The Australian
November, 1979
It has been the custom in this century to regard Hamlet (written some
years ago by the late Mr. William Shakespeare) as the ideal vehicle for an actor
of considerable reputation to indulge in elaborate histrionics before an
audience who have come to the theatre more out of duty than desire.
No doubt there will be many who see the Old Vic Company’s Hamlet, which
began its Australian tour at Her Majestys, Melbourne, this week, as a cultural
chore. They are in for a surprise.
For a
change, we are treated to a serious exploration of the dramatic potential of the
plot, the interplay of characters and the conflict between pragmatic middle-age
and idealistic youth. Tony
Richardson has directed a powerful revenge tragedy about men who are ruthless in
the pursuit of power or the pursuit of vengeance.
Or, in the case of Hamlet himself, perhaps both.
The
conflict, in this production, is between Claudius who has murdered the king and
married his wife to become king himself, and Hamlet, the betrayed son and
rightful heir, very conscious of his rights and not about to give them up.
Claudius
(Julian Glover) is a Machiavellian intriguer who weaves elaborate plots to
dispose of his rival. Hamlet is
more subtle, more passionate and quite determined to dispatch the usurper of his
father’s throne and bed to eternal damnation.
Derek
Jacobi’s Hamlet has his moments of doubt and introspection but he is a young
man of many moods—engagingly tender with the bewildered Ophelia (Jane Wymark),
brimful of moral outrage toward his faithless mother (Brenda Bruce), but above
all decisive, purposeful, highly intelligent and disarmingly witty.
The
production concentrates less on the psychological exploration of Hamlet’s
character than on the inexorable movement of the action towards the final
catastrophe. It avoids the
trickiness and gimmickry too often employed in dubious attempts to tart up
Shakespeare for modern audiences.
For all its
conventionality, this Hamlet makes riveting theatre and confirms the view which
sees the play as the great masterpiece of English dramatic literature.
The entire cast combine to deliver the verse with clarity and conviction.
The emphasis is on psychological realism and not on flamboyant
histrionics or reverential awe.
Jacobi’s
performance is nothing short of brilliant, but it would be unfair to the rest of
the cast to suggest only that they ably support him.
This is thoughtfully integrated rendition in which every part contributes
to the success of the whole rather than one which provides a vehicle for a star
performer to dominate the others and the play itself.
Of course
Hamlet is the instigator of the action and its focus which is as it should be.
He is both the philosopher and the revenger, giving the play its
substance of profundity and dramatic action.
He is the sardonic humorist who scores off his elders, the contemptuous
young man who cannot respect or defer to the self-deceiving, the self-indulgent
or the self-seeking.