Gareth's Culture and Travel Blog

Hamlet edited down to ninety minutes for a family of three actors (son, wife & father), two playing four roles each, set in a modern kitchen with an excess of radios. Why?

I honestly can’t see the point. Why cut a classic you clearly love so mercilessly? Why not employ more actors to avoid the blurring of dead dad, uncle / step-dad and king’s counsellor by an one note actor and having to suspend disbelief with the same actress playing roles a generation apart? I’m afraid I thought it was all a bit self-indulgent and it did absolutely nothing for me.

The verse was spoken well, though Hamlet shouted a lot. There were some quirky directorial choices by Simon Evans & David Aula, particularly attempts at ‘movement’ which just looked like bad mime. The one thing I did like was Polly Sullivan’s design, rather luxurious for the fringe, with a wooden floor I’d be happy to take up and re-lay in my kitchen! Did I mention that poor old Yorick’s skull was in the microwave?

Talent and resources wasted on a vanity project, I’m afraid.