James Salter

A new Tennant moves in at the RSC

It can’t be often that visitors to the local chippie in Stratford-Upon-Avon are confronted by a Dalek when they pop in for their cod and chips with a side order of mushy peas. That, however, is exactly what currently greets them in jump-on-the-bandwagon style poster form. If only Doctor Who were around to rescue them.

Pause for a moment, young friend: what luck! For the tenth incumbent is in town, but not in his sci-fi geek-friendly Timelord guise. David Tennant has more lofty aspirations for his Bard-birthplace visit as he tackles the lead role in the RSC’s new production of Hamlet, playing at the Courtyard Theatre until November when it transfers to London.

I was lucky enough to win my battle against the legions of Cybermen frantically calling the box office or logging on to the RSC website when public booking opened last November, and was able to secure myself a ticket to the first preview performance last night. A bargain at £8 I feel, especially considering the £200+ they’re going for on eBay at the moment. (I wouldn’t bother bidding by the way, since you’re unlikely to get in with them). Admittedly I was right up with the/in the gods, but that proved not to be too bad a place at all. For example, I bet you didn’t know Patrick Stewart is going bald! Oh yes, he’s got a huge bald spot coming on!

You heard right, sci-fi geeks: two alien-battling turns for the price of one. Patrick Stewart is playing the nasty old rogue Claudius alongside Tennant. But that’s not where the special offers end, because when you cast Stewart in a role he ends up with two, becoming the Ghost of King Hamlet with the aid of some quick costume changes and a crafty helmet.

But it’s not just spacemen. The cast is full of faces you’ll be pretty sure you’ve seen somewhere before, and a few you’ll definitely recognise from various other theatre productions, films and TV shows.

Even despite having the right famous Patrick Stewart in the cast, most of the focus was inevitibly on David Tennant last night. So how was his performance? Well, he was pretty damn good, taking his portrayal of Hamlet at the beginning of the play as a bit of a hapless young lad still dressed in his funeral attire, transforming him into a man hardened by anguish and touched by death at the end. Yep, sounds a bit boring. But the great thing was it wasn’t. While not going over the top or being too similar to the good Doctor, Tennant managed to inject enough energy and jolly japes to give some great laughs.

Laughs were a common theme throughout the three and a half (or more like four) hour performance. Oliver Ford Davies had some brilliantly comedic moments as the slightly senile Polonius, although the pauses as his mind wandered off did get a little more tedious than amusing when they started to occur every other line. Relief comes when Hamlet shoots him … accidentally of course. Aside from the pausing, he delivers some lines in cracking style.

The award for surprising line delivery has to go to David Tennant though. He managed to get past the overly infamous “To be, or not to be” and oft-misquoted “alas poor Yorick” with no hint of cheese. There were a few gasps from the audience (which strong rumour suggests included the PM Mr Gordon Brown himself) with the emphasis placed on the first syllable of “countryside matters” as he attempts to lay his head in Ophelia’s lap. The loudest gasp seemed to come from a young lad about half way back in the front stalls, clearly shocked that The Doctor would know such a naughty word.

Don’t get me wrong: Tennant’s performance was top notch, but not the best of the night. And no, even though Shakespeare is his gig, even Patrick Stewart was outshone. Penny Downie, playing Gertrude, won it for me. Her balance of central character yet keeping in the background made her stand out all the more. Absolutely fantastic.

The production design is centred around the concept of a mirrored world, with the stage built out of a highly reflective floor and giant obilisquesque (if that’s not a word then it should be) partially transparent mirrors forming the backdrop. And chandeliers. Six of them, no less. And very whizzy they are too. In fact, the whole thing is whizzy and looks a lot better than the building site which the RSC has turned much of the Stratford riverside into as they embark on their major tinkering (or rather complete transformation of) the Royal Shakespeare and Swan Theatres.

Not only one of the best RSC productions I’ve seen to date (which isn’t many, which isn’t nearly enough) but one of the best productions of Shakespeare I’ve seen, the 2008 version of Hamlet comes highly recommended from me. Ignore the haters - they’ve been eloquently dealt with elsewhere - this is top stuff and most of the audience seem to agree.

Aside from the performance itself, my personal highlight was popping into the pub next door afterwards and seeing most of the cast turn up for their private end-of-first-preview-night party. David Tennant may not have appeared before we left (probably because he’d have been mobbed), but we got a Patrick Stewart walk-past and I got a smile from Penny Downie.