Hamlet – Lazarus Theatre Company / Southwark Playhouse, London

An innovative approach to rethinking Hamlet presents its own challenges for the ensemble cast of the Lazarus Theatre Company.

Hamlet, Lazarus Theatre Company Style

The last time I saw Hamlet I was saying how I’m at a stage where I’m looking for productions that are a bit different. Hamlet is often a star vehicle, with someone in the lead role showcasing their talents, and then the rest. I think this is the most boring way to stage this particular play, as people tend to take fewer chances when they feel it’s all on their shoulders. So when I went to see Hamlet at the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse last year, I was delighted by how George Fouracres mined a much darker scene for his Prince of Denmark. This week I had the opportunity to see a Hamlet which has torn up the rule book entirely.

The Lazarus Theatre Company reimagine and revitalise classic plays. We’ve seen their Doctor Faustus and Salomé, both at the Southwark Playhouse. This is an even closer collaboration, a co-production between Lazarus and the Southwark Playhouse’s Shakespeare for Schools project. Lazarus Artistic Director Ricky Dukes, per a note in the programme, went on a much more professional version of my armchair musings about adding something new to Hamlet. With a group of young actors on hand, and a need to keep to a short and snappy rep-length production, the idea of stripping out characters to make Hamlet an ensemble piece was born.

What does that mean in practice? Primarily it’s that the older characters simply aren’t on stage. Gertrude (Hamlet’s mother). Claudius (his uncle/stepfather). Polonius (an old man who waffles on a lot and gets stabbed). The trade off to losing the verbose Polonius is that you also lose the Gravedigger, often an audience favourite. But them’s the breaks. Losing all of these characters at once presents an issue at times in terms of important exposition and plot points. So instead we have ‘The Voice’ (Micha Colombo), a disembodied one coming from the sky Big Brother-style. Otherwise the production is styled as a theatre workshop, the set stripped right back to a few minimal props and some creative lighting and audio rigs.

Elsinore Without The Grown-Ups

So then, what do these sweeping and visionary changes mean in practice for this production of Hamlet? For me it’s a story of trade-offs, and I will take two examples to illustrate what I mean.

Firstly there’s the pace. We learned previously that there isn’t one accepted version of Hamlet anyway and all directors make choices. But at 90 minutes compared to 3-4 hours, the changes here are noticeable. Possibly (although maybe not?) this Hamlet is easier for those who have seen a standard version before. There have clearly been difficult decisions to make. Some longer scenes have stayed in (like the ghost, who demonstrates just how far the ensemble concept can go). In other places it feels slightly rushed.

This seemed to impact the delivery on the night I saw it. While this is an ensemble piece, the character of Hamlet himself is still inevitably a big one. Michael Hawkey, making his professional debut, is best when he has space to slow down and savour the lines. It’s here that we get beneath the surface of his petulant Prince of Denmark to the good stuff. In the sequences where things are moving along more quickly, we can lose a bit of clarity in his diction and thus the impact and insight into his character.

The second point I would like to make here is about what you trade off when you remove a swathe of characters. Sometimes this helps roles that can be swamped in a traditional production to shine. I thought Kalifa Taylor, as the First Player, was a real stand-out. This adaptation allowed her to properly take the stage, an opportunity which she owns, holding the audience in the palm of her hand as she shows off her acting skill to the young prince.

On the other hand, Lexine Lee as Ophelia has her work cut out for her. The thing about Ophelia is that her madness and eventual suicide is the result both of Hamlet’s treatment of her and the loss of her father. Her father doesn’t appear in this version, and her interactions with Hamlet are reduced. My sense is that Lee is also an excellent actor, and she is able to bring us along on Ophelia’s journey. But the challenge is perhaps greater than for a traditional Ophelia.

Final Thoughts

So we know it’s a truly innovative take on a classic. And we know something about the trade-offs involved in making such a big change. But what’s the verdict? Should you be booking your ticket to the Lazarus Theatre Company’s Hamlet?

In this reviewer’s opinion, you absolutely should. Whether you’re like me and looking for a fresh take, or whether you’re new to this whole Shakespeare business and want to try it out in a shorter and more contemporary format, this Hamlet meets a wide range of audience needs. The quality of acting belies how many of the cast are making their professional debuts. And other than the central premise itself, there are innovative touches which make this an exciting production. Watch out for the ‘play within a play’, whose exaggerated costumes (Sorcha Corcoran) and stylised acting make it a standout amongst Hamlets as well as a nice moment of comic relief. The use of technology in the duel and in Ophelia’s death scene is also ingenious.

It’s important to support original work where we find it, particularly in Shakespeare whose timeless themes can still teach us so much. Personally, I would trade off a production which pushes the boat out like this against another polished star vehicle Hamlet, any day. On for one more week at the Southwark Playhouse so get booking!

Salterton Arts Review’s rating: 3.5/5

Hamlet on until 4 February 2023, more information and tickets here