Hamlet

Unlike a lot of the pretentious Shakespeare plays, almeida's Hamlet is stagecraft and magic. The acting is superb in it, making the old words and the modern dress match perfectly, so that we know exactly what the actors are saying, even if we do not understand it literally.

This is a lengthy version of Hamlet. It retains the last words of Fortinbras at the finale which often gets excised.

It is an adaptation in modern dress set in modern day Denmark. It is an Almeida Theatre adaptation ad filmed almost like a stage play, although there are video news inserts of breaking news such as the old king dying. Some liberties are taken such as Guildenstern being portrayed as a black woman.

The standout performance is Julia Stevenson as Gertude, widow of the old king, mother of Hamlet and now all loved up with Claudius, the old king's brother. This is shown in the production, as Hamlet speaks we see Gertude and Claudius kissing in the backdrop at a party. No wonder Hamlet is going mad.

Andrew Scott has attracted criticism for his role as Moriarty in the television series Sherlock, making him out as a mischievous petulant child than a master criminal. Here Scott gives a downbeat performance, a young man who has the weight of the world on his shoulders. He is certainly a man in mourning and also with burning anger as he sees what is going around him. Sometimes the mannerisms of the role he is more known for creeps in.

There was less comedy here as well, the one that bought the giggles in the theater was when everyone warmly greeted Guildenstern and not Rosencratz.

However watching three plus hours in one sitting of a play that has not fully opened up for the television screen does make your mind wander no matter how intense some of the actors are. It has not been long since I saw Kenneth Branagh's filmed version of Hamlet which was shot for the big screen and had an all star cast which I found more riveting.

Was lucky enough to see this production at the National Theatre in 2018... four rows back from the stage. Scott was amazing as Hamlet. Then I saw him in Present Laughter at The Old Vic just last summer. Another brilliant, but very different performance. I guess I am a fan!

Kudos to the BBC for attempting an almost full-text version of Hamlet, but... it's a shame they don't follow through on it. There are various textual changes and additions which only serve to undermine the quality of the play. Stick to Shakespeare, for Pete's sake.

The production has good things (most notably the always professional Juliet Stephenson); a few scenes are well-done, and overall it's certainly watchable. But its greatest weakness is Andrew Scott. He is a very weird Hamlet. Hamlet must, generally, seem intelligent, assertive, confident, except in certain scenes - but Scott's way of playing him is flailing, chaotic, confused and strangely soft and quiet, which is not in character for Hamlet. The worst is all the soliloquies, which sound slow and clueless, spoken in an inconsequential low style that robs them of all sophistication and fascination. Scott doesn't seem to know what he is doing/saying. Which is disastrous; an actor should be able to at least pretend to know what his character is about. Maybe this is just Andrew Scott's acting style, but... it didn't work for me.

I can't say enough to praise this version of Hamlet! This adaptation, along with Laurence Olivier's 1948 version, are my two favorites now; and this one edges it out, owing to the great performances, and the fact that it's a comparably more complete version of the play. It also incorporates modern elements which work really well and make it more contemporary.

To speak of the performances, Andrew Scott is masterful in the leading role of Hamlet, really capturing all of the anger, sadness, and humor of Shakespeare's complex character in a brilliant and truly remarkable way. I also particularly enjoy David Rintoul as the Ghost and Play Actor. All the other performances are quite effective and fitting as well.

It's a wonderful adaptation which, as I said, is definitely my favorite to watch (the finest version imo), and which will be extremely tough to top! I'm so thankful for it :).