A visually striking, sea-bound reimagining of Hamlet proves that Shakespeare’s tale of revenge and madness still resonates, as the Royal Shakespeare Company’s gripping production docked at the Grand Theatre for its opening night last night. Kat Wilson was on board for BSC.
“There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so.”
An appropriate quote for any review, yet the enduring popularity of Shakespeare tells us that there’s something in these stories that still captures the imagination of modern audiences. Its themes of madness and murder, revenge and death are still as relevant today as they always have been.
As the Royal Shakespeare Company production of Hamlet made its way to Blackpool’s historic Grand Theatre, as part of a larger world tour, the miserable, midweek March weather did not prevent last night’s production from attracting an (almost) full house.
Directed by two-time Laurence Olivier Award winner Rupert Goold, and with a creative team who are also largely winning in their various fields, this production has already received critical acclaim up and down the country.
Hamlet, our protagonist, has returned home to find his mother not only remarried a short time after his father’s death, but that her new husband is his uncle, Claudius, who is now ruler. Hamlet is visited by his father’s ghost who reveals that he was poisoned by none other than Claudius.
The delivery of the lines and quality of cast, paired with the visuals of wardrobe and Es Devlin’s set design, are enough to make the story understood by anyone.
Cue the beginning of a chain of events that unravels Hamlet’s world and uncovers the truth of what really happened. Feigning madness, Hamlet stages a play to expose the guilty party, but in true Shakespearean style, the plot twists and turns until the guilty and innocent alike meet their tragic end.
Goold’s reimagining sets the scene on the HMS Elsinore. The year is 1912, reminiscent of the tragedy of the Titanic. The set is stripped back to the basics using only a back wall screen, overhead canopy and tilted deck which seems to steepen at times although this is just an illusion created by the tilting of the canopy – and hats off to the entire cast for moving around a stage with such ease at that angle!
The digital clock that intermittently bleeps from the sides of the stage is a stark reminder of the short time that passes within the tale – its bleeping becoming more incessant as the countdown towards the climax creeps up. The screen, projecting a panoramic view of the ocean, adds to the growing tension as it changes from hypnotic calm to turbulent tide with the occasional red flash of a storm. An effective twist that provides a strong metaphor for the drama.
Ralph Davis as Hamlet delivered a fantastic performance that felt authentically split between pretend madness and genuine anguish. With bare feet and trouser legs pushed to the knees, it was difficult to see where his ‘plan’ ended and his real emotion began.
Famous lines from the play were delivered with such sincerity that this production could be enjoyed by Shakespeare lovers and Shakespeare novices alike. If you think you ‘don’t get Shakespeare’ I would urge you to watch this. Authentic dialogue aside, the delivery of the lines and quality of cast, paired with the visuals of wardrobe and Es Devlin’s set design, are enough to make the story understood by anyone.
The intense plot is relieved by Richard Cant as Polonius, whose comedic timing breaks up the tension effectively. Other noteworthy performances were Georgia May-Myers as Ophelia whose heartbroken monologue left the audience silent until she too was cast into the ‘ocean’ – a perfect way, in this reimagining, to dispense with the dead (and there is an abundance of death in Hamlet).
All in all, this rendition of Hamlet was authentic in its delivery and intention but the modern twist of the ship’s setting and the ominous countdown of the 24-hour clock make it easy to be enjoyed by anyone who is an avid fan or just ‘Bard curious’.
Hamlet will be in Blackpool until the 28th March before it sets sail to its next port. Tickets available here.
