Hamlet

Kudos to the BBC for attempting an almost full-text version of Hamlet, but... it's a shame they don't follow through on it. There are various textual changes and additions which only serve to undermine the quality of the play. Stick to Shakespeare, for Pete's sake.

The production has good things (most notably the always professional Juliet Stephenson); a few scenes are well-done, and overall it's certainly watchable. But its greatest weakness is Andrew Scott. He is a very weird Hamlet. Hamlet must, generally, seem intelligent, assertive, confident, except in certain scenes - but Scott's way of playing him is flailing, chaotic, confused and strangely soft and quiet, which is not in character for Hamlet. The worst is all the soliloquies, which sound slow and clueless, spoken in an inconsequential low style that robs them of all sophistication and fascination. Scott doesn't seem to know what he is doing/saying. Which is disastrous; an actor should be able to at least pretend to know what his character is about. Maybe this is just Andrew Scott's acting style, but... it didn't work for me.

Was lucky enough to see this production at the National Theatre in 2018... four rows back from the stage. Scott was amazing as Hamlet. Then I saw him in Present Laughter at The Old Vic just last summer. Another brilliant, but very different performance. I guess I am a fan!

I can't say enough to praise this version of Hamlet! This adaptation, along with Laurence Olivier's 1948 version, are my two favorites now; and this one edges it out, owing to the great performances, and the fact that it's a comparably more complete version of the play. It also incorporates modern elements which work really well and make it more contemporary.

To speak of the performances, Andrew Scott is masterful in the leading role of Hamlet, really capturing all of the anger, sadness, and humor of Shakespeare's complex character in a brilliant and truly remarkable way. I also particularly enjoy David Rintoul as the Ghost and Play Actor. All the other performances are quite effective and fitting as well.

It's a wonderful adaptation which, as I said, is definitely my favorite to watch (the finest version imo), and which will be extremely tough to top! I'm so thankful for it :).

I saw it as an experiment. Not very comfortable, maybe too ambitious. But interesting.

Andrew Scott deserves his Hamlet and this is one of certitudes offered by this version. And, indeed, it seems just his Hamlet, contorsioned spirit, unpredictable, shocking, a kind of schizoid man . In my case, not bad for simple faibless for him. But a Hamlet like a sort of powerful demonstration, looking for impress the viewer, offering not only a different version by many previews but almost other character.

I admitt, I appreciate and one of motives is the well support for play of other actors, not last Juliet Stephenson.

Unlike a lot of the pretentious Shakespeare plays, almeida's Hamlet is stagecraft and magic. The acting is superb in it, making the old words and the modern dress match perfectly, so that we know exactly what the actors are saying, even if we do not understand it literally.