Almeida drags Shakespeare’s old tale of revenge onto the stage with a 21st-century twist and it’s free for under-25s from 10th-14th of April
The Almeida Theatre is in the trendy area of Angel, a small and cosy sort of venue. Going to watch the whopping 3-hour-and-45-minute stage production of Hamlet, I’m twirling some curiosity and some expectations in my head, but interested in two points more than others. What is to come of yet another rendition of “To be or not to be”, and what is to become of the great TV star Andrew Scott on the small stage (BAFTA Best Supporting Actor for Sherlock) playing Hamlet?
Hamlet as a play is nothing short of timeless and iconic. It is on not only at the Almeida, but also as an alternative rendition at the Old Vic, starring yet another set of world-class actors (Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead at The Old Vic starring Daniel Radcliffe and Joshua McGuire). Even now, Hamlet is all the hype in central London. Spanning centuries, it has become a narrative embodying human spirit. Madness, love and loss, passion and lust, death and vengeance (etc.) the play goes through all the emotions and moral conundrums so we, as individuals, don’t need to go to the trouble. Regardless, can it really be played out yet again without being merely a repeat of earlier productions?
Taking my seat, aware of a collective anticipation in the theatre as it grows dark, my speculations are almost immediately answered. This is Hamlet, but… it is also a modern-day newsreel? There are screens and props and TV cameras transposing the play onto two different mediums at the same time. There are lights and grand costumes and a perfectly maintained original script. I strain my comprehension of the language to start with, but an hour in I hardly notice I am listening to Shakespearian dialogue instead of common speech. Every action and every silence is telling. By the time Hamlet stands alone and nondescript at the front of the stage, ready for the soliloquy, I have no awareness of a collective anything – the play is the thing, the only thing.
The production is a feast for the senses with a touching soundtrack of Bob Dylan and a gently cinematic effect produced by using a glass screen dividing the stage. The resulting visual creates a flowing sequence between scenes and characters, and shows how Hamlet continues to surprise theatre-goers. This is not to say that the production relies on its set to entertain. I am particularly taken by the family of Polonius: Laertes (Luke Thompson), Ophelia (Jessica Brown Findlay) and Polonius (Peter Wight) himself. These characters are played so soulfully and enigmatically that I feel a delighted tingle down my spine every time they step forward to perform. Ophelia is nothing short of radiant, from her party dresses to her cheeky little wave of a middle finger – possibly the highlight of the first act. Polonius, until his last breath, is the undoubted comic relief.
What is so compelling about Hamlet is the relationships it explores. A celebration of lust between Claudius and Gertrude – very convincing on stage indeed – of family between Polonius and his children, and of loss between Hamlet and his father. But most compelling of all, is the relationship between Hamlet and himself. We all have a relationship within ourselves that is difficult to navigate. Rest assured, it has been difficult for, evidently, centuries. Anyone who has had Hamlet thrust upon them at some point in school will know that one of the central dilemmas is whether the madness of the Prince of Denmark is genuine or not. I was impressed by Polonius’ comic and pregnant delivery of, “’tis madness, yet there is method in it.” The question of madness may never have been resolved definitively, but Scott’s embodiment of madness is convincing. Usually much more soft-spoken than the rest of the cast, Scott manages to throw himself into loud, violent, and unashamed displays of madness and emotion. While Polonius is particularly adept in the art of a perfectly calculated comic pause and Claudius at making the audience vaguely disgusted by his tidy and suave lechery, Scott’s Hamlet shines in his throws of unabated insanity.
Now, the soliloquy. Compared to the celebration of the senses found in scenes of action, all the soliloquies are modest. A single person on a stage, in simple costume, and minimal props. Andrew Scott assumes the soul of humanity. By this time, we are accustomed to his strong accent and effortless rolling off of Shakespearian lines. Scott rattles off the lines our literary world knows so well, and he delivers them as if his very heart is bringing them to his lips. We, as an audience, are included consciously in his musings, and this is where I feel like Hamlet becomes a friend. I don’t leave this production star struck as I may have expected to, considering the cast, but simply moved by the humility of the characters.
The best part about the whole production is that from the 10th-14th of April, the play will be running for free for those under the age of 25. Continuing the cultural enrichment of our youth is commendable, but what’s most exciting to see is the enthusiasm for it. The tickets have sold out in a flash. But do not fear! Keen folk may still have a chance of picking up cancellation tickets from 11am in the mornings. I’d recommend seeing the play to witness 16th-century England and the modern day become one co-existing moment, to experience spit-flying passion and exceptional acting, and to discover what the hype has been about all these centuries. Don’t worry – the 3 hours and 45 minutes feels like nothing in comparison to 500 years.
See further production information here: https://almeida.co.uk/whats-on/hamlet/16-feb-2017-22-apr-2017.
UPDATE: This production is re-running at the Harold Pinter Theatre in London from 16th June to 19th July 2017: https://seatplan.com/london/hamlet/.
Photo credit: Manuel Harlan