Waiting For Cumberbatch's Hamlet

[Matilda]

Teri Peterson, 39, a receptionist, has lived in rural Wisconsin her whole life. With the nearest theatres in Chicago or Milawaukee over a two hours drive away, Shakespeare performances are not always easy to access. But in October, she has tickets to Hamlet – almost 4,000 miles away from home.

As she says, this is no ordinary Shakespeare production. This will be Benedict Cumberbatch’s Hamlet at the Barbican, a show that over the past year has become one of the most talked-about theatre productions across the world.

When tickets first went on sale in August last year, it became the fastest selling show in London theatre history, with tens of thousands attempting to buy tickets and all 100,000 selling out in minutes. While the tickets retailed at around £65, they are now reselling online for upwards of £1,500. Each day the Barbican will release another 30 tickets priced at £10 for the production, and the actor’s peculiarly obsessive fans are expected to camp out at the Barbican nightly in a bid to get their hands on one. The first night is on Wednesday.

http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2015/aug/03/benedict-cumberbatch-hamlet-barbican-tickets-autograph

Hamlet is my favourite Shakespeare play, and I have already bought tickets to a screening of the Barbican production at my local cinema in November. I wish it were live, but this is as close as I’ll get. I never thought anybody would get close to Olivier in the role, but I think Cumberbatch could be one of the all-time great actors, so I’m eager to see what he does with it.

[shenmue]

1. Oh yeah!!

[villager]

2. At what age will he tackle "Lear!?"

[djean111]

3. Oh, I wish I could go!

Good to know there will be screenings here in the US.
I was first smitten with him when I saw Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.
snagfilms.com has Wreckers, one of his early films, if you have not seen it. Free site, amazing number of movies.

[Matilda]

5. The first thing I saw him in

was The Fifth Estate. Not a great film, but he could do an (almost) perfect Aussie accent – nobody can do that! Impressive!

Then came Sherlock, and I was hooked. Everything about that show is such a high standard, but his characterisation is superb.

I’ve had Hawking on my Quickflix list for months, and it never arrives. I’ve seen clips, and I’m so looking forward to it.

[niyad]

4. good to know some theatres will be screening it.

[Le Taz Hot]

6. So, I'm hoping that certain DUers aren't going to zap me for this

but I've heard some of his female fans are referring to themselves as "Cumberbitches."

[Matilda]

7. They do!

Apparently, he doesn't like it and prefers "Cumber Collective". More polite, but it hasn't got the same pizazz, has it?

[Orrex]

8. Seems a little old for Hamlet IMO

But Cumberbatch could perform a cellphone user agreement and make it compelling, so...

[Bluenorthwest]

9. He's 39, Olivier is 42 in his filmed Hamlet, Branagh was 39 in his film....Geilgud played it at 44

The amazing Simon Russell Beale Hamlet was 39....David Tennant, he was 38 I think.....


However you might like the casting as show in the poster for Cumberbatch as Hamelt. Shows the leading characters at table, portrayed by children.

[Orrex]

10. And in Olivier's Hamlet, his mom was 13 years younger than he was!

That particular kind of age-skewing is a frequent (and legitimate) complaint in modern film criticism, by the way. Angelina Jolie was 10 years younger than her son Colin Farrell in 2004's Alexander.

But Ethan Hawke was a 30-year-old Hamlet, and Mel Gibson was 34.

Clearly there's a long tradition of older actors playing the teenaged Hamlet, a la Beverly Hills 90120. I'd imagine that he's been cast that way for centuries.