I'll come out and say it loud and clear before we go one word further: I was not a big fan of Benedict Cumberbatch. Yes, I enjoy Sherlock. Yes, I enjoyed him the in The Imitation Game. He seemed like the kind of theatre actor who'd be good in modern plays but would struggle to do justice to one of Shakespeare's greatest characters. The fact of the matter is, I got a ticket to see the fastest selling theatre production of all time simply because it was Hamlet, and simply because it was directed by Lydnsey Turner. As the big day (I took to calling it B-Day seeing as we booked the tickets 14 months in advance), I quickly began to worry that all I'd done was pay a lot of money into a commercial monstrosity in which profit was placed before art.
And from the moment I walked into the Barbican (cold and concrete, but difficult to dislike), it seemed that I was correct. Especially for Hamlet there were mugs, notebooks, bags and a myriad selection of tat and collectibles that were all wildly overpriced but bound to be snapped up by keen fans. I couldn't help but feel a twang of regret as I paid for my £8.50 programme, and the fact that it was marketed as a 'souvenir collector's item' didn't really make the financial damage any less painful.
I also got the distinct impression that the powers-that-be at the Barbican were doing all they could to hype up the importance of the production. We'd all been told to bring photo ID else we'd be banned from entering, and were also constantly reminded not to take any pictures inside the theatre. Yes, they made us turn our phones off outside the actual auditorium so we couldn't take pictures of the Barbican's safety curtain, pictures of which are easily accessible on Google. This sounds annoying, and it was, but it was all worth it due to one simple thing: atmosphere.
I've never been in a theatre when there's been such a buzz, such a spark of anticipation in the air. Even in the Barbican's large 1156 seat theatre, everyone was connected by a sense of childlike excitement that I've never really experienced inside a theatre before. When a voice told us that the performance would begin in one minute even I felt my pulse start to race a little bit, and everyone started to speak a little bit louder, a little bit quicker, until the opening of Nat King Cole's Nature Boy pierced the chatter like a knife and everyone fell silent.
And there he is. Benedict Cumberbatch, every fiber of his being completely and utterly in role, even down to the tears trickling down his cheeks. I realised just how wrong I'd been.
And three hours later I realised just how wrong the reviews had been. This is an exhilarating production, with a great beast of a play staged as a taut political thriller which grips you by the throat and never lets go until the fade to black 180 minutes later. It was my second time watching the play, and even I found myself wondering whether or not Hamlet would escape the inevitability of his death. Yes, it's a messy, cluttered production. But it's a messy, cluttered play. From Es Devlin's massive set to Jon Hopkin's gorgeous electronic score which fuses pianos and synths brilliantly. Turner has also trimmed the fat off play considerably, and a lot of the minor, supporting characters only speak their most important lines to keep the focus firmly on the central characters. And unlike quite a few critics, I liked the slight reshuffling of the first act.
Every single one of the cast gave stellar performances, and I especially enjoyed Ciarán Hinds as a slimy, manipulative Claudius and Anastasia Hille as a power hungry Gertrude who by the end seems resigned to death. I also liked the little hint at her being a bit more involved in Ophelia's death than she initially claims.
This was one of those rare productions which left me both elated and shattered. It's Shakespeare for 2015: it's raw, focused and energetic and I'm so, so happy I got to see it. I'm also very excited that for lots of young people, this will be their first introduction to Shakespeare. And what an introduction it will be.
I don't normally review productions on this blog, but just for the record I give this one top marks. 5/5 or 10/10.
Hamlet will also be broadcast to cinemas through National Theatre Life. It's well worth catching it beamed on the night or through one of the encore screenings.
