It’s surprising to think that one of Shakespeare’s most performed pieces has had so few outings at Shakespeare’s Globe since Sam Wanamaker’s vision to rebuild this classic theatre space came to fruition. But now, Hamlet, in a Globe Ensemble production, comes inside to the playhouse that bears Wanamaker’s name, writes Christopher Peacock…
The candlelit playhouse and period dress of most of the cast give you what you would expect from the Globe. However, under Sean Holmes’ direction, the show soon takes liberties where it wants, mixing in modern dress, adding in lines from Romeo and Juliet, and creating a comedy skit to replace the gravedigger scene.
George Foreacres’ Hamlet looks like a melancholic 80s student on a diet of Joy Division and The Smiths. This look then plays out in action with moments of him singing The Smiths’ Bigmouth Strikes Again (temporarily slipping into a Morrissey impression) and graffitiing the set. His natural broad Black Country accent and occasional drifting away from the more standard phrasing of the soliloquies makes for a fresh reading of some of the most famous lines in theatre. We don’t see too much of a nihilist’s struggle with his own mind in Foreacres’ portrayal but where he does succeed is when playing for laughs, which ripple through the audience readily throughout the show.
The lighting design, which starts with just candlelight and introduces electric lighting as the show goes on, creates some great moments and images. With shadows cast against the wall and being plunged into darkness for the scenes featuring the ghost of Hamlet’s father. What does dominate Grace Smart’s stage design is a pool in the middle of the stage which is used at every opportunity, notably to signify death.
John Lightbody, playing a younger and more spritely Polonius than we are more used to seeing, produced the most consistent performance from the cast. Slightly camp and sharp-tongued he brought humour when patronising his children and when pleading for the ear of newly married Gertrude and Claudius. Unfortunately, Holmes’ production doesn’t want to focus on the relationships between the other characters so we get little in return from Rachel Hannah Clarke as Ophelia who doesn’t get the room to shine or develop chemistry with either her brother or Hamlet himself.
Famously loathed and loved by students around the world, those who struggled studying the text in their school days will be relieved as Holmes’ production makes this tragedy a lot lighter as it plays for a tragicomedy rather than a character study. Running at over three hours, although lighter in style it is still long. The play’s depth is sacrificed for a more bawdy show; the use of modern references and audience interaction are encouraged to create an Elizabethan playhouse atmosphere.
Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, Shakespeare’s Globe, Bankside, SE1 until April 9th. Mon-Sat 7.30pm; matinees 2pm. Admission: £53.