Rory Kinnear (Hamlet).
Last Sunday evening, we headed along to Hamlet in St. James Cavalier Cultural Centre in Valetta. Little did we know until just before the performance that the Hamlet we would see was a production by National Theatre Live. It’s an initiative to bring the best of British theatre broadcast live in cinemas across the world. On the night we viewed Hamlet, sixteen other countries we watching live and another four were almost live.
Just before the play began, it was fun to people watch as the camera’s zoomed around the British theatre, catching people unawares and wrapped up in jackets, suits and scarves.
It was a brilliant portrayal by Rory Kinnear. He injected a copious amount of sardonic wit and dramatic flare into Hamlet. We believed he saw his father’s ghostly image and we believed he truly loved Ophelia, even if it was a little too late. And to a degree we all knew he was losing his grip on reality.
The climax of the play led to major characters dropping like flies only within moments of each other. Drowning, drinking poisoned wine and cut with a poisoned rapier demonstrate the imagination and variety of ways an enemy can be dispatched. The flattest points of the play were the scenes excluding Hamlet as I felt it ran on for too long. Throughly enjoyable and a great production of Shakespeare’s work.
Also on the NTL future schedule is Frankenstein directed by Danny Boyle and King Lear, both of which sound promising.