Stream: Hamlet
Pursuing her aim to give more power to the cast in choosing who should play what role, new artistic director Michelle Terry was a gift to take on the role of Hamlet. She delivered a barn storming performance as Henry V at Regents Park in 2016 and she certainly doesn’t disappoint in the first of the Globe’s free season of screenings during the pandemic. Gender-blind casting kicks the season into the 21st century and here it really works.
I have seen many Hamlets, going back to my first visit to the Palace Theatre in Southend. We were taken by our enlightened English teacher at St Bernard’s Convent (Helen Mirren was a year below me). I have been hooked ever since and can clearly recollect Fortinbrass, centre stage with the bodies of the unfortunate family laid on the bare stage. I was in awe.
Since then I can recollect many performances along the way from Kenneth Branagh at the Barbican, dragging our kids along, the lovely Jude Law in the west end, to producing an outdoor production in a wooden O constructed especially at the end of Southend Pier. That was fun. It rained the first night at the beginning of Act 1, which made the ghost of Hamlet’s father’s entrance rather special.
However, what an invigorating show the Globe put on! Following a disastrous season by the former Artistic Director, Emma Rice, this production was a bolt form the blue for me. Having been a keen audience member at the Globe since the outset, after the departure of Dominic Dromgoole my enthusiasm waned. Sitting there on a lovely afternoon, enjoying the fresh air, the smell of the wood and the sounds of a vibrant London was a regular treat. With the introduction of unnecessary lights and sound, somehow the magic disappeared, but last night’s screening brought it all back.
Terry brought another interpretation to my favourite play. It was angry, at times maudlin, funny but never did it lose its pace and power to make you think and to move you. Cross casting is to me never a problem. It’s the acting that counts. Shubham Saraf delivered the best Ophelia I have ever encountered (I have coached that part many times and it is difficult to make her more than a drip). He was angry and tragic and managed to perform the flower and song sequence with empathy. A signing Rosencrantz and Guildenstern made their roles more than just sidekicks, a terrific Gertrude, a feisty female Laertes, a womanly Horatio, all were crystal clear performances.
But most of all it was the attention to the delivery of the text that shone out. Michelle Terry understands Shakespeare and the nuances and meaning she brings to it can be understood by everyone. This is a play about being human. My father used to have lunch with Sam Wanamaker at the George in Borough High Street after the war. He talked about his dream of recreating the Globe on the Southbank. The Globe is closed now and I can’t wait for the magic to return under Michelle Terry again. The Globe survived many catastrophic events in its lifetime. With new technology we can enjoy past shows and look forward to future successes. I can’t wait to watch Romeo and Juliet in two weeks’ time.
Hamlet is available to stream for free on YouTube until the 19th of April.
