Shakespeare Magazine 9

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Hamlet “Designed by Es Devlin, the stage is elegant and suitably cinematic in its detail” century European decadence. We first meet the royal couple Gertrude (Anastasia Hille) and Claudius (Ciarán Hinds) hosting a lavish dinner party in their palace, with the commandeering Claudius goading Hamlet in front of preening courtiers. This socially privileged world becomes increasingly fragile as revolution threatens to blow it all to pieces. Huge piles of rubble fill its floors, while soldiers brandishing guns run up and down the palace stairs. Against this backdrop, Cumberbatch plays a Hamlet who never loses his Sîan Brooke’s portrayal of Ophelia resonated powerfully with audiences. dignity nor his intellectual poise. Indeed, Cumberbatch is charming as Hamlet, even when manipulating the earnest Horatio (Leo Bill). Only in the scene where Hamlet is playing with toy soldiers do we see him slightly unravelling, but he quickly composes himself. Though by no means light-hearted, the production provides ample opportunity for laughter in the humour of the foolish Polonius (Jim Norton) and the witty gravedigger (Karl Johnson). Anastasia Hille plays Gertrude superbly, capturing her divided loyalties, whereas Ciarán Hinds’s Claudius is dictatorial yet strangely attractive. Siân Brooke’s Ophelia is heartbreakingly delicate and creative, clutching a camera and snapping photos. Her affection for Hamlet seems immature and her descent into madness is pitiful – she slowly disappears from sight as she clambers over rubble. The onset of war and madness is not only mapped by the palace’s decay, but also by increasingly dishevelled appearances as imagined by costume designer Katrina Lindsay. Gertrude in particular loses her stately poise, ending up distraught in a silk nightie. Credit is also due to the trio of Jane Cox (lighting), Christopher Shutt (sound) and Jon Hopkins (music), who maintain the tempo throughout, deftly transporting us through the play’s charged scenes. The production offers a refreshing take on a famously complex play, giving us a Hamlet which reverberates with our recent 20thcentury history of dictators, war and madness. And just as refreshing is the way in which NT Live is bringing this all within reach of so many more would-be theatre-goers. 18 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Hour-Long Shakespeare expertly abridged for performance and as an introduction to Shakespeare’s greatest plays VOL ONE Henry IV, Part 1, Henry V AND Richard III VOL TWO Romeo and Juliet, Macbeth AND Julius Caesar ‘Matthew Jenkinson’s careful alterations of some of Shakespeare’s most important plays may give us less than 50% of each play’s lines, but they convey far more than that percentage of each play’s theatrical power. Moreover, they belong 100% to the highest traditions of both teaching and performing Shakespeare’s plays’. Professor Michael Dobson, Director of the Shakespeare Institute, Stratford-upon- Avon, and Professor of Shakespeare Studies, University of Birmingham Order now from www.johncattbookshop.com Coming soon: Vol 3: A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Twelfth Night and The Tempest
Page 1 and 2: At last! A magazine with all the Wi
Page 3 and 4: Welcome Welcome to Issue 9 of Shak
Page 6 and 7: Coriolanus Due to massive popular d
Page 8 and 9: Coriolanus ast year in London, Donm
Page 10 and 11: Coriolanus Clockwise from left: Men
Page 12 and 13: Coriolanus the sparse set and costu
Page 14 and 15: Tom Hiddleston “British Shakespea
Page 16 and 17: Hamlet Benedict Cumberbatch’s Ham
Page 20 and 21: Macbeth 20 SHAKESPEARE magazine
Page 22 and 23: Macbeth eeing Macbeth on the big sc
Page 24 and 25: Macbeth “Lady Macbeth’s languid
Page 26 and 27: Interview: James Shapiro James Shap
Page 28 and 29: Interview: James Shapiro “James I
Page 30 and 31: Bill “People will remember the na
Page 32 and 33: Bill Testing times for Bill Shakesp
Page 34 and 35: Bill Multi-talented cast members Si
Page 36 and 37: Bill “It’s a delightful comedy
Page 38 and 39: Interview: Paul Edmondson Shakespea
Page 40 and 41: Interview: Paul Edmondson about Sha
Page 42 and 43: Presenting Shakespeare “The Glory
Page 44 and 45: Presenting Shakespeare Julius Caesa
Page 47 and 48: Contributors Brooke Thomas is a fr

Shakespeare Magazine 9

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