Guildford Shakespeare Company - Hamlet

[NeilVHughes]

Hamlet
29-Jan - 19-Feb
Holy Trinity Church, Guildford.

Director: Tom Littler

Olivier Award-nominated actor Freddie Fox plays Hamlet. Recently seen as Mark Thatcher in The Crown (Netflix), Tony in The Pursuit of Love (BBC1) and Jeremy Bamber in White House Farm (ITV), his theatre credits include An Ideal Husband (West End); Romeo in Romeo and Juliet (Sheffield Crucible – for which he was nominated for the Ian Charleson Award) and Edmond de Bergerac (Birmingham Rep/UK tour).

Returning to Holy Trinity Church, Guildford Shakespeare Company’s production is directed by Tom Littler (She Stoops to Conquer, All’s Well That Ends Well), and uses live music to bring this heartbreakingly beautiful and stirring tragedy to rich and glorious life.


Really looking forward to this, Freddie Fox never disappoints and Tom Littler is one of the best if not the best current Director of Shakespeare.


On sale now.

[londonpostie]

Thanks, Neil.

Appears to be the venue: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_Trinity_Church,_Guildford  << link clearly wrong, can't make it better

[Jan]

A pity this does not seem to be transferring to Jermyn Street.

[NeilVHughes]

Also surprised no transfer seems to be on the cards especially as a Freddie Fox Hamlet could be quite special, for me he is one of the future stars of the Theatre but have a feeling he will likely be pulled down the Hiddleston/Cumberbatch path of TV and Film.

Also not easy to find, only found out from a Tweet from Tom Littler.

[lynette]

Would love to see this but too far…..yes a Jermyn St transfer would be nice.

[stevemar]

Thanks for mentioning this Neil. There’s no way I’d have noticed this without the great Theatreboard community.

It’s local to me, and I’ve booked. I have seen one of their productions at Guildford Castle Gardens before, which was good.

Here’s a link to this show: www.guildford-shakespeare-company.co.uk/

[Jan]

Dec 14, 2021 22:17:35 GMT stevemar said:

I have seen one of their productions at Guildford Castle Gardens before, which was good.

Tom Littler has directed several Shakespeare plays there. It is a surprise (or rather it isn't) the RSC have apparently never invited him to direct for them, he seems to be one of the few currently active directors actually committed to Shakespeare (like Simon Godwin). 


www.tomlittler.co.uk/productions/

[stevemar]

Well, we don’t know that they haven’t INVITED him to direct, but yes, they should be scouting and securing the best Shakespeare directors.

GSC is a community based company also, you’ll be pleased to know!

[Jan]

Dec 15, 2021 9:35:48 GMT stevemar said:

Well, we don’t know that they haven’t INVITED him to direct, but yes, they should be scouting and securing the best Shakespeare directors.

GSC is a community based company also, you’ll be pleased to know!

They are also pleasingly elitist - their production of "She Stoops to Conquer" transferred to the uber-exclusive and expensive Hurlingham Club in London in September where it played only to members for a week with no tickets on sale to the public at all. So, best of both worlds. 

[londonpostie]

Looking forward to a wander around the town followed a tasty matinee

Fwiw, 32 mins on the train from Waterloo - same as the Victoria Line from Brixton to Seven Sisters. Alternative is around the North Circ/M25 and down the A3 a bit.

[stevemar]

The cobbled High Street and lanes off it are nice, Castle Gardens (assuming it is still light - not clear if your wander was before or after a matinee) and also a small museum, plus across the river to the station. And it’s a shopper’s delight and pub crawl feast too…

[Jan]

I'm still very puzzled by this. I read an interview from some time ago with Freddie Fox who said his top acting ambitions were to play Hamlet, Hal, and Henry V. Given that it's hard to see why he's doing a reduced fringe-style Hamlet for a couple of weeks in Guildford which is apparently not transferring anywhere and for which they haven't even done very basic marketing. Given his profile it's obvious he could have lead a production at a bigger venue. I wonder if he, and Tom Littler maybe, are treating it as a "rehearsal" for a more major production elsewhere.

[NeilVHughes]

With you, Freddie to me is one of the best of the current generation of young actors, just pleased to get an opportunity to see him in the role but as you say could easily transfer.

Maybe he has a lot of film and TV work in the offing and this is a personal project which may be enhanced when time allows.

Playing Bottom in the Southwark Playhouse Dream a few years ago his transition to the Donkey was phenomenal, no prosthetics or costume change, he just became the donkey.

[stevemar]

This was an enjoyable Hamlet. Very atmospheric in the Holy Trinity Church Guildford with the stage jutting out from the rood screen, and use of the pulpit from time to time, Polonius played as a bishop and the cross silhouette very prominent. Live music (organ, Ophelia on the cello incorporated into the play, some piano/drums) added to the atmosphere too.

I don’t think there was anything startling about the characterisations and some of the acting was just serviceable, save Hamlet was more unstable and grief stricken/alcoholic than “mad”. Freddie Fox gave an energetic performance - more playful, selfish and showy, less depth compared to some Hamlets, but very watchable. To be fair, it was the performance I’d expected him to give, having seen him elsewhere.

The cast of 8 worked hard and there was good creativity given the lack of numbers - such as one player and the “audience” looking outwards as if watching a film of the players. But that showed how well something can be done without a huge cast. Well directed for this space.

And for me, far more interesting as an experience than the recent Royal Windsor Theatre (Sir Ian McKellen) or rather disappointing production at the Young Vic (where Cush Jumbo was the exception).

The interval was placed after Hamlet was banished to England (Act IV) rather than the closet/Gertrude scene - Polonius was off stage, so didn’t have to be “dragged off”. Meant a very short second half (about 45/50 minutes).

I’m pretty much with this review: www.theguardian.com/stage/2022/feb/09/hamlet-review-freddie-fox

Practical info: 2 hours 50m, but I think the interval was a little longer than expected (had to go to a separate building for facilities).