Variety review of Hamlet - August 11, 2008 - David Benedict
"Even without its leading man, the new Royal Shakespeare Company
"Hamlet" would be a serious achievement. Designer Robert Jones
holds "the mirror up to nature" with his elegantly spare mirrored
back wall and floor, providing the perfect revealing, chilly arena for
Gregory Doran's unusually tense and clear production. All of which
comprises a perfect setting for David Tennant's galvanizingly taut lead
performance.
His
lean, spry Hamlet exudes youthful vigor and romantic passion, but the
characterization's hallmark is quick-witted intelligence, allowing
Tennant to illumine conflicting ideas at a gripping pace.
...the boyish-looking character' in a downstage cornel
ill-at-ease in a dark suit and staring determinedly through his champagne
flute to the floor, is Tennant's silently intent Hamlet.
His command of the language is highly distilled. Beautiful but
empty savoring of poetry is replaced by unusually dynamic, energized
phrasing. Tennant is not interested in slowing drama up to illustrate an
image, he's showing what his character is up to at any given moment. His
mind works very fast and he speaks at the speed of thought, keeping audiences
absolutely tied to his shifting perspective on Hamlet's predicament."