Hamlet

[calimac]

I watched most of the Hamlet production with Dr. Who and Captain Picard on PBS last night, with unavoidable interruptions. The Polonius was particularly good, as was the gravedigger scene. I'd seen a stage production a few years ago with a contemporary setting like this - yes, with guns - so that didn't surprise me. Patrick Stewart played both Claudius and the Ghost, thus making Hamlet's repeated protestations that his father and his uncle are nothing alike seem more than usually demented.

Comments

[scribblerworks.livejournal.com]

I missed this, but another friend was enthusing about it.

Patrick Stewart played Claudius to Derek Jacobi's Hamlet way back when, in the BBC series.

And I've long wanted to do or see a version where the same actor played Caludius and the Ghost. It's not just that it makes Hamlet seem even more demented in the "nothing alike" speech, but also heightens the sense of why the court would select the King's brother to succeed him before the Prince got home from university, why Claudius is accepted as King so unquestioningly.

I shall have to track this down. (I sort of "collect" Hamlet performances.)

[kalimac.livejournal.com]

Were you with the party that went to the U OK production of Hamlet in '06? That was the memorable modern production I was referring to in the post. I've never seen a better staged Hamlet.

[scribblerworks.livejournal.com]

No, I missed that excursion. I forget why.

[emerdavid.livejournal.com]

I agree. That was possibly my favorite "Hamlet" ever. Having Horatio be played by a girl in combat boots was particularly effective.

I've seen this one too

[visualweasel.livejournal.com]

Back in 1989 or '90. I quite enjoyed it. Back then (in college), I watched most of the BBC productions of Shakespeare. I remember Bob Hoskins as a particularly ribald Iago.