The Fault, Horatio
Saw the Cumberbatch Hamlet tonight (what nineweaving refers to as The Cumberdane). I thought Cumberbatch was good--very physical, and still thoughtful. Liked Ciaran Hinds as Claudius: meaty and smarmy. Didn't adore Gertrude, but she was okay. I liked the idea of Ophelia starting out on the thin edge, but didn't care for the actress. And Laertes rolled his eyes too much.
Having decided to do modern dress I'm not sure why some of the "modern" dress looked like it was from the 30s and some the 2010s. I rather liked the set: they played with shadows in a way I enjoyed--but what the hell was with the mud explosion at the end of the first half? If that was a metaphor (and I am sure it was) I'm still not sure what--unless it was simply "And this is where the shit hits the fan."
They cut the play and reassembled it in ways that were startling to people familiar with the text; meanwhile,considering that they cut all sorts of things, why give Fortinbras so much importance? (Very often he's cut out entirely, which I don't approve of either, but...). And he was such a stiff! And had trouble believing that Hipster Horatio, with wild hair, plaid shirt and beard, and a backpack he never set down, had more of ancient Rome than Dane.
Still, the more I think about Cumberbatch, the more I like his performance and his handling of the language. At least they didn't decide to "translate" the play into 21st century English.