Synopsis Written between 1599 and 1601. The play, set in Denmark, recounts how Prince Hamlet exacts revenge on his uncle Claudius, who has murdered Hamlet's father, the King, and then taken the throne and married Gertrude, Hamlet's mother. The play vividly charts the course of real and feigned madness - from overwhelming grief to seething rage - and explores themes of treachery, revenge, incest, and moral corruption.
After all the hype and nearly a year’s wait, Doctor Who star David Tennant’s has at last given us – or at least the critics – his Hamlet. Gregory Doran’s wildly anticipated Royal Shakespeare Company production of the tragedy - with Tennant (pictured) as the Prince and Patrick Stewart, following his Tony-nominated Broadway turn in Macbeth, as the Ghost and Claudius (See News, 11 Sep 2007) - opened last night (5 August 2008, previews from 24 July) at Stratford-upon-Avon’s Courtyard Theatre where it will run until 15 November 2008. It will then transfer to the West End’s Novello Theatre for a limited Christmas season from 9 December (previews from 3 December) until 10 January 2009.
The Stratford season is long sold out (See News, 5 Aug 2008) – with queues forming daily (starting the night before) for returns and a limited number of ten £5 tickets held back for under-25s – and the London dates have nearly sold out to RSC members, who’ve had priority booking access since 16 June ahead of public booking which opens at 10.00am on 12 September, when a further allocation will be released.
Prior to their screen successes, Tennant and Stewart had both racked up myriad RSC and other stage credits. They’re joined in the cast by Penny Downie (as Gertrude), Oliver Ford Davies (Polonius), Peter de Jersey (Horatio), Edward Bennett (Laertes), John Woodvine (the Player King) and Mariah Gale (Ophelia). The production is designed by Robert Jones, with lighting by Tim Mitchell, music by Paul Englishby, sound by Jeremy Dunn, movement by Michael Ashcroft and fight direction by Terry King.
Critics couldn’t resist a Tardis quip or two, but despite this, for the majority, Tennant was able to overcome the hype and prove his abilities as a “really fine, athletic and technically accomplished classical actor”. A few noted that if he hasn’t yet entered the “pantheon of the great Hamlets”, there’s still time for improvement before the production’s London transfer. Elsewhere there was high praise for Patrick Stewart’s “supremely composed” Claudius, Mariah Gale’s Ophelia and Oliver Ford Davies’ Polonius. A few critics were sceptical about Gregory Doran’s cuts to the original text, particularly in the final scenes, but overall, there was great excitement surrounding this “full-value production”.
Michael Coveney on Whatsonstage.com (five stars) – “In the first place, Hamlet should be exciting. And Gregory Doran’s full-value production for the RSC in the Courtyard is exactly that. In the second place, we should respond to Hamlet himself as a funny, fast, sardonic, headstrong prince with a streak of fatal prevarication and sense of his own intellectual superiority. And that we certainly do. David Tennant may be television’s Doctor Who … but he’s a really fine, athletic and technically accomplished classical actor to boot … We know Hamlet as much from what he says as from how he treats people. Tennant is brilliant at this, honing his wit at Polonius’ expense, delighting in the stage-loric grandness of John Woodvine’s Player King, or tolerating Osric (freshly done by Ryan Gage) with an appreciative playfulness. And he moves and speaks with the speed of light, a chameleon, a prankster, a misunderstood maverick. This is easily the most complete Hamlet of recent years, and one of the most enjoyable … A great evening, and a humdinger of a hit for the RSC.”
