Attending last night’s performance of Hamlet was a truly unforgettable experience. The play was a screening of the production from the National Theatre in London starring Benedict Cumberbatch as Hamlet. I had read Hamlet in high school but never seen it performed, so I was excited to see how this production would bring Shakespeare’s classic to life.

The one thing that initially surprised me about the production was its mixing of different time periods in the costuming of the characters. The first scene opened with Hamlet listening to big band music on a record player, and many of the characters including the King and Queen were dressed in 1940s era clothes. Hamlet, however, wore sneakers and a hooded sweatshirt for most of the play, and his friend Horatio had tattoos and a backpack. I’m not sure what the significance of these costume designs was supposed to be, but I was surprised at how smoothly I felt the words of the play fit into a more modern setting.

For me the highlight of the performance was Cumberbatch’s brilliantly nuanced portrayal of Hamlet, in which he was able to show both Hamlet’s overpowering grief for his father and his humorous side in the comic scenes. My favorite scenes were a few of his soliloquys during which the lights would focus on him while the rest of the cast was moving in slow motion in the darkness behind him. I felt this staging beautifully emphasized how Hamlet’s internal struggles alienated him from those around him.

Watching this production gave me a new appreciation for this classic, and reminded me that reading Shakespeare can never compare to seeing it performed on a stage.