The Gothic Times

Issue date: 11/25/09 Section: Entertainment

Media Credit: Broadwayworld.com Jude Law as Hamlet

In the new production of Hamlet at the Broadhurst Theatre in New York, Jude Law dons the title role of Shakespeare's famous hero - a melancholy prince bent on avenging his father's murder. Directed by Michael Grandage, the production is a bleak, minimalist approach to the four hundred year-old play. But does it work?

Visually, it's arresting. The set is stripped-down and prison-like with stone walls, barred windows, and dramatic beams of light. At one point, Law delivers the famed "To be, or not to be" speech as snow falls on the bare stage.

These striking visuals coupled with a brooding, prerecorded soundtrack certainly do lend to creating a rich atmosphere.

Law's performance is solid, playing the lead character with volcanic impulse. Weighty lines like "Frailty, thy name is woman," roll off his tongue with ease, and he so immerses himself in the character that one easily forgets that they are watching a famous movie star at work.

Unfortunately, much of the supporting cast is lackluster at best. Actors stand idly aside whilst Law delivers his lines, totally detached from the world of the play.

At times the play is almost over rehearsed, lacking the sense of energy, immediacy, and spontaneity that defines its leading man.

This is by no means a bad production of Hamlet, but it is certainly not the mind-blowing theater experience it paints itself to be.

If you're looking for a fresh and unique retelling of the story - look elsewhere. Hearing some of the most beautifully written lines delivered by Jude Law's vulnerable and passionate version of Hamlet, however, is well worth the ticket price.

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