Michael Billington in the Guardian (four stars) – “The big news from Stratford is that Gregory Doran's production is one of the most richly textured, best-acted versions of the play we have seen in years. And Tennant, as anyone familiar with his earlier work with the RSC would expect … is a fine Hamlet whose virtues, and occasional vices, are inseparable from the production itself … This is a Hamlet of quicksilver intelligence, mimetic vigour and wild humour: one of the funniest I've ever seen. He parodies everyone he talks to, from the prattling Polonius to the verbally ornate Osric … Tennant is an active, athletic, immensely engaging Hamlet. If there is any quality I miss, it is the character's philosophical nature, and here he is not helped by the production … But this is an exciting performance that in no way overshadows those around it. Stewart's Claudius is a supremely composed, calculating killer … Oliver Ford Davies' brilliant Polonius is both a sycophantic politician and a comic pedant … I can scarcely remember a better Ophelia than that of Mariah Gale, whose mad-scenes carry a potent sense of danger … Audiences may flock to this production to see the transmogrification of Doctor Who into a wild and witty Hamlet. What they will discover is a rich realisation of the greatest of poetic tragedies.”
Charles Spencer in the Daily Telegraph – “Tennant isn't in the pantheon of the great Hamlets yet … What's lacking, at present, is weight and depth. He delivers the great soliloquies with clarity, but he doesn't always discover their freight of emotion … There remains much to admire. It's hard not to warm to a Hamlet who makes you laugh, and Tennant discovers almost every ounce of sarky humour … I have no reservations at all about Stewart, who delivers the strongest, scariest performance as Claudius I have seen. A modern tyrant in a surveillance state full of spies, informers and two-way mirrors in Doran's thriller-like production … But Stewart also suggests a man terribly burdened with a guilt he knows he can never expunge and you almost feel sorry for the bastard. This is acting of the highest order with Stewart also doubling as a superb and terrifying Ghost. Penny Downie harrowingly charts Gertrude's decline …; Mariah Gale makes a deeply poignant Ophelia; while as Laertes, Edward Bennett transforms himself with aplomb from goofy Hooray Henry to fearsome assassin. With fine support from Peter de Jersey as a touching Horatio and a genuinely funny gravedigger from Mark Hadfield, this is a gripping Hamlet that could become great if Tennant finds the courage to raise the dramatic stakes still further.”
Paul Taylor in the Independent – "Tennant is adept at most aspects of the role but he excels when the prince becomes a prankish provocateur … I rate Tennant very highly, but I wouldn't put him in the absolute front rank of contemporary Hamlets … Or not yet, at any rate. The performance has time to grow. This actor has most of what it takes: the braininess, the breadth of spirit, the reckless irony, the bamboozling banter, the sense of layered depth … So what's missing? Well, the part of Hamlet constitutes a special case. However hard you analyse his behaviour and motivations, this character remains to some degree a tantalising mystery … In the soliloquies, the finest performers seem to be, partly, laying bare their own souls to us, too, and laying us bare to ourselves. At the moment, that strange double-feeling of exposure and spiritual connection is not as strong here as one could wish. There may be technical reasons for this. It's a pity, for example, that Tennant is using an RP accent rather that his natural incisive Scots lilt that might promote greater intimacy of rapport … I expect that by the time the production reaches London, these problems will have sorted themselves out. Meanwhile, this is a stirring and impressive theatrical event.”
Nicholas de Jongh in the Evening Standard (three stars) – “Although this Prince of Denmark will not make the angels weep, Tennant still achieves something sensational and never managed in the past 40 years. He unlocks the key to the mystery of Hamlet and offers a convincing explanation for the prince's famous delay in avenging his father's murder … His humorous Hamlet emerges as an undiagnosed manic depressive, whose mood swings render him temperamentally incapable of fulfilling a revenge scenario … I was dazzled and excited by this concept, but never enthralled by it in the way I was by the great Hamlets of Mark Rylance, Simon Russell Beale and Ben Whishaw. Tennant elegantly goes through all the motions without being caught up in them … There remains something disconcertingly solid and invulnerable about his prince, even when facing Patrick Stewart's unspooky ghost, a role Stewart doubles with a fascinating, original Claudius ... Tennant wears his melancholia, grief and anger as if they were accessories rather than elemental feelings … It is Mariah Gale's superb Ophelia, dancing half-naked, flourishing a vast bunch of flowers, who pierces the heart. Doran's production, with odd cuts and textual rearrangements, lacks sufficient sense of Denmark under threat of war ... By the time it reaches London I hope Tennant can endow his historic Hamlet with what it crucially misses - a heart.”
