Performing Hamlet: Actors in the Modern Age

by Jonathan Croall

Hamlet is arguably the most famous play on the planet, and the greatest of all Shakespeare's works. Its rich story and complex leading role have provoked intense debate and myriad interpretations.

To play such a uniquely multi-faceted character as Hamlet represents the supreme challenge for a young actor. Performing Hamlet contains Jonathan Croall's revealing in-depth interviews with five distinguished actors who have played the Prince this

Jude 'You get to speak possibly the most beautiful lines about humankind ever given to an actor.'

Simon Russell 'Hamlet is a very hospitable it will take anything you throw at it.'

David 'No other part has been so satisfying. It was tough, but utterly compelling.'

Maxine 'Hamlet was a way of accessing bits of me as an actress I've not been able to access before.'

Adrian 'Working with Peter Brook on Hamlet changed me as an actor, and for the better.'

The book benefits from the author's interviews with six leading directors of the play during these Greg Doran, Nicholas Hytner, Michael Grandage, John Caird, Sarah Frankcom and Simon Godwin. Many other productions are described, from those starring Michael Redgrave, Alec Guinness and Paul Scofield in the 1950s, to the performances of Benedict Cumberbatch, Andrew Scott and Paapa Essiedu in recent times. The volume also includes an updated text of the author's earlier book Hamlet Observed , and an account of actors' experiences of performing at Elsinore.

208 pages, Paperback

Published August 23, 2018

Reviews

[Justin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A page-turning reveal of the major English productions of Hamlet from 1950 to the modern age. From Alec Guinness to Benedict Cumberbatch. The actors and directors reveal how they approached the role and how each production built upon and differed from the others. And whether they failed or succeeded.
I loved this, I've been captivated by this play since I was 14 and I always will be. This book was pure sugar for me.

[Brian Page · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jonathan Croall’s Performing Hamlet: Actors in the Modern Age delivers a wonderful account of the many ways that the play has been interpreted since the 1950s. So if, like me, you’ve seen the play only a few times, it’s an amazing revelation. I was particularly struck by the several non-traditional performances – like in an insane asylum, or with Hamlet possessed by his father’s spirit Voodoo style. Anyway, this is a charming book sure to entertain & inform any lover of the bard.

[Mark Ludmon · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting catalogue of performances of Hamlet from the 1950s to the 2010s. It relies a lot on critics’ reviews of the performances and, by the book’s nature, omits more contextual detail about the productions but it is a useful resource and record. It also benefits from insights from some of the actors and directors.