Hamlet
From: Wednesday, 3rd December 2008
To: Saturday, 10 January 2009
Our Review: 
Your Reviews:
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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.
Our Review:
10 December 2008
There are some things even Time Lords can’t fix. So, the bad back that forced David Tennant to miss the previous night’s performance meant that he missed the press night too – and instant fame for Edward Bennett, the understudy catapulted into the spotlight.
This makes it tricky for a reviewer: Hamlet is a play that is dominated by the central character and although the RSC makes much of its ensemble acting, Bennett’s Hamlet will not be, nor cannot be, the same as Tennant’s. This is not to unduly criticise Bennett, who steps into the role superbly and won a standing ovation from a sympathetic audience. But he doesn’t have Tennant’s gifts for mimicry and he’s a prince of a little more sombreness.
He’s sustained by the quality of the ensemble acting. Gregory Doran has marshalled a brilliant supporting cast, probably the best that I’ve seen. Patrick Stewart is a magnifi...
Latest User Review
Gareth James - 12 January 2009:
Earlier in the week I 'reviewed' Twelfth Night and, as much as I liked it, considered it 'another' Twelfth Night. Well this certainly isn't 'another' Hamlet. Greg Doran's fresh production makes you look at the play anew and David Tennant's interpretaion is like no other. I still think it's an irritatingly overblown play and I can't say I found all of Tennant's playfullness worked, but it's a fresh perspective and I for one was delighted to be in a very different audience rather then the 'usual suspects' at Twelfth Night. ...
Cast
David Tennant (Hamlet)
Edward Bennett (Hamlet some dates in Dec 08)
Patrick Stewart (Claudius)
Penny Downie (Gertrude)
Oliver Ford-Davies (Polonius)
John Woodvine (Player King)
Mariah Gale (Ophelia)
David Ajala (Reynaldo)
Sam Alexander (Rosencrantz/Second Gravedigger)
Edward Bennett (Laertes)
Ricky Champ (Lucianus)
Ewen Cummins (Barnardo)
Robert Curtis (Francisco)
Tom Davey (Guildenstern)
Peter De Jersey (Horatio)
Samuel Dutton (Lord)
Ryan Gage (Oscric)
Mark Hadfield (Gravedigger)
Jim Hooper (Priest)
Keith Osborn (Marcellus)
Roderick Smith (Lord and Captain)
Andrea Harris (Lady)
Riann Steele (Lady)
Zoe Thorne (Lady and Player)
Creative
Shakespeare (Author)
Royal Shakespeare Company (Company)
Gregory Doran (Director)
Robert Jones (Design)
Tim Mitchell (Lighting)
Paul Englishby (Music)
Jeremy Dunn (Sound)
Michael Ashcroft (Choreographer)
Terry King (fight) (Director)
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