Does an age-blind Hamlet really work?

Hamlet

Until September 25 Theatre Royal Windsor theatreroyalwindsor.co.uk 01753 853 888

THE PRINCE of Denmark is one of those actor-defining roles. It’s a reflective look at power, and how it can corrupt.

But it’s usually a role given to someone in their 30s, with notable predecessors, including Richard Burton, David Tennant, Mel Gibson, local lad Kenneth Branagh and, of course, Laurence Olivier.

To see the role given to 82-year-old Sir Ian McKellan in an age-blind casting might seem weird, but audiences need to suspend their disbelief to accept that the stage is not just a stone’s throw from the Queen’s castle, but a court in Denmark.

Does it work? Well, the play’s the thing.

Sir Ian, who has had an incredible career, is mesmerising. Regardless of what else is happening on stage, notably from the visual opening with a cascade of brollies, right through to the bitter end, he commands your total attention.

He bounds around with a youthfulness that even a man in his 30s would struggle with, let alone a senior. It is an astonishing performance, capturing the unhinged nature of Hamlet.

And while Sir Ian might be the big name, it is a stellar cast all round: Frances Barber and Jenny Seagrove are just some of the stars in Windsor’s orbit.

The set is sparse, and industrial. It’s multi-level and dimly lit.

All the audience sees is a blank canvas to create their court, aided by a few props and steps leading up to a U-shaped gantry. It looks like something from The Crystal Maze – all that’s needed is for Richard O’Brien to come on asking for the fans to be started.

For those in the bleacher seats at either side of the stage, there will be moments when they have unparalleled access to the cast, while at times their vision is impaired by the action above them.

Woe betide any of them that nod off during a key moment: there’s no hiding place when you’re within touching distance of the action.

The big question is whether the age-blind approach to casting works.

Watching Shakespeare has always required leaps of the imagination – back in his day, male actors would play female roles and the company didn’t necessarily have costumes. There certainly wasn’t staging.

Asking the audience to accept that the actor playing

Hamlet is older than his compatriots is initially jarring but quickly overcome.

Hamlet is an unsettling story, a tale of different people’s motivations for power and what happens when that goes wrong. The Theatre Royal’s version is unsettling. It pushes boundaries and leaves us much to think about.

It is a masterclass in acting, a triumph in sound design and lighting, and a memorable night out.

Tickets have sold so well that the play’s run has been extended until September 25. There’s then a break before Francesca Annis, Sir Ian and Jenny Seagrove return for The Cherry Orchard.

Performances run from October 1 through November 13.

For more details, log on to www.theatreroyalwindsor. co.uk