Writer: William Shakespeare
Director: Richard Cheshire
It’s been 17 years since Stafford Gatehouse produced Hamlet for it’s Shakespeare Festival, this year starring local Benedict Shaw as the starring role. The Gatehouse Theatre has shaken up the annual production, not just producing its first trategy since Freedom Leisure moved the festival indoors, but also shines a light on a lot of local talent.
After directing the theatres’ pantomime for the last couple of years, Richard Cheshire takes the helm to direct. Cheshire joins the language, with a number of traditional techniques, while blending that with some modernist touches – notably through costume design by Patrick Connellam and the use of both recorded and love video by Bethany Thompson. It creates a bold, compelling production that grips you throughout.
Connellan also creates the set for the production. Three tall bookcases tower the stage pivoting into different angles and positions creating different levels of dephs to the stage; from the confines of a chapel to a grand bedroom. With the hints of silver within the bookcases and a rotting brass frame at the centre of the stage, it gives a feeling of both grandeur and eeriness. Barry Smith’s hazy lighting reflects off the metalic set to create a visually stark production.
The use of Thompson’s video is clever, capturing key moments and reactions while adding unique context for this production too – notably when Claudius and Polinious watch over Hamlet talking to Ophelia following ‘To be or not to be’ and a cough causes Hamlet to realise he is being watched. This added context creates not just a realisation of Ophelia’s betrayal of Hamlet’s trust but also a sudden realisation he must perform to the madness he’s labelled as.
Benedict Shaw’s Hamlet starts as a somewhat recluse, wanting to stand up for what’s right yet not quite finding his voice to do it. It is instead the betrayal by many of those around him and an intense study of how the King Player portrays emotion through performance does his own quest to avenge his father’s death become more tactical.
This continues into Act Two, where Hamlet’s where the motive switches instead to internal rage and sense of powerlessness which start to tear him apart, showing how internal anger, rather than madness, can swallow up and destroy someone. It’s a refreshing take on Shakespeare’s most famous tragedy.
Standing loyal to Hamlet is Alex Wadham’s Horatio. Light-hearted and loyal, the warmth between Wadham and Shaw is a compelling connection that continues and creates a moving closing moment.
On the opposite side, you have Sean O’Callaghan as Claudius, pompous and cocksure, O’Callaghan treds a fine light between deliberate gloating and a persona of care.
Luca’s Elliot’s music is mostly used to keep tension between scene changes. While it would have been beneficial to enhance the lengh of the music to fully cover set changes completely, it is nonetheless, very complementary to the production.
Running at just over 2.5 hours including interval, this compact and tense production gets you hooked. Featuring an epic swordfighting finale and an all round talented company, this is a fine example of why Staffordshire is known as the creative county.
| Value for Money Comments: |
| A gripping production, priced at £34 (£28.50 concessions available) |
🎁This production was gifted in exchange for a fair and balanced review 🎁
The Theatre Twittic 
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