Hamlet

By Robert Iles - 27th Mar 2013

Hamlet, arguably Shakespeare's greatest tragedy (or least successful comedy depending on your perspective) and the 'must play role' for most actors. One of the numerous challenges in taking on this play is simply that it is so well known, the lines have become clichés and we all know how it ends. So how do you make a production of Hamlet better than the last one and different from the next one? If I asked 100 people I would get 100 different answers - and none of them wrong (well maybe one or two).

The quasi-contemporary setting of this production roots it in a solid reality that I was able to buy into immediately. This was a show blissfully light on gimmicks which thankfully steered clear of any tedious Oedipal intimations.

I loved Jonathan Slinger as Hamlet – I understood his 'melancholy' and his erratic behaviour. Whilst he was rarely sympathetic, his treatment of Ophelia was quite shocking, he was utterly believable and quite brilliant. He was, of course ably supported by a great ensemble - I particularly liked Robin Soans as a deliciously irritating Polonius and Greg Hicks (a personal favourite of mine) as a tense uncertain Claudio.

So, was this production better than the last and different to the next? Possibly. For me, it was a deeply satisfying production and I will simply say that I believe they got it absolutely right.