HAMLET (The Show Must Go Online)*****

 

By Louise

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIDkPcYdSG0&t=8s

Available until: Indefinitely

The actors were so overwhelmed by their incredible performance, they could barely speak to introduce themselves at the end. I can really understand that. I think I’ve forgotten how to write, but I’ll do my best.

This was an absolutely outstanding Hamlet. It must be a difficult play to put on anyway with the length of it, the emotions, the physical challenges and not knowing which version of the play to use. The idea of Hamlet on Zoom must have been quite daunting, even for the wonderful TSMGO, but as always, they rose to the challenge and were brilliant.

Hamlet was played by Kristin Atherton and she gave an exceptionally good performance. She spoke the lines beautifully and really made me feel as though I understood what Hamlet was saying and feeling. Right from the start, there was a sense of fragility in Hamlet, a feeling that he was desperately trying to make sense of this strange world where his father was no longer there and his mother had married his uncle. Watching him deteriorate was difficult and painful, but at the same time, I loved it and I wouldn’t have wanted to look away, even if I could. Kristin Atherton showed the signs of Hamlet’s madness in some very inventive ways. At one point, she dresses in a very distinctive costume which I’m not going to describe in case you want to see it (and I really recommend you do). It’s the kind of thing I would never have expected to work, but for some reason, it did. It was very disturbing too.

This production also helped me to understand Claudius and Gertrude’s marriage. It seems like a terrible thing for Gertrude to do (we already know Claudius is capable of terrible things), but watching them in this production, I could see how it had happened. Emily Carding was an overpowering Claudius – cold but so persuasive and I can believe it would have been impossible for Gertrude to find the strength to stay no to him even if she’d wanted to. But there was something about Seeta Indrani’s Gertrude that really made me feel as though she needed someone to look after her which is understandable when she’s lost her husband. I also really liked her performance at the end as I could see in her face that she had regrets and felt some responsibility for what had happened to Hamlet. I have seen other good Gertrudes, but she is the first to bring this aspect of her character through so strongly.

Tanvi Vincent was a very sweet Ophelia. She was like a teenager who has a certain amount of spirit, but at the same time, there’s something really innocent about her and it was horrible to think about what would happen to someone who is so lovely. it was really sad to see her being dragged into something which she couldn’t understand and which eventually destroyed her. Miguel Perez was a magnificently creepy Ghost and his incredible voice made him ideal for the role of an otherworldly being. I won’t mention everyone as this review already feels nearly as long as the play, but the whole cast really was excellent.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were especially interesting because the actors were in the same house and for almost the whole play, they shared a screen. It was really lovely to be able to watch the non-verbal interactions between them (they actually don’t speak to each other very much) and it seemed right that these were the two characters to be sharing a screen because they are always together and although this isn’t quite the right term, they are a sort of double act. Robbie Capaldi and Maryam Grace made Rosencrantz and Guildenstern into literally and figuratively colourful characters who were fun to watch and it also gave them more of a story as they slowly became aware something really was very wrong with their friend Hamlet.

Interestingly, I think this is the fourth production of Hamlet I’ve seen where Rosencrantz was male and Guildenstern was female. It always works, but I’m not really aware of anything in the text that suggests that it has to be this way around. In a way, it doesn’t matter – I am so used to talented ladies playing men, it doesn’t seem strange at all - but the fact everyone made Guildenstern the lady makes me wonder if there is something that sends their ideas in that direction. I would really like to see a production of Hamlet where Rosencrantz is a lady now just so I can see what it’s like and if it does make any difference.

The actors in smaller roles made a really strong contribution to the play too. I know the name Dominic Brewer very well from the live chat (I’m too shy to participate, but I like to read it) and it was great to see him in this play. He brought the Players’ play to life in a way I’d never seen before. I’m afraid I usually wish it was a bit shorter so the real story can continue, but I really felt that, this time, it was part of the real story. Stephen Leask (the Gravedigger) might have stolen the show at least a little bit in any other production, but in this play, he was one of many brilliant actors. He is such a versatile performer who always judges the comedy perfectly and brings so much to every role he plays, big or small. Maybe Kristin Atherton was quite glad Hamlet was mad at this point as it meant she was allowed to laugh!

I also loved Pedro Santos’ flamboyant Osric – he was so happy and fun (though I do understand why Hamlet finds him annoying), but his shock at the end as he watches everything unfolding in front of him and also Emilio Vieira’s really moving grief as Horatio made the ending even more powerful because it reminds you it’s not just about the people who die at the end – some people have been left behind and they will have to deal with the situation and their reactions really made me realise how horrible it would be for them. Horatio has lost a friend he truly loved (Emilio Vieira’s performance is really heartbreaking), and Osric will probably never be quite the same again. We can watch the metaphorical curtain go down and applaud, but they have to keep living through it.

I think this might be the best piece of theatre I’ve ever seen.