Hamlet: To See or not To See?

Hamlet - Almeida Theatre

In 2015, I visited London.  In addition to all of the fun things we had planned for that trip, the main reason we chose to go during that summer was to see Benedict Cumberbatch play the role every actor wants to play: Hamlet.  I was fairly excited, as I loved his work on Sherlock, and couldn't imagine an actor more well-suited to the role.  To this day, I'm not quite sure what happened, but that version of Hamlet was the worst I've ever seen.  The production was too big, and too loud.  My main annoyance, at the top of a long list, was the production team's decision to move the "To be or not to be..." soliloquy to the very beginning of the show.  

The first words spoken on that stage were "To be or not to be...".  They changed the entire flow of the play, for what I can only assume was the desire to get Benedict on stage as quickly as possible.  I later heard that, after many complaints, they decided to move the speech back to its original spot in the text.  But, even without that major change, there were just too many issues with that particular production to allow me to enjoy it. 

So during this trip, when it was announced that Andrew Scott (Benedict's nemesis Moriarty on Sherlock) would be playing the role in London, we thought we should definitely give the bard another shot.  Andrew is a fabulous actor, just like Benedict, so we were sure that this production would be good.  And this time around, I'm happy to report that we were right. Andrew Scott's Hamlet was so much better than  Benedict's.  Not that Benedict was particularly bad as the Dane, but the production on a whole was just not something I enjoyed.

This current production is positively gorgeous! They realized that Shakespeare is better in more intimate settings.  The design team didn't go too big or too crazy with the staging, which really helped set the mood.  The stage itself was minimalist and just beautiful.  There are many allusions in Hamlet to glass and mirrors.  So as a nod to this, there was a plate glass wall separating the front half of the stage from the back.  And while dialogue was being spoken, action was taking place behind the glass wall, such as dancing or covert conversations between characters.  That design choice, added to the use of video cameras and hidden transmitters, really gave the audience a sense of voyeurism.  We were being treated to a reality show rather than a centuries old tragedy.

Andrew Scott who was breathtaking as Hamlet - I honestly couldn't take my eyes off of him the entire 3 hours & 45 minutes (Hamlet's a long one, folks!) - played into this idea of distorted reality as well with some of his smaller acting choices. There were pointed looks to the audience, and a bit of "overacting" during Hamlet's acting scene.  Anyone who has seen him as Moriarty knows he can do comedy well, and he used this strength as Hamlet fully. This Dane was a bit lighter and bit more sarcastic than any I've seen, which makes this classic character that much more watchable.

In this particular version, Hamlet and Ophelia's affair was explored a bit more than in others I've seen.  Most productions gloss over any real relationship the two characters may have had.  However, in this instance, you see the two interact and feel the love and fondness they have for each other.  Andrew and Jessica Brown Findlay, as Ophelia had believable chemistry, and you could see the warmth both felt for the other, which made the audience feel for Ophelia that much more.  

I could continue to go on and on about this masterful production, but I'm pretty sure you can see where I'm going to end up.  When Hamlet is embodied with such talented actors, and designed with such thought and attention to detail, you realize why it's the most well-known play in the world.  The tragedy of the Prince of Denmark has pretty much everything you want in a story - tragedy, comedy, love, loss, friendship, family.  And this team of actors and creatives shared every piece of this story beautifully.  And after that, in the words of Hamlet, "the rest is silence."