Hamlet - Young Vic Theatre - 11/11/11

The man of a thousand voices, Michael Sheen, has taken on one of literatures most iconic characters, Hamlet, in Ian Rickson’s depiction of Shakespeare’s classic at the Young Vic theatre in Southwark.

Despite the season being sold out I turned up on the first day of the limited morning release of tickets and as I was on my own, I managed to secure the very last ticket…seat A2. I was filled with excitement as I have been a huge fan of Michael Sheen but my worry, as I am sure many peoples worry was, that we had never seen Michael Sheen. I shared a few jovial texts with friends before the show debating whether Cloughie, Blair or Frost would grace the stage. I needn’t have worried.

Before the show, the audience had the opportunity to go on a pre-tour ‘experience’, which it turned out was a walk through the back stage of the theatre and as the play went on, the context of what was going on on stage fell into place with the walk around.

The backstage and indeed main stage seemed to be leftovers from the One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest soundstages. Big mechanical doors, office space and a giant sand pit were all things that you are greeted with but in the end it all works. This mental asylum style of staging is reinforced by the theatre staff being dressed as orderlies as they show you to your seats.

Sheen and Robinson star as Hamlet and Ophelia

The language of Shakespeare is the language of a long gone era and in my opinion takes a supremely talented actor to pull it off. I have seen many productions of the Bards plays but none have had a cast like this. The speech can often be stunted, as I imagine it feels like you’re performing in a foreign language, but in this instance, apart from some of the more minor roles, it flowed well.

Michael Sheen is commanding and has the audience on tenterhooks before uttering his first line. As the play progresses he becomes all-consuming making the audience cower as he spits his lines in rage and takes Hamlet’s madness to crashing crescendos.

I was also entranced by the performances of James Clyde as Claudius, Sally Dexter as Gertrude and Vinette Robinson as Ophelia. These three fine actors were shining lights in a cast that could have easily fallen into complacency knowing that they were playing alongside such an enigmatic leading man. Clyde and Dexter combined the childish hedonism of newlyweds with the vindictive cruelty of a King and the naïve heartache of a Queen and mother who is losing control and Robinson was chilling and came close to stealing the show from Sheen as Ophelia crumbled following her father’s death.

When I saw that the play was 3 ½ hours long I was worried and I don’t care how much of a philistine you many think this makes me. In the end, the 3 ½ hours just weren’t long enough to watch this majesty unfold before me.

I don’t read Shakespeare, I only go and watch it being performed and for anyone like me, I cannot recommend this production highly enough. The Young Vic should be applauded for taking a leap of faith in Rickson’s vision for this play. I haven’t been to the Young Vic before but they have demonstrated themselves to be innovative with their productions and so I won’t hesitate to go back and see anything they are putting on in 2012.

I can understand why the play has its critics. It certainly isn’t a purists delight but it is enjoyable throughout.

It must also be noted that The Young Vic have some wonderful and very helpful staff and their merchandise and programmes are all very reasonably priced.

After the show I met Michael Sheen and the rest of the cast and they were very humble in the face of the many compliments that people were throwing at them, however well-deserved they were.