Benedict Nightingale in The Times (four stars) – “Gregory Doran’s fluent, pacey, modern-dress revival of Hamlet gives Tennant the chance to show the world that he has the range to tackle the most demanding classical role of all – and, praise be, he seizes it. I’ve seen bolder Hamlets and more moving Hamlets, but few who kept me so riveted throughout … Tennant isn’t the sort of reductively Oedipal Hamlet who should ideally be stretched out on Dr Freud’s sofa bed. Nor is he one of those Hamlets who, while faking mad, actually becomes mad or half-mad … Tennant is restless, curt and mocking when he needs to be, affectionate when he can be, and, apart from an occasional tendency to gabble, pretty impressive. But most noticeably he’s so dreamily reflective that you feel that Claudius’ fatal mistake was refusing him permission to resume his philosophy degree in the safety of faraway Wittenberg … There can be no complaint about the supporting performances, least of all Oliver Ford Davies’ Polonius … With him in top form, Stewart demonstrating his versatility, and Tennant definitively quitting his Tardis, this is a revival to relish.”
Quentin Letts in the Daily Mail – “For all the stage door excitement and box office success, this is not the greatest Dane. Some parts of the role, particularly the manlier, more noble elements, are underplayed. Director Gregory Doran has made odd cuts which dilute the statecraft in the epic tale and rob young Hamlet of traits which make him such a complex figure. Tennant is also upstaged by a deliciously subtle turn from Patrick Stewart as the wicked but practical King Claudius … Peter de Jersey delivers an empty Horatio, not so much sturdy man of honour as mere camp-follower ... Mariah Gale is suitably touching as the doomed Ophelia and Oliver Ford Davies, one of the English stage's chewiest yarners, is in his element as waffling Polonius, the old courtier who meets a sticky end … Doran's cuts mean we never learn what happened to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern - vital evidence of Hamlet's ruthlessness. The finale, similarly, is shorn of the invader Fortinbras' arrival … We also lose the line about how royal he would have prov'd, had he been put on. Given the gaucheness in Tennant's spirited but unripe rendition, that observation might not have been justified.”
A popular Hamlet for Dr Who fans but certainly not a great production. David Tennant is a good actor (prefer his comic roles and in my opinion was much better in Love's Labours Lost) but he would not have received these rave reviews had it not been for the TV show. But it's brought a new audiance to the theatre which in its self is a good thing. - Rosie
29 Oct 08
Certainly a good Hamlet - great? hm - not quite. For me, Tennant lacks the introspection needed in the sane parts. Some very good work though and excellent cast including that rarest of things a believable Ophelia. Well worth seeing - but probably not worth all the hype. But - well done to the RSC and to David Tennant for introducing new people to Shakespeare (certainly a few the night I saw this) - let's hope they come back again. - Welthorpe
10 Oct 08
I'll be the first to admit that I'm a huge David Tennant fan, not only do I love Doctor Who but I've watched most of his other performances as well, so I had high expectations when I went to go and see Hamlet on Tuesday. Believe me when I say I was extremely happy to find that my expectations were met and exceeded!
The entire play was amazingly done, especially the beginning when they got the reflections from the torches to illuminate each others faces, that was amazingly done! Patrick Stewart was captivating, and seemed to be able to pull of this fascinating character so easily, his final scene with Hamlet was great and to see the two of them on stage was a dream come true.
