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BrumHour saw Hamlet at the invite of The RSC.
By David Fox x.com/DavidFoxTheatre
Hamlet at The RSC Royal Shakspeare Theatre: Review
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐”Utterly mesmerising!”
Directed by Rupert Goold, written by William Shakespeare
“To be, or not to be. That is the question”
The most famous quote in all of Shakespeare (and probably all theatre), from the Bard’s most famous work. Hamlet is easily my favourite play, having a long history of productions from the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon. This new production greatly lives up to its illustrious predecessors and even surpasses some!
Hamlet follows the troubled Prince of Denmark as he grapples with grief, revenge, and existential doubt after his father’s mysterious death. When the ghost of King Hamlet reveals that he was murdered by his own brother, Claudius—who has since seized the throne and married Hamlet’s mother—the prince embarks on a perilous quest for justice. Feigning madness, he navigates courtly intrigue, betrayals, and moral dilemmas, ultimately leading to a tragic cascade of death and destruction. With its timeless themes of power, corruption, and the human condition, Hamlet remains a gripping exploration of revenge and the cost of inaction.
Multi award-winner Rupert Goold, expertly directs Luke Thallon as Hamlet in this new production of Shakespeare’s saga.
This new production of Hamlet certainly has a surprising twist: it discards the usual setting of the dark and gloomy halls of Elsinore Castle, Denmark, and swaps it for a sinking ship – think Hamlet on the Titanic! This conceit is actually very clever because it not only allows for a fresh new take on the play, but it also generates amazing technical stage effects and serves as a metaphor for the court of King Claudius. What at first appears opulent and decadent, slides into disaster and a tragic inevitability.
Luke Thallon makes a wonderful 21st-century Hamlet: young, vulnerable, angst-ridden, and melancholic – unable to deal with the death of his father he descends into nervous ticks, rants and petulant tantrums. Thallon has a great ability to make the most familiar and cliched lines feel fresh and more like an un-nerved stream-of-consciousness than a recitation of speeches. His performance is mesmerising and sometimes makes for an uncomfortable watch.
The production also boasts a fantastic ensemble cast. For starters, lustful and scheming Claudius is played expertly by Jared Harris never better than struggling with his emotions when Claudius faces up to the consequences of his sins.
The Ghost of Old Hamlet and the Player King is played by Anton Lesser. A simply sublime performance – his bearing, poise and mellifluous voice – the ‘play within a play’ of The Mousetrap was beautiful, as was his rendition of the Player Kings’ speech.
There were other notable performances from Nancy Carroll as Hamlet’s mother Gertrude, showing great emotion when torn between her desire for happiness and her love for her son, and Nia Towle as Hamlet’s love-struck and tragic girlfriend Ophelia, heart-breakingly portraying her own descent into madness. Elliot Levey was an excellent Polonius – slimy and obsequious and at times but a very funny performance. Having seen him in other Shakespearean productions I know he can play snide and smarmy very well!
This is a very dark play, which is accentuated by the Titanic allusion. The ship makes for a very dark, foreboding, and claustrophobic setting with seemingly no escape from the court of Denmark for Hamlet. Glorious colours, combined with shadows and silhouettes made Hamlet a visual feast and a treat to look at. Technical effects were outstanding and at times really made the production feel dangerous to watch. An immersive soundscape of sea, ship noises, and dripping water, and a digital clock counting down the last hours of the ship leading to the inevitable disaster made the action of the play feel dramatic and immediate. A versatile projected background showed the ocean, and engine rooms of the ship, giving the production a sense of epic scale. However most impressive was the tilting stage, allowing the deck to go “full-Titanic‘ by rising into the air, with the actors sliding into watery oblivion! “The rest is silence.”
While some purists may be alarmed at (minor) cuts to the script, and movement of key speeches I felt this allowed the story to proceed at pace and added to the sense of oncoming inevitable doom.
I loved this production of Hamlet. It is a wonderful piece of theatre – dark, claustrophobic, and dangerous! Utterly mesmerising. I don’t think I have ever heard such rapturous applause in a theatre. Hamlet is at Royal Shakespeare Theatre, until 29th March 2025. For more information visit rsc.org.uk/hamlet
