John Simm: Are You Ready for Another Hamlet???

This year, we famously had a Hamlet head-to-head between David Tennant (care of the Royal Shakespeare Company) and Jude Law (via Donmar West End). Now it looks like we’ll have another pair of Great Danes doing battle in 2010.

Though dates haven’t yet been announced, it’s been already been confirmed that Rory Kinnear will give us his Hamlet in late 2010, with the long-planned National Theatre production, directed by NT artistic director Nicholas Hytner, forming part of next year’s eighth annual £10 Season in the NT Olivier (See News, 22 Sep 2008).

And now we hear that John Simm will take the title role in another production, probably in the West End. In a posting on a fan site, Simm himself apparently confirmed the rumour, saying that it would officially be announced soon – which has prompted further speculation on Whatsonstage.com’s own Discussion Forum.

Best known for his TV credits in the likes of Life on Mars, Doctor Who (perhaps he got the Hamlet idea from Tennant?), State of Play and The Devil’s Whore, Simm made his stage debut in 1996 in Goldhawk Road at the Bush, where he returned to start in Elling in 2007. The comedy subsequently transferred to the West End’s Trafalgar Studios 1 and Simm was nominated for Best Actor at both the Whatsonstage.com and Olivier Awards for his performance. He’s currently in the West End in Speaking in Tongues, which finishes its limited season at the Duke of York’s Theatre this Saturday 12 December.