I’ve never seen Hamlet. I mean, I’ve seen The Lion King, but I think the “purists” would have a “problem” with that, so let’s just stick to that. Luckily, Eddie Izzard has decided she can do the whole thing herself, and her brother Mark has adapted it down to two hours rather than four, so here we go.
This is the second time she’s done this, with last year’s Great Expectations being a treat. These are very different beasts, though. Great Expectations felt more comedic, looser. Hamlet though is more true to the text.
That being said, though, she does have fun with it. There’s a lot to be done with intonation and interpretation of the dialogue, especially scenes between Hamlet and Polonius, or the gravedigger scene.
I was initially slightly dismissive of the need for a movement director, but fair enough, they earned their keep. Izzard is flitting around the stage, ably switching between multiple characters per scene in a fluid but distinguishable way. Also, I just love the idea of using her hands as sockless sock puppets for Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
Some vague thoughts on the play itself - I never realised that To Be Or Not To Be was so early in the play, and it’s fun to note how many really famous scenes, lines, phrases, etc. all come from this.