Hamlet starring John Simm 22nd September 2010
Arriving at The Crucible for the press night for Hamlet helygen and I were immediately engulfed in the buzz. Critics and stars were liberally scattered amongst the crowd and the anticipation was palpable.
A quick celeb spot or three later we took our seats next to the centre aisle in row B of the stalls and the lights went down.
The staging is quite ingenious with two levels. The upstairs mostly portrays the outside with silver birch trees and falling snow behind the battlements of the castle. It is the place where secrets are shared and private conversations held. The lower level (stage level) was the court, the graveyard, the courtyard, Gertrude’s bedroom. The rules weren’t rigid but the levels created additional space that was used to expand the horizons of the characters.
The main space was changed by the uncovering of bookshelves or opening a door to reveal dresses and shoes to move us from room to room and though most of the space is bare most of the time it gives a good sense of place.
The costumes were mostly plain, modern suits and dresses, although some of the fitted winter coats could easily become objects of desire. Ophelia’s costume for her mad scenes was particularly well thought out, giving the feeling of vulnerability and being exposed without actually being revealing or unladylike.
John Nettles is the least statesmen like Claudius I have ever seen and comes across as opportunistic rather than clever and conniving. His motivation seemed to be entirely about grabbing the land, power and Gertrude but in the way a toddler demands sweets rather than ambitious and intelligent nobility. Of course, this may have been intentional. There were moments where Claudius was funny and engaging, especially the opening court scene as he moves between people conversing, each time he seems to want to engage Hamlet before deciding it’s too difficult and moving to Laertes or Barnado.
The most challenging thing for me when the play began was John Simm’s choice of voice. He gave us a plumy and enunciated upper class English that occasionally veered off into drawn out consonants and reminded me of Olivier’s Richard III. Great to be compared to Olivier but it made Hamlet very hard to like and hard to sympathise with. The voice softened as the play progressed and it ceased to be a distraction as the pace picked up after the interval. I felt that John Simm played Hamlet well, particularly in the second half. The closet scene is alarming and the chemistry with Barbara Flynn’s distraught Gertrude gave us a gripping and frightening scene. He has moments of menace and the madness is downplayed in favour of plotting and cunning.
Ophelia is excellently portrayed by Michelle Dockery. She’s a strong and caring young woman who is struggling to meet the demands of Hamlet, Polonious and Claudius. Her madness is understated and more believable for it. Her affection for Hamlet is evident as is her struggle with court life.
Rosencrantz characterisation was extremely odd. He was obsequious to the point of looking disabled in his physicality. And Horatio supported Hamlet well but had very little character of his own.
The final scenes were well staged, Laertes becoming a desperate and amoral man briefly before repentance sets in. Hamlet’s death is genuinely moving and I suddenly realised that I did feel sympathy for Hamlet after all. Perhaps some of my distraction and disengagement in the first half were due to the theatre being absolutely bloody freezing.
This is not a production to lose yourself in but it has some excellent performances and is put together in a competent way.
The reception after the play continued into the early hours. We took the opportunity to speak to Hugh Ross (Polonius) and to Joseph Mydell (Player King/Francisco) the cast were buzzing and surrounded by friends and family and it felt rude to interrupt so we didn’t talk to either John. Also amongst the crowd were Ian McKellen (yes we nearly squee’d out loud) Richard Wilson (last seen in yellow garters), Jason Merrells and lots of people we recognised and couldn’t remember the names of. Photos can be found on What's on Stage.
Oh, and of you value the arts please tell the British Government about it by signing up at ivaluethearts.org.uk. They are going to cut funding by up to 40%. This site aims to make the cut as small as possible by reminding them how important the arts are to our lives.
helygen 's thoughts on Hamlet are on her LJ.
A quick celeb spot or three later we took our seats next to the centre aisle in row B of the stalls and the lights went down.
The staging is quite ingenious with two levels. The upstairs mostly portrays the outside with silver birch trees and falling snow behind the battlements of the castle. It is the place where secrets are shared and private conversations held. The lower level (stage level) was the court, the graveyard, the courtyard, Gertrude’s bedroom. The rules weren’t rigid but the levels created additional space that was used to expand the horizons of the characters.
The main space was changed by the uncovering of bookshelves or opening a door to reveal dresses and shoes to move us from room to room and though most of the space is bare most of the time it gives a good sense of place.
The costumes were mostly plain, modern suits and dresses, although some of the fitted winter coats could easily become objects of desire. Ophelia’s costume for her mad scenes was particularly well thought out, giving the feeling of vulnerability and being exposed without actually being revealing or unladylike.
John Nettles is the least statesmen like Claudius I have ever seen and comes across as opportunistic rather than clever and conniving. His motivation seemed to be entirely about grabbing the land, power and Gertrude but in the way a toddler demands sweets rather than ambitious and intelligent nobility. Of course, this may have been intentional. There were moments where Claudius was funny and engaging, especially the opening court scene as he moves between people conversing, each time he seems to want to engage Hamlet before deciding it’s too difficult and moving to Laertes or Barnado.
The most challenging thing for me when the play began was John Simm’s choice of voice. He gave us a plumy and enunciated upper class English that occasionally veered off into drawn out consonants and reminded me of Olivier’s Richard III. Great to be compared to Olivier but it made Hamlet very hard to like and hard to sympathise with. The voice softened as the play progressed and it ceased to be a distraction as the pace picked up after the interval. I felt that John Simm played Hamlet well, particularly in the second half. The closet scene is alarming and the chemistry with Barbara Flynn’s distraught Gertrude gave us a gripping and frightening scene. He has moments of menace and the madness is downplayed in favour of plotting and cunning.
Ophelia is excellently portrayed by Michelle Dockery. She’s a strong and caring young woman who is struggling to meet the demands of Hamlet, Polonious and Claudius. Her madness is understated and more believable for it. Her affection for Hamlet is evident as is her struggle with court life.
Rosencrantz characterisation was extremely odd. He was obsequious to the point of looking disabled in his physicality. And Horatio supported Hamlet well but had very little character of his own.
The final scenes were well staged, Laertes becoming a desperate and amoral man briefly before repentance sets in. Hamlet’s death is genuinely moving and I suddenly realised that I did feel sympathy for Hamlet after all. Perhaps some of my distraction and disengagement in the first half were due to the theatre being absolutely bloody freezing.
This is not a production to lose yourself in but it has some excellent performances and is put together in a competent way.
The reception after the play continued into the early hours. We took the opportunity to speak to Hugh Ross (Polonius) and to Joseph Mydell (Player King/Francisco) the cast were buzzing and surrounded by friends and family and it felt rude to interrupt so we didn’t talk to either John. Also amongst the crowd were Ian McKellen (yes we nearly squee’d out loud) Richard Wilson (last seen in yellow garters), Jason Merrells and lots of people we recognised and couldn’t remember the names of. Photos can be found on What's on Stage.
Oh, and of you value the arts please tell the British Government about it by signing up at ivaluethearts.org.uk. They are going to cut funding by up to 40%. This site aims to make the cut as small as possible by reminding them how important the arts are to our lives.
helygen 's thoughts on Hamlet are on her LJ.