So as you all know i saw Hamlet on the 6th Janury i have written a review of the play and meeting David breifly

The Play is the thing
Review of Hamlet 8th Jan 2008.
It took 13 hrs to get from Inverness to London on the train but my god it was worth it. I didn’t want to sleep after the train so we went to the London dungeon and then found out hotel right on Drury lane. Spotted the Novllo and there was already a queue for returns at 3pm in the afternoon. This queue got bigger when we went back later or at least it looked like it.
We got there at about 6.45. We were sitting in the grand circle row H seats 1, 2 and 3 really good seats could see the whole stage. There wasn’t an empty seat around at all. The play just starts the lights are still up and the soldiers just come on stage, its one way to get the audience to gently stop talking. The stage looks much bigger than it is due to the mirrors and reflective surfaces. David moves on stage you wouldn’t know he was there really his back facing the audience watching what is going on around him. His arms around him then falling to the ground in tears. The suit looks too big on him but he looks handsome with slicked back hair and shoes. When he speaks for the first time you could hear a pin drop it’s that quiet. Everyone said how wonderful Ed was as Laertes but for me he wasn’t the impressive; he forgot lines and had to be audibly reminded of them by Patrick Stewart. But he didn’t leave me with an impression to be honest. David’s performance is fast passed and he shows a range of movement that I did not expect from him.
The scene where hamlet meets his father’s ghost and those leading up to it were fantastic his voice high pitched and breaking with emotion. I love Horatio I really do and Polonius/ Oliver ford Davies I’m sure was making it up as he went along. He made other cast members including David and Patrick Stewart laugh who then quickly composed themselves. His acting was brilliant and funny. I really liked when hamlet was going deeper into despair that he was speaking to him and then the audience and David was bouncing of what he was saying to him whether scripted or not.
The red t shirt with the rib lines on it looked like muscles on it really was just a lovely costume with the jeans rolled up and the bare feet. I swear my mind was in the gutter. Those jeans left nothing to the imagination. The deepening despair of Hamlet and the use of him on the stage alone giving and the use of pauses almost like he wants the audience to answer him, hand movements all added to the performance. I was on the edge of my seat for most of the play. When he came out in the tux he looked amazing he really suits it. And bare foot again ;-). I know I’m skipping ahead and this isn’t in complete order but I loved the players. I loved the play they did. I loved hamlet interrupting all the time to tell them what to do. David throwing himself on the floor asking ‘can I lay my head in your lap’ that got a laugh from the audience. Ophelia instantly plays with David’s Hair and I noticed and it stopped me from watching the other actors as David was constantly moving, drumming his hands and moving his feet etc during the play. The play its self had myself and the audience around me in stitches, I loved the love heart that turned into a slinky and loved watching Gertrude and Claudius squirm as they watched the play and Hamlets face when Claudius ends the play. Loved the wee kid that came on and served drinks. Loved when David took the crown and put it on then threw the tray and it was caught I wanted to cheer he then sat on the chair recently vacated by Claudius used the tray to play with his hair threw the crown so much that he was spiking it up in the space between it. The interval came with Hamlet standing over Claudius with the knife in his hand on his way to visit his mother.

The interval was interesting my mum was sitting next to a man who was complaining about David’s performance in fact his words were.” David Tennant seems to think he is on TV this is the theatre.” I asked him why he thought this, he said because “he isn’t projecting” I said to him that anyone who has at the front of the stage wasn’t as loud as other parts of the stage possibly this was because it wasn’t miked up as well who knows.” He looked at me and smiled and said “His hamlet is very good if not a little to inner turmoil for him.” Each to their own.

Second half took up from the exact position we left them in. Hamlet then moves into the scene with his mother. This scene is truly fantastic I can’t think of another word to use. Both David and Penny Downie as Gertrude gave brilliant performances. Hamlet is so full of rage and anger at the start. I wonder if Gertrude was as much aware of what Claudius was up to then we think she did. She is concerned for her son, she genuinely loves him but i think she really loves Claudius as well she is in a difficult position then again her husband was dead 2 months and she was married again. Again i was on the edge of my seat david was moving around well if i hadn’t known he had just had an operation on his back then i wouldn’t have known. He jamp on and off the bed lay on her. I did notice penny kept wanting to touch his back and she did but then moved it very quickly not sure if this was subconscious or not. She looked scared of what her son was going to do this I guess was the point. The arrival of the ghost was brilliant the braking of the lamp and the performance David Gave trying to convince his mother of what was happening was just astounding. When the light went out and the gun shot went off there was a collective noise from the audience loved the effect of the gun shot on the set the cracked glass and its almost as if they forget about Polonius being dead. The scene with hamlet allowing his mother to comfort him was again well acted Hamlet really needed a hug from his mum its almost as if he needed the affection to move on. The kiss was like an afterthought but again needed.
Ophielie needs special mention for the brilliantness of her performance, she deepens into madness strips of all her clothes and sings to the king. The performance gave me Goosebumps i was caught up in her performance which i guess is as it should be.
David being strapped to the chair was just a funny scene had the whole audience in stiches his comedic timing is fantastic. There were doctor moments but i found more campbell from taking over the asylum than Doctor in his hamlet. When they take of the tape from his mouth the noise he makes is genious. When the push him off the stage in the chair the Weeeee got a big laugh from the audience. Opheilias death and funeral started off with the alas poor yorick, i loved the grave digger and the random skulls. Hamlets face when he discovers that it is ophelia who is dead is heartbreaking. Horatio was there to look after Hamlet keeping him hidden and pulling him back. David jamp over the grave he did a one handed press up over it which i wasnt expecting at all. He says that he really did love her and i truley believe that had he not found out what happened to his father then they would have had the happy ending. The sword fight was brillient fast pased, david wore a white zip up top that is used for fencing he was nible around the stage and i imagine he had a lot of fun blocking that scene. Gurtrudes death is all the sadder because Hamlet dosent really notice that she is dieing as he is celebrating his win. When he does notice davids eyes which always get me were so full of emotion. The death of Claudius is fast far faster than that of his wife. The death of Lucianus was sad and for me by far his best. But for me the death of hamlet brought me to tears. I was really on the edge of my seat. He just gave up really didnt he he has lost everyone he cares about , his father, mother ophelia all gone.
I started the standing ovation in my rown and david came out twice both times looking quite emotional.

I ran to the stage door and i was so lucky to see david come out. I got his on the head by a pap wiht his camera so i pushed him out of the way and asked david if he would sign my program he signed it and i said thank you very much and he looked at me and smiled i smiled back but my god my heart melted, he looked tired but enthusiastic. That made my night and infact my trip (even though we went to oliver the next night and met rowan atkinson)
His hamlet is so many different things he is funny, sad, depressed, disparing, angry, emotional whitty and so much more. I would recomend hamlet to anyone i truley loved it and i for one think it was worth the 12 hrs down and back with no sleep. I will be getting tickets to see him in his next play.
I have a couple of pics i took they arent fantastic but they are still david ;-?)




^Who sidies