by Ian Diddams
images by Ian Diddams, Shakespeare Live
“Hamlet” is arguably Shakespeare’s most widely known play, with an estimated tens of thousands of performances each year globally, and the most often performed of his works. The tale of Prince Hamlet’s struggle with his murderous uncle, his mother’s betrayal and his own sanity, leading to his rejection of his lover Ophelia and his friends as they in turn betray him is well known (Ed. – no need for Wikipedia now…), along with probably the most famous speech in the world – after all Martin Luther King in his “I have a dream” speech quotes from “Hamlet” after all.
With these tens of thousands of performances each year, its always refreshing to find a slightly different take on 16th century Denmark, and “Shakespeare Live” cleverly set this performance in the swinging ‘60s of the South London gang land. Think Denmark Hill rather than the state of Denmark, however rotten it may be! As befits the time setting the costumes are wonderfully Kings Road, hippy and flower people based though Liz Hulme as Polonia, a gender flip for Polonius, harnesses her inner Hilda Ogden to a tee both in presentation and characterisation. Jeremy Fowlds of course as Hamlet wears the “ customary suits of solemn black, “… a stylish 60s cut suit replete with black shirt, tie and Chelsea boots. The 60s look though is best shown by the hilarious coupling of Terry Butler’s louche Rosencrantz and Lauren Arena-McCann’s wonderfully Mary Quant/Twiggy outfitted Guildenstern.
Denis Phelan’s set is as ever at Cleeve House with Shakespeare Live simple but wonderfully effective… a wide stage, a simple white gauzed backdrop all set off against the grandeur of Cleeve House – simply stunning. Tech provision is from the ever reliable and brilliant Alex Latham with his team of Mike Assenti & Ellen Read, not forgetting Rich Carter’s sound design.
Director Andy Cork with assistant Phoebe Fung have smoothly transitioned Elsinore to Denmark Hill in the swinging 60s, but rest assured the text is full on Shakespeare, complete with all the Shakespeare invented English phrases bingo to boot – “Cruel to be kind” , “Method in my madness”, “Own flesh and blood“,… the list is endless. The machinations of usurped power and ready betrayal of Hamlet’s Denmark fits a criminal underworld perfectly.
The casting is totally spot on… Toby Duckett is as creepy and brooding as you would want as the ghost of King Hamlet ( Shakespeare liked a grisly ghost or three) before later appearing as a jovial and bumbling actor in “The Mousetrap” [ Ed. – No NOT that one! The OTHER original one!] , Penny Clegg flits effortlessly between her several parts as gangster, envoy and messenger. Graham Patton equally creates magic, mayhem and mirth as another actor, and the wonderful part of gravedigger. Jude Bucklaw as Gertrude is suitably gushing and simple as the traitorous, or desperate, or both, widow of King Hamlet also replete in some stunning 60’s clobber.
Her erstwhile second husband, Claudius is cringingly played by Laurie Parnell, greasy, conniving and just bloody horrible in his part. In fact the entire fourteen strong cast is simply spot on in this – I list them all below here but lack of special mention here is no slight on this well coordinated team effort.
Hamlet is Shakespeare’s longest play – a full rendition comes in at just over four hours typically – but rest assured this is no bum numb-er … an enthralling longer first half gives the audience just time to take a breather at half time, before hurtling into a shorter whirlwind of action until the final fateful scene. And of course as the play ends as Hamlet dies [Ed. – spoiler!] and the lights come down on this classic reimagined piece of theatre… “”The rest is silence.”
Hamlet by Shakespeare Live is performed at Cleeve House, Seend, all this week until Saturday 4th July at 7.30pm with a matinee on Saturday also, at 2pm. Tickets are available from ticketsource at
https://www.ticketsource.com/shakespearelive
STOP PRESS: Shakespeare Live’s autumn show is “Shakespeare’s Green-Eyed Monsters” at The Wharf on October 18th.
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