 |
 |
Charing Cross Road WC2H 0DA
Map ©Silvermaze Ltd
2008
Photo ©Tony Reading
2008
|
Local Info Top Class restaurants nearby; Beotys (Greek & Trad English) 79 St Martin's Lane 020 7836 8768 Mon Plaisir (French) 21 Monmouth Street 020 7836 7243 Browns (British & European) 82 St Martin's Lane 020 7497 5050 |
|||||||||||||||||
| Book Now | Great Hotel Deals | |||||||||||||||||
This link takes you straight
to the
online booking page for this actual show! |
The Londontown online hotel booking service is the best one - backed by men and women on the phone who guide you to get the best central hotel for your needs and offer great deals as well. We use them ourselves. | |||||||||||||||||
| Taxis & Travel | Contact us | |||||||||||||||||
| This links you to the taxi page of Transport for London. |
 |
|||||||||||||||||
A note from the author We put this AVMovie together (a compilation of still photos and video clips) to show off London theatres as they are seen most often by theatre goers – by night. Thanks to Ben Shafik for his lighthearted and informative commentary and Fionn O'Lochlainn for the original music. Watch out for the new version with current liveries and the names of the theatres as they appear. Baxter |
||||||||||||||||||
Jude Law has prepared for this - reputedly for a year and now has the advantage to be working with Grandage because the more famous Kenneth Branagh pulled out of directing what is for him 'yet another hamlet' to concentrate on 'intense pre-production' for Marvel Comic's character 'Thor' and acting the part of a silent Swedish Police inspector Wallander in a series - until filming starts on Thor. This leaves Law and Grandage to focus their experience and talent on pulling off what is expected to be a ground breaking Hamlet. Together they chose Gugu saying after her feeling audition "That's our girl"
The Story
Hamlet, a romantic young prince of Denmark gets his inheritance of the throne seized by uncle Claudius who marries his mother with lightning speed as soon as the king is dead. He continues to travel and court Ophelia and lead a prince's life - all luxury and status and no affairs of the state to bother with. Although he is uncomfortable about the speed his mother married again he only becomes engaged in it being his problem when his father, ex King Hamlet appears to him as a ghost and incites him to avenge his death, saying that Claudius poisoned him.
Reluctant as he is to kill Claudius and be done with it, he enacts a play with a troupe of actors about the situation, hoping that Claudius will show guilt so he can then believe the ghost.. All that happens is that he shows his hand to Claudius who, being a good politician walks out of the play and sets people, including his friends Rosencranz and Guildenstern and his love Ophelia to spy on him.
This greatly increases his fear, misery and doubt, compounded by another appearance of his father's ghost to appeal to pride, rage and power lust - none of which seemed to come naturally to Hamlet. The ensuing reactions resulted in the end of the Danish ruling family altogether.
Cast
• Jude Law - Hamlet
• Gugu Mbatha-Raw - Ophelia
• Kevin R McNally - Claudius
• Penelope Wilton - Gertrude
• Jenny Funnell - player queen
• Ron Cook - Polonius
• Peter Eyre - King Hamlet's ghost
• Gwilym Lee - Guildenstern
• John MacMillan - Rosencrantz
• Matt Ryan - Horatio
• Alex Waldmann - Horatio
• David Burke - gravedigger 1
• Henry Pettigrew - Gravedigger 2
• Alan Turkington - Fortinbras / Fransisco
• Ian Drysdale - Osrick/Voltemand/Messenger.
• Director - Michael Grandage
• Designer - Christopher Oram
• Lighting Designer - Neil Austin
• Music & sounds Designer - Adam Cork
| © Covent-Garden.co.uk 2009 | Updated 12th May 2009 |