Hamlet
Knowsley Hall
Named after the company that William Shakespeare worked for as an actor and playwright, the all-male theatre company The Lord Chamberlain’s Men has performed Shakespeare’s plays as close to the original presentation as possible for the last 20 years. Touring throughout Europe, the company performs in the open air wearing Elizabethan costumes and features music and song within the performances. As an all-male group, any female roles are played by the men, as would have been the case in Shakespearean England.
For their 2024 production, the The Lord Chamberlain’s Men are taking on arguably Shakespeare’s greatest tragedy; Hamlet. Telling the story of Hamlet, The Prince of Denmark, the play is a classic tale of betrayal, revenge, and madness.
After returning to Denmark to attend his father’s funeral, Hamlet discovers his uncle Claudius has married his mother Gertrude, and usurped the throne. A visit by the ghost of his deceased Father encourages Hamlet to feign madness to discover the truth about his father’s death. Of course, in typical Shakespearean tragedy, Hamlet’s actions result in the deaths of most characters, himself included.
This was our first time watching any production of Hamlet (Disney’s The Lion King aside), but everything about this show was superb. Staged in the picturesque gardens at Knowsley Hall, an estate that undoubtedly hosted Shakespeare, even the best attempts of the Great British weather were not enough to dampen our enjoyment.
Hamlet is often referred to as a confusing play, and one of the more complex pieces of Shakespearean literature (in part probably due to so many versions existing even in the Elizabethan period), but from the opening scenes we knew this would be an accessible piece of theatre.
Walking out to perform an opening a cappella number, the cast quickly took to an elevated stage. This was a nice addition to the production as outdoor performances can be notoriously difficult to watch given the multitude of deckchairs and seating arrangements.
The staging itself was minimalistic. Before the start of the show, one audience member who sat near us described it as a grey box which while an accurate description fails to capture how versatile the set was. Moving doors, multiple levels, and various ways on and off the stage meant this became a dynamic space, with the cast requiring no additional sets and very few props. The scenes featuring the play-within-a-play, the graveyard scene, and the murder of Polonius used the stage to particularly great effect.
The cast are undoubtedly the star of this show. Hal Geller was fantastic as Hamlet. His portrayal of Hamlet’s inner turmoil, especially during the famous soliloquies, was masterful. The delivery of the ‘To be, or not to be’ line could easily have been overplayed, as too could the ‘Alas poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio’ line given their iconic nature, but each was delivered with a sincerity and emotional depth that resonated with the audience. The existential crisis of Hamlet when watching the players perform was also delivered brilliantly. The complexity of the character was never lost, and performed with absolute perfection.
Thomas Delacourt as Claudius was also fantastic. The fleeting moments of remorse, coupled with the charismatic manipulation of other characters (especially Laertes) were outstanding. We left unsure whether or not we felt sorry for Claudius, which shows how successfully Delacourt amalgamated the different aspects of the character; fratricide aside, was Claudius all bad?
Additionally, Thomas Delacourt played the role of the ghost of Hamlet’s Father. Wearing a full face covering and armour, Delacourt was poised yet fluid in his movements around the stage. The emptiness created by the covering of his face was quite unsettling, especially with the setting sun casting additional shadows.
Stefan Brennan-Healy and Mark Milligan took on the female characters of Gertrude and Ophelia. Both avoided an over-emphasized change in pitch and brought a huge amount of intangible qualities to their respective roles. Milligan’s delivery of Ophelia’s descent into true madness and handing out the different flowers following the death of Polonius was mesmerising. We could be wrong, but we don’t believe Milligan blinked once (or if he did it was perfectly in time with our own), which gave a distinct ethereal presence to the performance. Brennan-Healy meanwhile had an unspoken nurturing element within their delivery. The dynamic between Gertrude and Hamlet was particularly well-acted, especially Gertrude’s death.
The remaining cast Edward Bartram as Polonius, Huw Brentnall as Horatio and Guildenstern, and Tom Canavan as Laertes and Rosenrantz were also all excellent in their portrayal of the different characters.
The casting for this production felt perfect and all the actors worked extremely well together. Due to the weather, there was a moment where Hal Geller nearly slipped over, and later in the production part of a costume fell off onto the stage floor. Neither of these incidents caused any of the actors to react. In the latter, picking up the costume piece was integrated seamlessly into the scene exit of Thomas Delacourt. The trust and confidence each actor had in one another made for a refined performance.
The finale of the fencing scene, and subsequent deaths, perfectly illustrated the trust the cast had in one another. The fencing between Hamlet and Laertes was both vigorous and lithe and contained some of the quickest blade motions we have ever seen on a stage. At times we felt as though we were no longer watching a play and instead were truly watching an outstanding fencing match. We knew what the eventual ending would be, but the parries and counter-parries were mesmerising.
The Lord Chamberlain’s Men pride themselves on providing an authentic Shakespearean experience, including Elizabethan costuming. The costumes designed by Amy Yardley were incredibly effective and reflective of the story. Hamlet, Gertrude and Claudius all had costumes constructed of more luxurious fabrics, such as velvet or brocade, that were all dark in colour. Ophelia however, had a costume designed in a lighter fabric with a paler hue.
The direction by Peter Stickney was impressive. All of the directorial choices made had to work in a variety of weather, different outdoor settings, and different lighting situations. We likely had the most extreme outdoor weather possible with a mix of torrential rain and drizzle, but we never once felt as though the production was compromised or that elements had been adapted to account for the weather.
Overall, this was an absorbing watch with some fantastic acting. Whilst the weather may have tried to dampen the mood, we were so engrossed in the production that we didn’t notice the rain once the cast took to the stage. As our first theatrical watching of Hamlet, this will take a lot to beat.
Tickets to this show were £18 per person, with a bring-your-own chair / picnic facility. We will definitely be looking to watch more productions at Knowsley Hall, just hopefully with a bit of sunshine next time!
Full details of The Lord Chamberlain’s Men, their production of Hamlet and future upcoming shows can be found on their website. Hamlet is touring until 19 September 2024, with upcoming Northwest shows at Calderstones Park on 13 August 2024 and Arley Hall and Gardens on 15 August 2024.
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