It has only been a bit over six weeks that the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts (RADA) in cooperation with Kenneth Branagh Theatre Company (KBTC) announced there was going to be a Hamlet production on show in September 2017, directed by RADA president Sir Kenneth Branagh and with RADA alumnus Tom Hiddleston playing the lead.
Now, halfway through the run, when googling “RADA Hamlet” for the period of time since its announcement, a roundabout 600 hits come up, equaling 100 a week. Few, one might say. But let’s consider the facts: the short three-week run of this production takes place at the RADA Jerwood Vanbrugh Theatre, seating no more than 160 patrons. In total, not even 3,500 tickets were available via lottery, a system that was heavily criticized by some but was, hands down, going to be the fairest option. Little promotional activity in public and no designated press night make for a rather unassuming event in terms of commercial publicity. That’s likely to be owed to the circumstance that the production is primarily serving as a fundraiser in aid for the RADA Attenborough Campaign. As such, it is aiming to help improve the RADA facilities in Chenies Street for their students, providing on-site accommodation, an enhanced library and archive and a bigger theatre seating 250.
“I believe Shakespeare and RADA are very good things. This production celebrates both. We bring actors, writers, directors and technicians from last year’s KBTC Garrick season, and team them with RADA graduates past and present, together with artists from the larger creative world to explore Shakespeare’s Hamlet.” – Kenneth Branagh on RADA | KBTC Hamlet
Having been lucky enough to win a lottery ticket to one of the 21 public performances, I had been following the reports and sparse number of reviews on the first few nights and I was pretty sure I had a good idea of what was lying ahead of me. Upon entering the auditorium, though, it became clear to me right away that it was going to be an even cosier affair than I had expected. The audience is sat level with the stage on three sides, the actors performing just an arm’s length away from the front row. An upright piano, strategically placed centre stage and subtly demanding attention, immediately conveys the close proximity of the events to follow.
When everybody is settled and the room goes dark, a silhouette darts to the piano, sitting down. It’s Hamlet (Tom Hiddleston), as the lights reveal, and already on first glance it is noticeable, even before the first note, that he’s deeply grieved. An initial impression that in the blink of an eye is being amplified to off-the-chart heights, when Hamlet starts to softly play and sing a touching song – Ophelia’s And Will He Not Come Again – for his deceased father. Teary-eyed and with a shaky voice Hamlet is mourning, remembering, possibly self-soothing. It’s in that very first minute of the performance that the tone of the entire play is set: emotional, intimate, intense. The audience is drawn in right from the start, frozen in their seats as not to cause any disruption. The choice to begin the play that way feels bold. Bold and deeply impactful.
What follows then are two hours and 45 minutes of raw, sitting-on-the-edge-of-your-seat emotion. Hiddleston’s Hamlet struggles with grief, anger, betrayal and a thirst for revenge like all Hamlets do, but his sadness and vulnerability mixed with occasional, terrifying bouts of rage, and a little bit of fun and play, make for a well-rounded character that seems very real. I couldn’t help but sympathise with him, even when he makes questionable decisions, because I felt like I had been made to understand his motives driven by all-consuming inner turmoil. Hiddleston’s ability to make Shakespeare’s words flow naturally surely contribute a great deal to Hamlet’s authenticity, too.
The intimate set-up, the close proximity of the events unfolding make the audience part of the journey. An impression that’s being intensified when Tom Hiddleston during his soliloquies seems to deliberately address the theatregoers. Admittedly, the moment he acknowledges the audience, it feels like he is giving a speech more than he is talking to himself. But on the other hand, the whole set-up of Branagh’s production makes the audience feel like participants rather than just observers to begin with, and the fact that Hamlet involves them in that way could be interpreted as sealing their status as confidants. It’s a matter of preference, I suppose, but this much is certain: Hiddleston fills the room with his presence during these monologues, capturing the audience with seeming ease, expertly guiding them through Hamlet’s emotional turbulence – before he blends right back in with the ensemble reemerging on the stage. All actors in this play are fabulously level with each other in what feels like an intense match of tennis. Aptly illustrated at times by the characters being found on opposite ends of the court, the patrons sat on the side made to look back and forth between their skilled playing off each other.
