Hamlet (Almeida) review - an electrifying and modern take on a classic

As watching theatre productions is now solidly one of my favourite things to do, I’ve decided to make theatre reviews a thing on this blog. My late Grandad used to write quite a lot of these so I thought it would be a good thing I could do as well. I already did some mini reviews of some plays in my last post but I thought I should dedicate a whole post to this. Just as a warning, this review is not spoiler free, both in terms of the Almeida’s version and the original Shakespeare play (but it has been out a while…). As it is my (as yet) favourite Shakespeare play (I am very far from fully educated on all of them), I was very excited when this play was first advertised, especially with the proposed cast. I had seen the Barbican production of Hamlet back in 2015 so I was excited to see how this one differed. I can safely say they were completely different whilst both amazing in different ways. 

I went to see the production of Hamlet at the Almeida Theatre on the 18th March matinee performance and it's safe to say I approached the theatre with eager anticipation. If you are unfamiliar with the plot of Hamlet, I’ll outline it quickly. Hamlet is the prince of Denmark and his father the King has recently died, yet it is his uncle who has become the new King. This is because his uncle (his father’s brother) has married his mother, not so much as two months after the King’s untimely death. This of course affects Hamlet deeply and he possesses a large amount of resentment towards his mother to be so hasty. Yet when the late King’s ghost appears and reveals to Hamlet that it was in fact his uncle that murdered him (and didn’t die from natural causes after all), Hamlet is shocked. Despite being told not to take revenge, he becomes determined to out his uncle Claudius for what he is. However, he needs proof first… And so it goes from there. As you've probably guessed, more death is involved. 

First and foremost I should say that the Almeida is a very nice theatre. Whilst small and compact (that can get a bit inconvenient at the intervals) it had a lovely airy and modern atmosphere and it’s located in one of my favourite areas of central London: Islington. We managed to get our seats for £10 each, which was practically a steal for show such as this one. We soon discovered they were this price because they were restricted view (I had a couple of pillars in my view) but to be honest once I got used to it, it wasn’t too much of a hinderance to my enjoyment. The play was very long (about three and a half hours not including two intervals), so we definitely got enough theatre for our money. Despite being very long (as the original play is), I feel like the director Robert Icke did a fantastic job of keeping the pace as to maintain suspense. There weren't any points where I was wishing they'd hurry along with it.

I loved the staging in this play and how the foreground and background were clearly separated by a glass wall with patio doors and curtains. It felt like a distinctly modern setting and the decor maintained a level of coldness that I thought was a theme essential to this play. Soft furnishings were minimal and everything was sleek and clean-cut, whilst the lighting did bring the necessary amount of warmth to the stage. They made a lot of the colours in set and costume fairly muted and monochrome (apart from the odd one or two outfits in red) which really created another layer of significance when the play turned darker. 

The first revolutionary thing I noticed about this production was the use of screens throughout the performance. The screen at the front was formed of roughly nine smaller screens and there were also small screens dotted around the room. First, they were used as security cameras for when the ghost of Hamlet’s late father is spotted. I found it an ideal modernisation of this scene - security guards watching from a room rather than patrolling the area in the dead of night. The use of news reports (all in Danish but it was easy to get the gist) added depth to the storyline and brought in the idea of the modern royal family. Over were the days of complete regal secrecy; cameras now let in for publicity and reported to the world.

Whilst the original Shakespearean speech was retained, I found that the modernisation of the plot was pretty seamless. I never felt I was in a play out its time, forced into a modern setting for the sake of it. I found the integration of modern devices clever - such as secretly placed microphones to listen into conversations rather than the classic hiding-in-the-corner approach. It was especially funny when they made it clear that Hamlet was fully aware of this surveillance - speaking loudly into microphones for added effect. It really added to his characterisation as the paranoid prince whilst retaining the sense that he was right to behave as such. Of course, it all added to the humour as well. The modernisation of the female characters was also impressive. Whilst characters like Ophelia (Jessica Brown-Findlay) are often pushed aside and not given so much of a voice in Shakespeare, this version of Ophelia certainly had a bit more bite. She was seen as more of an equal and not just an object of Hamlet’s (possible) affections. Her death also felt very meaningful as her character had been built up well throughout the performance. Her confusion about Hamlet was clearly conveyed and her indecisiveness on what to do felt relatable within a modern context. Gertrude (Juliet Stevenson) was also portrayed as a strong character with a confused moral compass. This is shown during the scene where Hamlet (accidentally) murders Polonius. Whilst she is shocked at what her son has done, she also feels united with her son in what she also now knows about her husband’s murderous plots.

Another thing that this production used technology wise I thought was perfect for this production and one scene in particular. In the scene where they are watching the staged play of "The Mousetrap” unfold, the audience is able to clearly observe the reaction of Claudius during the whole scene due to the use of handheld cameras that were beaming a transmission to the screen. This is an obstacle in Hamlet I am always unsure how people will tackle in terms of staging. How can an audience watch a play being acted out whilst watching the reactions of those watching? Usually, as was the case in the Barbican production, some unusual seat placement is required. Whilst you may think the whole camera thing would not blend in well, it was integrated seamlessly with the themes of this modern royal family. The family are often shown onscreen in news broadcasts and any transmissions were always announced at the start as if they were being broadcast live on television - a perfectly believable scenario especially with publicised modern royal families today.

This play also felt unconventional in terms of how the audience were integrated into the performance and made aware of their presence. For example, some lines were directed towards the audience to create humour (but not in a cheap, thrown away sense). The audience, especially in the stalls, were constantly aware of actors entering the stage from the front by walking past the seats, which really expanded the play past the stage. Also, I loved the unconventional way that the play transitioned into intervals. Up to a minute before the play even came to a stop, stewards were walking in right up to the stage, the houselights went up and the actors looked interrupted. A steward then shouted “pause for fifteen minutes!” and the cast, affronted, walked off. Then the screens at the front read “pause” for the duration of the interval which I felt was a fresh way of doing things. The incorporation of technology was never cringeworthy or overstated which is something that is sometimes difficult to achieve.

One thing that did surprise me about the modernisation was the notorious fencing scene. Whilst Polonius was shot (with a very, very loud fake gun) behind the curtain instead of being stabbed, I wasn’t sure what the modern equivalent of a fencing match would be, as somehow the poison-on-the-end-of-the-foil plot would have to be incorporated somewhere. However, this was kept as a fencing match. Whether this was still commonplace in other cultures to settle disputes I wasn’t sure, but the idea of a duel did feel slightly out of its time. The scene was amazing though as the whole match was also filmed and streamed up onto the screen, electronic scoreboard and all. I loved how loud music was played over this scene so whilst we couldn’t hear the lines (we weren’t meant to, they were mouthed), the audience could easily follow what was going on. Some deaths occurred a lot quicker than others (like Laertes, dying before Hamlet despite having sustained the same injury after him) but I thought Hamlet’s death was done particularly well. The final scene of everybody in the background dancing in the background (I understood that this represented death) whilst Hamlet waited to join them. It felt peaceful and a good, rounded end to the play. When Horatio is the final survivor standing, it took me a moment to realise as he was positioned offstage, watching it all unfold. 

Overall, I was very impressed with the Almeida's production of Hamlet and especially Andrew Scott's amazing interpretation of the role. He took his eccentric energies to the role and provided a very layered and three dimensional portrayal of the young prince. I also felt the whole creative team did an amazing job in terms of staging, music and still managing to surprise the audience despite Hamlet being a very well known work. I would urge everybody to go and see this amazing production whilst it's still running.


All photos credited to Manuel Harlan