The play managed to get the right balance between comedy and tragedy, and they got the right actors for each part. David is just so energetic, and it's great to see him bounding around the stage. I would recommend this to everyone! I'm studying Hamlet for A-level, and I just know I'm going to enjoy it a lot more now then I would have previously. A truly wonderful performance. - Sarah
25 Sep 08
It was my daughter's first Hamlet and she and I both loved it - a very clear, uncluttered production, often bringing new meaning to familiar speeches. Acting was superb throughout, even in the samller parts. We felt that David Tennant made a totally believable Hamlet and the supporting cast was tremendous. Oliver Ford Davies was in his element as Polonius and was superb and Mariah Gale brought tears to my eyes in the mad scene - I have seen many Hamlet's over the years where this scene has been too contrived and unnatural, but not as performed in this production - Mariah Gale never disappoints in anything she does. Lovely to see Penny Downie and Patrick Stewart back where they belong - on the stage at Stratford, showing what fine actors they both are. Stayed on for the talk with the cast afterwards - the omissions made sense when they talked about them in open discussion. - Roger Harris
06 Sep 08
Stunning. Tennant and Stewart are as good as expected. Ford is amazing and almost steals the show. Downie a revelation and her costumes are fantastic (in one she appears surroundedby a pool of fresh blood). At first I did thing DT was playing Hamlet as Dr Who but then it dawned on me - he plays Dr Who as though he is Hamlet. What a skilled performer. See it! - Fulcrum
02 Sep 08
This is a very fine production of Hamlet. The simplicity of the staging helped to allow the actors to really deliver their roles with great strength. Fine support from Mariah Gale, Penny Downie, Patrick Stewart and particularly the brilliant Oliver Ford Davies as Polonius, I thoroughly enjoyed this production. David Tennant is very good if not yet a great Hamlet though that might change as the months pass. He plays the comedy very well with great timing. Great to have him back at the RSC. Can't wait to see it again in London - Paul Wallis
19 Aug 08
This is a very cheap looking, superficial version of the play. I was left so unimpressed by it, I nearly left in the interval. Luckily it was saved by the wonderful performances of the actresses playing both Ophelia and Gertrude. Doran's staging is very gimmicky, he works very hard to make it relevant, but more trust in the text would have been a better option. There was a pick and mix approach to ideas that have graced other recent RSC productions too - it seemed that Doran had run out of ideas and used the current Taming of the Shrew and his Antony and Cleopatra and his Coriolanus to fill the gaps. It is more frustrating as the basic elements were there, but did not hang together. - Tom
18 Aug 08
I saw this on 2nd Aug and loved every minute. From the moment DT walks on in a suit and is strong and silent, through his "madness" - using his hair to great effect in showing his insanity, and his calm return in the funeral scene. His barefoot appearances give an element of vulnerability to the character, especially in the scene in his mother's room. Also to be noted is his huge energy - leaping around, running on and off stage, but also being calm or grief stricken in other scenes. Was slightly disappointed by Patrick Stewart but maybe it is just that DT totally owns the stage and surpasses the other performances. Ophelia was quite lovely and also very brave with her stripping, which was performed appropriately. It reminded me how much I love Shakespeare and now gives me reason to see more!! - Andrea
12 Aug 08
Only 4 stars from me ..so far. DT could get the fifth by the end of the run if he deepens his performance. Nice to keep the youngsters engaged and this prod should do that but what about the tough stuff, the 'readiness is all' eh? I saw the Warner Hamlet all those years a go and I think agree that the RSC hasn't produced anything like the good hamlets it should have in between that and this. Greg Doran always reads the play properly, always has a good idea or two and the dumb show here is a master stroke. - Lynette
11 Aug 08
Hate to sound a sour note, but didn't find this as great as everyone else has done. It's fast-paced and the Dr Who fans will get what they've gone for (lots of goggle-eyed over-acting in my opinion), but it's a very superficial, unthreatening rendition of Hamlet. All surface and no heart. Sorry (and I greatly admire Greg Doran, and a pre-Dr Who David Tennant. He was a thousand times better in Look Back in Anger than he is in this!) - citycat
Southern Lane Stratford-Upon-Avon Warwickshire CV37 6BH
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0870 6091110
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Description
1000 seat theatre. A temporary theatre that will be home to the RSC s main ensemble during the transformation of the Royal Shakespeare Theatre. Built as an extention to The Other Place. The building to be completed in time of the Complete Works Shakesespeare Festival.
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