Emotionality, to me, is the keyword to describe this production. The play is utterly immersive and the performances across the board are strong. King Hamlet’s ghost appearing to the young prince sent a chill up and down my spine. Hamlet yelling and rampaging in anger made me duck in my seat to get out of harm’s way. Ophelia swirling around the room having gone mad had me hold my breath with consternation. The shift of energy and aggressiveness in the Hamlet/Laertes brawl shortly before the big duel were so palpable, my pulse was speeding up, my body put on alert. And the many tears Hamlet sheds all throughout the play put a lump in my throat more than once, making my eyes brim with tears of my own.
Mercifully, there are lighter moments, too, joy and laughter the audience embraces whole-heartedly. Particularly Polonius was given several moments of comic relief – which Sean Foley delivered straight to the point – as was Hamlet himself. Although in the case of the latter, these moments held a certain kind of bitterness to me since the underlying sadness and anger never fully disappear, even when Hamlet puts on a facade to the outside world. A subtle and credible facade, at that. He doesn’t go over the top mad but simply acts strange enough for people to wonder about his state of mind.
On the flip side, Ophelia’s (Kathryn Wilder) state of mind is renownedly of nobody’s concern most of the time, but her portrayal in this production is intriguing. Despite the predetermined course of the play, it doesn’t seem like she fades away between the conflicting priorities of her father and Hamlet. She appears strong and proactive despite or maybe in defiance of the hurt and humiliation she endures. Wilder’s performance, particularly but not exclusively when Ophelia has gone mad, is meaningful and stirring.
The ensemble of ten is a solid unit and the fact that some of the actors are playing two or three roles is in principle not a problem, even if a slightly more pronounced difference in costumes would have helped to emphasise the multiple roles. I suppose that for somebody who has little prior knowledge of the play, it may be slightly difficult to follow at times. That said, Ansu Kabia in his triple performance as King Hamlet, Player King and Gravedigger is truly impressive in his versatility. It took me a long time to realise that he is both, the graying ghost of the King and the upbeat gravedigger hilariously jamming to his own tunes on the grave site.
The stage design is sparse but effective, mostly just using props like a couch or a desk to hint at the different settings. Lighting and sound accentuate the main themes, like Hamlet’s soliloquies, and choral music at the end accompanies Hamlet’s exit as he is being carried off the stage by the ensemble in a procession down the aisle of the auditorium, passing by the audience one last time.
The bows seemed slightly rushed for reasons unknown. Caroline Martin as Horatia delivers a truly moving last recital upon the bloodshed and when the lights come back on right after, she just barely manages to wipe away her tears before the first bow. Personally, I didn’t feel like I had made my way back to the present yet, when the actors were already leaving the stage. But one way or another, the standing ovations have surely given the cast an idea of how much the audience enjoyed the performance.
“The play speaks as loudly as ever to our volatile world and we are proud to have Tom Hiddleston lead an exciting group of actors, as he plays the title role for the first time. This work has been in discussion and planning over a period of years. To find its expression at, with, and for RADA, is a privilege.” – Kenneth Branagh on RADA | KBTC Hamlet
I wish we had gotten more insight into the production than just the press release and short programme introductions. A full on interview, for example, or maybe just little behind the scenes statements on the RADA Website. It would have been interesting to find out more about the team’s working process. Was it always going to be Hamlet or did they discuss other options? How did the contemporary setting come about? What was Branagh’s objective? How did the actors approach their roles and has their understanding of their characters changed in any way? The list could go on.
“The actor playing Hamlet really has to bring themselves to the role […] It seems to me that it’s an amazingly open role and the actor is asked to think about fathers and mothers, and revenge and friendship and sex and mortality and philosophy, and all of those things. It’s just the most heart-attack poetry around.” – Tom Hiddleston to Flicks and the City in 2013
In our very short chance encounter, Tom Hiddleston would casually attribute the performance to “blood, sweat and tears” – in both a metaphorical and a true sense, I suppose. Having talked to a few theatregoers after the play, I would say it is hard work that absolutely pays off. We were collectively left in awe and struggling to find the right words. It was only when I was reading through the programme later, that I found a quote by Lolita Chakrabarti – who was wonderfully expressive in her portrayal of the ambiguous Queen Gertrude – that seemed to perfectly summarise what I felt was truly the foundation of this production:
“A monumental work of art such as this can become the property of the learned, owned by those who ‘understand’ it, but Hamlet is a play to be seen, heard and felt. The words are beautifully crafted but the play’s true power is in its exchange with the audience and how it makes them feel.”
