A long awaited Hamlet

On Saturday My Mister  and I had a quick day trip to London to see a long awaited production on Hamlet. I'm not sure when I first read that Michael Sheen was going to be starring at the Young Vic, but I know that I signed up for their email list straight away in the hope that I would get tickets. Pulling out the tickets on Friday evening I noticed that the receipt for payment was printed on the 4th May 2011, so it has been quite a wait.


Dropping Mr Ben at Gma's and leaving Miss Megs in bed (she's old enough to get up and make her own up to Gma's) we got the 9.04 from Runcorn which was sadly infested with foreign exchange student who had nobbled our seats -good job it wasn't busy.


We had agreed that if the weather was ok (ie no rain or snow) we would try out the Boris Bikes and cycle down to Leicester Square. My mum was somewhat horrified when I mentioned it -but on our last visit to London we had walked the route - and it was mostly quiet side streets, ideal for the experiment.

Sadly I was a bit preoccupied and forgot to take any pictures - but I must report that the whole experience was excellent. I had prebooked 24 hours access online for £2 - and as long as we did the ride in less than 30 minutes there would be no additional charge. There is a docking station just outside Euston - and there were plenty of bikes to choose from. They are really heavy - but very comfortable and stable to ride - perfect for the city streets. We made the journey with only one stop for a map consultation (and only one "going the wrong way on a one way street" incident!) In fact the hardest bit was finding a docking station near Leicester Square - but I've now downloaded he app which has GPS and directions - so next time that won't be a problem either.


Lunch was unsurprisingly enough at Steak&Co - good as always - and then we got the tube to Waterloo (I'm not brave enough to cycle over either Waterloo or Westminster bridge!) We wandered over to The Cut - there was some TV filming going on and production vans everywhere - and waited in the foyer of The Young Vic for the production to start.

Half an hour before the start time the ushers started shepherding people out of the main door - around the corner and into the street behind. We found the alternative door where our tickets were taken and we entered the "secure hospital". Like a promenade performance we walked through institutional corridors - with doors and timetables for "treatments" - past the gym - fencing practise scheduled in later - and into an office. The far wall was glass - we went through the door and into the auditorium - set as a thrust. It was already clear that the reviewers talk of a"big concept" Hamlet was spot on.

And so it proved - much to my excitement and delight. I've seen a lot of productions of Hamlet over the years - the first "big" one being Kenneth Branagh at the Barbican in ?1993. But never have I been reduced to a sobbing wreck at the end.


Set most definitely within the asylum -  Claudius was  the smarmy consultant in a 3 piece suit and Gertrude a child like and adoring acolyte, begging for more tablets. The guards were in orderly uniforms - the action mostly taking place within a therapy circle of chairs. Some action took place wordlessly upstage, behind the glass door. There was huge disconnect between what was being said and how the characters behaved. The ghost scenes had the tension of a horror movie - with a voices and thumps coming out of the total blackout. And Hamlet - Michael Sheen was everything I hoped for. So vulnerable - and quite clearly mad. No ambiguity here. Though at times he appeared to be the only sane man in the unit, ultimately his insanity took over.


As act 5 started - most of the grey carpeted floor was lifted to show a huge pit of sand. The grave digger was doubled by Polonious  - and Hamlet was most definitely aware of this. When Ophelia was buried - I feared that she was going to be really covered in the sand - but instead she rose from the grave to double Osric - and again Hamlet clearly could see this.


I was already in tears by the time Hamlet passed away, sitting next to Horatio, feet dangling into the pit. As the army entered to kick the bodies into the pit and cover it with a huge piece of plastic sheeting (biohazard -is the madness contagious?) I really lost it - only to be stunned when Fortinbras entered and removed his helmet to reveal himself as Hamlet. Not since seeing Black Watch at the Lowry way back in 2008 have I been moved to a standing ovation like this. It was the final day of the production - and I am so glad that we saw it.

I was also really impressed by the Young Vic -I certainly hope to go there again.

To see production photos go here
http://www.flickr.com/photos/youngvictheatre/sets/72157628109959773/

After the show - it was the trek back to Euston, and the 7pm train home to find Mr Ben asleep and Miss Megs ready for bed. A long day but a great one!