Robert Icke's Hamlet

Robert Icke’s production of Hamlet starring Andrew Scott at the Harold Pinter Theatre from the Almeida. I saw this play twice in its final weeks, and recently rewatched the filmed version from the BBC. All I can really say is this production was phenomenal. I have seen my fair share of Shakespeare adaptations in my life but this was by far the best. The actors performed with incredible subtlety, the language seemed so easily understandable and was the most naturalistic portrayal of Shakespeare I have ever seen. The actors brought out the reality in the play despite its melodramatic themes and the language seemed much more conversational rather than presentational, which was extremely effective considering it was Shakespeare dressed in a modern

He spoke the lines which have been repeated by thousands of performers throughout the years as if they were being thought of at that moment for the first time, completely taking Shakespeare’s genius as his own. He brought a fantastic element of comedy to the, seemingly, dramatic and tragic role - capturing some brilliant moments of constant laughter throughout the show. But Scott did not let the audience down with the classic moments of paranoia and melancholic scenes being delivered carefully and flawlessly. A truly remarkable and intelligent portrayal of the Danish Prince. Jessica Brown Findlay delivered a stunning portrayal of Ophelia, shown not as a naive and lovesick young girl but more as a woman whose love for a broken man and decisions regarding her loyalties led her into a situation which she could not save herself from. Ophelia’s descent into madness was tragically beautiful. The song she sings before her death created a chilling atmosphere throughout the audience, a moment frozen in time as we saw a character who was seemingly perfect, collapse into a terrifying image of madness and