Oh, very cool -- this sounds interesting, particularly the way Claudius is interpreted.
Speaking of filmed versions, have you seen this one, with Kevin Kline in the lead. I'm quite fond of it in general, and particularly of the way the Hamlet/Ophelia scenes play.
I liked his take on the part -- he manages almost to make you forget he was too old for it, even back then; I suppose the boyish charm helps. He was also a very nice Jacques in Branagh's 'As You Like It' film, though I didn't love it overall (Bryce Dallas Howard as Ganymede was much too femme; if you're going to attempt one of the gender swap plays on film, I think you should really try to sell it).
Re: the Hamlet I particularly thought of it in your review because Diane Venora as Ophelia was quite a bit more mature, and more self-assertive, than I was used to seeing, and it was the first time I really bought her and Hamlet as two people who had actually had a relationship.
Thanks so much for the detailed review. I am nearly dead of envy and will be trying (and probably failing) to get tickets for the London production as this sounds fascinating even without the attractions of Messrs Tennant and Stewart.
Speaking of the fans, as opposed to certain clichés in the press, everyone was well-behaved
That's good to know. Kudos to both actors for signing autographs after what must have been a hugely gruelling evening's work.
If it had been a concert, yes possibly, but for a play unfortunately not. Never mind I'll get to see it somehow. I did see a rumour of a DVD if I can't see if physically so I hope that's true.
At least I saw Derek Jacobi play Hamlet so if I can't have the Doctor at least I've seen the Master :)
This sounds awesome! Sadly, I've never seen Hamlet, other than the Zeffirelli version, which is... well. Mel Gibson is pretty far from my usual picture of this character.
I've been looking forward to hearing what you thought -- and find myself even more annoyed than ever that I'm not going to be able to make it to see this production. When I'd heard DT was doing Hamlet, I was interested; when I heard Patrick Stewart was doing Claudius, that's when I started making plans (which have now sadly fallen through).
I've heard Stewart speak about Claudius several times and your analysis of his portrayal sounds very much like those discussion -- Claudius is no "plain villain," that he sees himself as a good, responsible man, quite probably a better king than Hamlet Sr., who loves Gertrude and for her sake, if nothing else, would like to get along with that brat son of hers.
This does sound like this is one of those productions that has the right actors in the right parts at the right moment in their careers. Glad you had a good time and wish I could have seen it.
Andraste tells me there will be a dvd of the McKellen/McCoy Lear; perhaps the RSC will do one for this Hamlet as well, in which case you could watch it after all. Here's hoping, because it's so worth it...
I've been waiting for the McKellen/McCoy Lear; it's supposed to show on PBS here first and then be released on DVD. That's one of the ones I keep checking Amazon for pre-orders.
There's a concerted effort to get people to write the RSC to ask if there is possibly going to be a DVD release. Already, it's changed from "no plans" to "no plans but we may reconsider". I think they know they have a hit on their hands and know there are audiences who would like to see this even if they can't get to Stratford or London. And since apparently not even RSC members can buy tickets for the London run on-line at this point, I think they realize they may well have a market.
Aside from the chance to see DT's Hamlet, I'd really like to see Stewart's Claudius and compare this performance with the one he did back in 1980 with Derek Jacobi as Hamlet for the BBC Complete Cycle. Very interesting to see how nearly thirty years can change a performance.
I've tried playing with the brightness to show Tennant's face in the first shot, but not terribly successfully - when I brought it up higher it looked posterised.
I had a theory once that Gertrude is distraught at losing Hamlet sen. and looking for a substitute; she initially sees Claudius as the closest to him, but round about the closet scene realises her son is closer. This needn't go in an Oedipal direction, she just wishes that her husband were still around.
Thanks for the attempt nonetheless; photographing in these circumstances was never going to have great results, as it involved holding a programm and a pen in one hand and holding the camera above other people's heads and clicking and hoping the flashlight would work (which it didn't in the first case) in the other...
Interesting theory. You're the first person who takes Hamlet at his word that his parents had a loving marriage pre Hamlet Senior's death, now that I think of it. Though I note Hamlet Senior goes on about how much he doted on Gertrude, not how she felt about him. (Hamlet Junior does say she couldn't get enough of him at one point, I know.)
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Speaking of filmed versions, have you seen this one, with Kevin Kline in the lead. I'm quite fond of it in general, and particularly of the way the Hamlet/Ophelia scenes play.
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Ganymede was much too femme; if you're going to attempt one of the gender swap plays on film, I think you should really try to sell it).
Re: the Hamlet I particularly thought of it in your review because Diane Venora as Ophelia was quite a bit more mature, and more self-assertive, than I was used to seeing, and it was the first time I really bought her and Hamlet as two people who had actually had a relationship.
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Speaking of the fans, as opposed to certain clichés in the press, everyone was well-behaved
That's good to know. Kudos to both actors for signing autographs after what must have been a hugely gruelling evening's work.
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And yes, it was great that the actors did that. Stay tuned, I'm uploading what photos I got and will edit this entry with them.
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If it had been a concert, yes possibly, but for a play unfortunately not. Never mind I'll get to see it somehow. I did see a rumour of a DVD if I can't see if physically so I hope that's true.
At least I saw Derek Jacobi play Hamlet so if I can't have the Doctor at least I've seen the Master :)
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I've heard Stewart speak about Claudius several times and your analysis of his portrayal sounds very much like those discussion -- Claudius is no "plain villain," that he sees himself as a good, responsible man, quite probably a better king than Hamlet Sr., who loves Gertrude and for her sake, if nothing else, would like to get along with that brat son of hers.
This does sound like this is one of those productions that has the right actors in the right parts at the right moment in their careers. Glad you had a good time and wish I could have seen it.
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There's a concerted effort to get people to write the RSC to ask if there is possibly going to be a DVD release. Already, it's changed from "no plans" to "no plans but we may reconsider". I think they know they have a hit on their hands and know there are audiences who would like to see this even if they can't get to Stratford or London. And since apparently not even RSC members can buy tickets for the London run on-line at this point, I think they realize they may well have a market.
Aside from the chance to see DT's Hamlet, I'd really like to see Stewart's Claudius and compare this performance with the one he did back in 1980 with Derek Jacobi as Hamlet for the BBC Complete Cycle. Very interesting to see how nearly thirty years can change a performance.
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I had a theory once that Gertrude is distraught at losing Hamlet sen. and looking for a substitute; she initially sees Claudius as the closest to him, but round about the closet scene realises her son is closer. This needn't go in an Oedipal direction, she just wishes that her husband were still around.
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Interesting theory. You're the first person who takes Hamlet at his word that his parents had a loving marriage pre Hamlet Senior's death, now that I think of it. Though I note Hamlet Senior goes on about how much he doted on Gertrude, not how she felt about him. (Hamlet Junior does say she couldn't get enough of him at one point, I know.)
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