So the Royal Court is dark this week. I went home to earn some money riding baby horses. Tumbles are sadly an inevitable part of this, perhaps why it's a nice pay packet per hour (danger money, you see) and I took a nasty tumble on Tuesday night. I now have a shoulder that looks like an egg with a large speckled bruise to boot. I couldn't lift my arm up this morning, but after some hard core bikram I think I'm on the mend. And to cheer me up even more, the confirmation of the already established fact that...
Michael Sheen is a genius!
An absolute fricking genius!
So not strictly monkey business but worth a punt anyway. With the Royal Court being so quiet this week, I'm squeezing in as much theatre as possible. Tonight...I saw... HAMLET at the Young Vic. If you have read any less than favourable reviews (they do exist-although God only knows why) then I urge you to ignore them. At least until you have seen it. Quite simply it is one of the best performances and productions I have ever had the privilege to see. Hat's off to Ian Rickson too. How brave. And completely justified. In my (very humble) opinion as impressive and rich as Jerusalem.
If anyone comes close to being a purest in Shakespearian land perhaps I do. By this I mean I believe in the text. That it provides you with all you need. I don't believe that this is reductive. The last thing you want to do is place shackles on this stuff. But rooting yourself in the text IS liberating because of it's richness. Often actors find an affinity with a certain line and run with it, and that's exciting and what a great way to begin. For instance Ralph Fiennes' starting point for creating Prospero was the repeated line 'No Harm', you hear of Richard III's based on 'bottled spiders' and 'loathsome toads'. And it seems that this production picked up and ran, literally, with the concept of Denmark as a prison; 'A goodly one in which there are many confines, wards and dungeons...'
Taking the rotting state of Denmark to heart we are based in a mental institution throughout (although this is surprisingly not intrusive) and lends itself to the frankly stunning performances from the company. Madness takes on a new significance, and Polonius' normally endearing rambles and amusing bouts of forgetfulness, now have a sinister quality as one becomes concerned with his senility in such a place.
As with many recent productions (most obviously Gregory Doran's recent RSC production) the idea of constant surveillance is ever present, and the use of dictaphones (occasionally adding bathos) cleverly roots us in the sterile, hostile world of Elsinore, and is the final feather in Polonius' cap.
I do not want to give anything away (although I now recall I had read something that mentioned it) but there is an ENORMOUS, stunning, astounding surprise which was so disturbingly well executed (I'm quite sensitive it has to be said) that I had to stifle a scream. All I can say is, I have never heard 'The time is out of joint' said by way of defence before, nor has '...It is a damned ghost that we have seen,/ and my imaginations are as foul/ As Vulcan's sithy.' ever seemed so prevalent. Just, please, watch it.
I would imagine I pick Hamlet up at least once a month, I have seen a fair amount of (great!) productions of it, but it felt like I was hearing it for the first time. So many obvious things in the text which I had stupidly never noticed before were brought to light beautifully and sensitively in a production that completely justified it's bold choices.
I was lucky enough to have a chat with Michael Sheen in the bar afterwards and he said, 'We didn't do anything for the sake of it.' and you can see that it's true. I waited until Sir Peter Hall (!!!) had congratulated him, and the odd people who had brought pictures of his own face for him to sign, and girls wanting pictures with him had had their fill before I subtly (or not so subtly) pounced. I'm sure I was probably more annoying than the crazy picture people, I certainly had more questions. But I feel if someone has produced something as extraordinary as that they fully deserve a congratulations and and thank you.
So listen chaps. And I don't say this lightly. If you want to see someone who brings all of the contradictory elements of Hamlet (and then some!) into one performance, celebrating the incongruous elements so what you are presented with is a rich, complex, constantly surprising display of humanity, then go and see this. He thinks on the line, does incredible things with the language, moves like you wouldn't believe, and produces some real mean fencing! I guarantee you ain't seen a Hamlet like it! The company is incredible, and if you are looking for that elusive 'devil archetype' -- look no further than James Clyde who is astounding Claudius in the shape of a consultant oozing competency, plus a little something nasty. And if I can't convince you, perhaps the image of Sir Peter Hall's standing ovation might persuade you.
And if that still doesn't do the trick, it's fricking funny aswell! Let be.
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