Was Hamlet mad? Discuss.
Prepare to move between several realities. Sam Blythe – a patient in a mental hospital, his treasured possessions in an old, battered trunk. The most precious: a notebook about Hamlet (with a Welsh flag on the cover). And a red clown nose (or two or three).
Using the red nose as a combination of clowning and magic trick, Blythe transforms into Hamlet, delivering all the pithy speeches of the play with searing clarity and an intimacy well suited to the space. Described as an “elastic-bodied reimagining of Hamlet”, this performance brings the text to vivid life. Blythe‘s performance is electric.
The juxtaposition of the brilliant depiction of Hamlet contrasted with the anxious, slightly lost Blythe in the hospital helps narrow the focus. We‘re not seeing a performance of Hamlet. We‘re getting into Hamlet‘s mind.
The play might be more immediately accessible if you‘re one of those who did the Dane to death at school, but if not, then it‘s a cracking introduction.
Was Hamlet mad? See this play first. Then discuss.
Performed by Sam Blythe, written by Shakespeare, adapted by Andrew Cowie, and co-directed by Elf Lyons.
The Chapel at Courtyard of Curiosities until 2 March.
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