most interesting, intelligent and real Hamlet of them all – I actually cared about what this man was going through for probably the first time. What helps is a production which creates a believable timeless police state where everyone is watching everyone else. This brings a plausibility to the story and adds an excitement which propels the play along. What also helps is a faultless supporting cast. Patrick Malahide is such a good Claudius that I became tense every time he came on stage. Dame Clare Higgins creates a highly original stilletto-heeled shallow gullible monster, drink almost always in hand. You could really believe in and were touched by Ruth Negga’s journey as Ophelia. The production didn’t seem at all imbalanced by understudy James Pearse standing in for David Calder as Polonius. I’ve liked Nicholas Hytner’s other Olivier Shakespeares – Henry IV parts 1 & 2 and Henry V - but I liked this most of all. Vicky Mortimer’s design is important in creating this believable world and facilitates the pace, energy and excitement. I also liked the use of sound to create atmosphere. So, the most satisfying Hamlet so far and one that will no doubt encourage me to continue exploring the play – somehow, I doubt I will be able to resist Michael Sheen at the Young Vic next year! - Gareth James | 27 Oct 10 |
| Rory Kinnear's reading is ultra intelligent, making something purposeful and interesting of Shakespeare's every word, but his performance is too coldly controlled for my taste. At his core, he simply isn't Hamlet, he's playing at being Hamlet. By contrast, Jude Law played Hamlet more emotionally truthfully, though less intelligently, not thoroughly understanding some of the lines. But this is a tough time to play Hamlet, because David Tennant was the freshest, most internally truthful Hamlet I've ever seen, and his performance is fresh in my mind. - Steve | 24 Oct 10 |
| What a great modern interpretation of Hamlet. Rory Kinnear was, of course, wonderful as the "new" Hamlet and little Ruth Negga is definitely "one to watch" Very enjoyable evening. - Mags | 12 Oct 10 |
| Great performances by a suberb cast. Hamlet's extreme mood and state of mind swings are incredibly refreshing. Clare Higgins naive and good natured Gertrude shines particularly in the closet scene when she helplessly witnesses Polonius' death. Here Horatio is more than the usual bystander although still doomed to fail in helping his friend Hamlet. The contemporary aspects of modern "subculture" are a bit of a minus as the music, the "graffiti" and T-Shirt won´t really fit with the otherwise traditionally set. Hamlet´s smoking in today´s anti-smoking climate probably worked best out of the modern adjustsments. The microphones, headsets, TV Crew , but NO screens or Tapes/CDs gives it a "not thought through to the very end" feeling. Nevertheless, I can't wait to enjoy it two more times. - Elisabeth | 08 Oct 10 |
| Great, detailed production. Shame about David Calder's laryngitis, but he battled through it bravely. Kinnear was outstanding. - Tom | 08 Oct 10 |
| Stonking! Forget Dave and Jude, Rory is the terrier's testicles...as the bard used to say. - coral | 01 Oct 10 |
