Hamlet, RSC, Nottingham Royal Theatre

To sea or nor to sea- that is the question

Shakespearean traditionalists should give this a wide berth, the Court of Elsinore is now to be found on a ship.under  Rupert Goold’s  Captainship as director.

No expendse is spared, A roiling wake of waves down-stage (video design: Akhila Krishnan) makes the play seem to be sailing towards us, while the deck (designer: EsDevlin) sways and sometimes violently lurches. Will poison do for them- or seasickness?

There is textual precedent, Four characters are put to sea (in this version, corpses also get a naval burial) and fear is expressed at the number of “shipwrights” working in Norway to prepare its invasion of Denmark. Speeches are given a nautical twist “chamber” becomes cabin, “earth” is overtaken by “sea”. Ingenuity is required to explain why Yorick’s skull is not in the drink with the rest of him and the biggest loss is Gertrude’s haunting speech about Ophelia’s river death. Here, she just goes over the edge. Bold ideas include  a red digital onstage clock, “witching hour” signalled as 00:00 The whole play takes place during one long night.

 Ralph Davis’Hamlet, is terrific, closing the first act with the “To be soliloquy” , the entire   audience were mouthing the words in case he forgot any of them

Raymond Coulthard’ Claudius exudes the sexual and political ruthlessness of a man willing to kill for a crown and to keep it, Poppy Miller , as Gertrude, is the surprise star poised then unravelling as, her  growing guilt of having betrayed both son and husband bites.  

Richard cant’s Polonius is strikingly more dapper diplomat than the standard windbag with a touch of Peter Mandelson thrown in

The unravelling of Georgia Mae Myers ‘Ophelia is   exquisite but here she drowns at sea rather than in a river resulting in Gertrude’s beautiful eulogy being cut. That is not the only change. Polonious is killed bya  gunshot from hamlet rather than  a rapier thrust to an unknown behind the arras resulting in the “Dead for a ducat” line disappearing.

Performing the play in this magnificent theatre which existed  during the new 1914 timeline was a treat. The Georgian costuming was a delight, none more so than Gertrude wearing a sumptuous long ivory skirt and bodice, and lace top latterly stained with Polonious’ blood.

 every Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (or vice versa) are shadowed by the Stoppard spin-off,

Including interval the show runs for two hours and forty minutes but is unevenly split, one hour twenty five minutes versus fifty five minutes. Th evening runs like a greatest hits show a scene after iconic scene unfolds.

This is a must see  for all who do not like to see Shakespeare messed around with.