Rory Kinnear’s Hamlet Waits for ‘World & His Wife’???

Fans of Rory Kinnear will be pleased to know that the actor will indeed be giving his Hamlet at the National Theatre – at some point (See The Goss, 25 Oct 2007). NT artistic director Nicholas Hytner has confirmed that he will direct the Shakespearean tragedy at the South Bank venue with Kinnear in the title role. However, he’s refused to give a date or even a year. “The world and his wife can do Hamlet first,” Hytner told Whatsonstage.com. “Rory’s going nowhere.”

In 2006/7, Kinnear enjoyed a critical roll at the NT in Hytner’s productions of Southwark Fair and The Man of Mode – which won him this year’s Olivier for Best Supporting Performance in a Play as well as a Whatsonstage.com Award nomination – and Howard Davies’ revival of Philistines. He returns to the NT Olivier in June to headline Melly Still’s production of The Revenger’s Tragedy (See News, 7 Apr 2008).

Whenever it happens, Kinnear’s Hamlet will, of course, follow the much-anticipated great Danes of David Tennant and Jude Law. Gregory Doran’s Royal Shakespeare Company production starring Tennant is first up, running at Stratford-upon-Avon’s Courtyard Theatre from 5 August (previews from 24 July) to 15 November 2008, prior to a planned West End transfer (See News, 11 Sep 2007). Law’s Hamlet, directed by Kenneth Branagh, is at Wyndham’s Theatre, the final production in the Donmar Warehouse’s year-long West End residency (See News, 10 Sep 2007), from 3 June to 22 August 2009 (previews from 29 May).

The NT production won’t be Kinnear’s first brush with Hamlet. Prior to his NT seasons, Kinnear played Laertes to Ben Whishaw’s prince in Trevor Nunn’s “teenage” Hamlet at the Old Vic in 2004. His other Shakespeare credits include The Taming of the Shrew and The Tempest for the RSC.