Hamlet (The SOB Review) - Broadhurst Theatre, New York, New York*** (out of ****)One of my life's little tragedies is that my ears have rarely been in sync with the Bard's old English.
Typically, I'm faced with either foregoing revivals or bucking up and trying my best to decipher what's being spoken on stage. Yet as a true theatre aficionado, how can I not take the latter path?
As it turns out, my fears in taking in
Michael Grandage's revival of
Hamlet were completely allayed and in retrospect unfounded. Given Grandage's expert and imaginative direction I've witnessed throughout every one of his productions from
dark Russian drama to
classic musicals, I shouldn't have been surprised that he could pull off another miracle.
Fortunately for audiences sharing my apprehension over seeing works by
William Shakespeare because they're more often than not delivered on this side of the pond in a rather stultifying manner, this import from London's Donmar Warehouse is anything but. Thanks to Grandage, this play's the thing wherein I've finally caught the conscience of the king and then some!
High praise must be paid to the innovative
Jude Law for making his
Hamlet come alive. Rather than delivering Shakespeare's words as if they were part of some lost language, Law excels in cracking the code. He finds the depth and nuance redounding in every single word. Each syllable dances off his tongue sounding fresh and vibrant.
That's in part because
Hamlet here is not so much the brooding Danish prince as he is a particularly circumspect one replete with boyish verve and playful vigor. It's a testament to Law's mastery that his impassioned soliloquy immediately
prior to the oft-quoted one containing "To be or not to be" becomes the stand-out passage within this play.
While the brave choices he and Grandage have made may raise the eyebrows of purists, this revival sings, even if not everyone else in the cast can hold their notes quite as well or as long. No wonder shortly after I departed the Broadhurst, I
tweeted half in jest that Jude Law stole the show.
But with Law's towering performance casting a long shadow over my quibbles with his
Hamlet, this is one accessible production of Shakespeare's work that all are meant to see.
This is Steve Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Hamlet, Jude Law, Michael Grandage, Play, Revival, William Shakespeare
Hamlet: 66 And CountingThere are precious few plays that have graced a Broadway stage as many times as
William Shakespeare's
Hamlet.
While it's not known precisely when Shakespeare wrote
Hamlet,
historians believe The Bard wrote this play circa 1601, and it's known that the work was mounted in New York City as early as the following century.
According to the
Internet Broadway Database (IBDB), my go-to source for all things Rialto-related, this tragedy has been previously presented in New York City at least 65 times. IBDB's earliest recorded performance took place back in November 1761 with
Lewis Hallam as the Danish prince. That
Hamlet was mounted at the
Chapel Street Theatre, which stood on the corner of what is now Beekman and Nassau Streets in lower Manhattan.
Most of the other recorded 65 revivals have been staged in Broadway theatres.
The last, performed at the
Belasco Theatre as recently as 1995, earned a Tony nomination for Best Revival. Its
Hamlet,
Ralph Fiennes, took home a Tony for Best Actor in a Play.
Other noteworthy Broadway
Hamlets through the years have included
Stephen Lang (
1992),
Sam Waterston (
1975-76), Tony-nominated
Richard Burton (
1964),
Raymond Massey (
1931),
Leslie Howard (
1936) and
John Gielgud (
1936-37). Many actors have portrayed
Hamlet on more than one occasion, including
Maurice Evans (
1938-39,
1939-40,
1945-46,
1946), the legendary
John Barrymore (
1922-23,
1923), and of course, the premier American actor of the 19th Century,
Edwin Booth (
1864-65,
1870 and
1891).
Hamlet has been so popular through the years, that there have been several instances when competing revivals were produced on Broadway at the same time, including the aforementioned ones with Howard and Gielgud, as well as
the 1931 Broadhurst Theatre revival with Massey competing directly with the
1931 Royale Theatre mounting produced by the
Chicago Civic Shakespeare Society.
Much more recently, two separate Main Stem productions narrowly missed being staged at the exact same time. The
1969 Lyceum Theatre revival with
Ellis Rabb as
Hamlet ended April 26, a mere five days before
the 1969 Lunt-Fontanne Theatre production starring
Nicol Williamson opened.
Now, for at least the 66th time,
Hamlet is being revived in Manhattan. Once again, Shakespeare's tragedy is being staged at the
Broadhurst Theatre, this time via the transfer of a highly acclaimed production from the formidible
Donmar Warehouse in London. Directed by the estimable
Michael Grandage, this revival stars
Jude Law as the eponymous prince who exacts revenge for his murdered father.
Personally, I've only seen
Hamlet performed once on stage, and tedium set in quite quickly. Same went for my experience in watching the Academy Award-winning
Best Picture of 1948, even with the late, great
Laurence Olivier as the prince. So while I am sincerely looking forward to seeing Grandage's interpretation of this work, I'll go in with just a little trepidation as I normally do
whenever I see Shakespeare.
Whether audiences share my apprehension remains to be seen. Or not to be seen.
This limited run of
Hamlet opens October 6 and is currently slated to close December 6.
This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).
Labels: Broadway, Edwin Booth, Hamlet, John Barrymore, Jude Law, Laurence Olivier, Maurice Evans, Michael Grandage, Play, Revival, Transfer, William Shakespeare
