Review by John Lombard
In Shakespeare’s greatest tragedy a savvy and charismatic
politician performs a ruthless but surgical coup, poisoning his elder brother
so he can claim the throne. With the
crown on his head he proves a wise and conscientious ruler, uniting his country
at a time of dire peril and winning the adoration of both his people and his
new Queen, his brother’s widow. But he
is a good man and guilt over the murder of his brother weakens his resolve; he
vacillates when swift and decisive action is necessary, and his inaction
ultimately dooms both himself and his country.
The play also contains Hamlet.
Bell Shakespeare’s new production is not the tragedy
Claudius, although it can feel like that: Sean O’Shea’s interpretation of the
usurper is vivid, likeable and charismatic.
We are never left in any doubt that he is the ruler Denmark needs, a
vigorous master of ceremonies who inspires devotion not only from his people
but from his new Queen Gertrude (Doris Younane), who is utterly in love with
her dashing new Lord.
Hamlet (understudy Scott Sheridan in the performance I saw)
is, ironically, the ghost at the wedding feast, a shadowy figure skulking on
the fringe of Claudius’ warm and genial court.
Prince Hamlet is tasked by his father’s ghost to avenge his murder, and
rather than taking the direct route opts to torment Claudius and his mother by
playing at madness.
Or is he playing? The
key decision that needs to be made when acting Hamlet is how much of his
madness is genuine. Sheridan’s Hamlet is
truly unhinged by his father’s death, tormented by the loss of his father and
the duty imposed upon him. But
strangely, the more he starts to play at madness in japes and pranks the more
in control of himself he becomes, as though embracing his madness restores his
self-mastery. As his goading (and
occasional casual murder) make a shambles of the lives of those around him, he stands
triumphant as the Lord of Misrule.
The script is pruned effectively to keep the play’s running
time under control, but at times this means characters arcs are rushed. Ophelia in particular sprints from health to
madness to suicide with barely a breath in between, although it is to the
credit of actress Matilda Ridgway that we can see the moment where she snaps,
lunging at Hamlet in anguish and fury.
The Polonius-Ophelia-Laertes family circle is, wisely, a loving
one. Polonius (Philip Dodd) is still a
silly old fool – and a very dangerous one – but even if Hamlet airily dismisses
his death, his murder crushes his family.
Michael Wahr’s Laertes is unsubtle but always dangerous. Hamlet holds his enemies in contempt because
they do not have his sharpness, but even blunt objects can kill when swung with
enough force.
Overall this is an excellent, if unconventional, production
of Hamlet. By giving us such a wonderful
Claudius, Hamlet inevitably comes across as slightly ignoble: his praise for
his father’s memory was always too fulsome to be believed, but in this production it
feels histrionic. We are left with a sense that
it would have been better if Hamlet had stayed abroad or, failing that, Claudius
had not stopped at one murder and dispatched the son along with the
father. This is a triumph for director
Damien Ryan, even if it is no longer truly the tragedy of Hamlet, but of his gifted
and unlucky uncle: our sympathy is with the Devil.
