I had the distinct honor and privilege of being able to watch West End’s live broadcasted production of Hamlet. The production featured Benedict Cumberbatch in the titular role and Ciaran Hinds as Hamlet’s uncle, the king. As someone who had never seen Hamlet performed before (though also as someone who is a fan of Shakespeare), I fell in love with the production.

Hamlet poster via National Theatre Live

Seeing Benedict Cumberbatch outside of his iconic role of Sherlock Holmes on BBC was riveting. He really pushed himself to his limits trying to understand this character and find a way to make Hamlet his own. One of the more memorable moments was right before he delivered his famous “to be or not to be” soliloquy, he marched on the tables in slow motion in an Elizabethan soldier’s uniform. I found the mix of 20th century modern and Elizabethan dress to be a bit confusing, but at the same time fitting to Hamlet’s bursts of outrage. I took this particular scene to be simply Hamlet simply emphasizing his madness by playing around as a soldier, but I’m still trying to find if there was any particular motivation behind this combination of old and new. Perhaps having Ophelia carrying around a camera and Horatio walking around in sneakers and a backpack was to make the audience feel more relatable to the material presented in the play? I’m still not entirely sure, but it was interesting to see these classic Shakespearean characters walk around in Converse sneakers and David Bowie t-shirts.

Also, the whole performance took place on a stationary stage, keeping the same background of the interior of a mansion. The whole stage was neat and pristine, adding staircases and side doors for different scenes that may have taken place in different locations entirely within the original play. I also loved the use of trap doors at the bottom of the stage, serving as a disappearance for Hamlet’s father’s ghost and Ophelia’s gravesite. By the beginning of the second act, the whole stage was covered in rubble  — this addition definitely added to the dark atmosphere the original play wanted to create.

Anastasia Hille and Benedict Cumberbatch on stage at the Barbican Theatre.

One thing that bothered me throughout viewing this production was the use of guns instead of swords. My ongoing fear with guns in any play, TV show, or movie is that they can be fired at any time. Luckily with this production, any time guns were used, they were for display or for threatening purposes. I get the need to use guns in a modern sense of defense, but Shakespeare most often used swords in his works. What was the use of having guns if the fight scene in the finale between Hamlet and Ophelia’s brother would still use swords? If the guns had been obliterated entirely, it would have been a much better production. There are other ways to include modern elements in a story, such as through the music and clothing.

Overall, seeing this production was an experience I’ll never forget. Watching one of my favorite stars take on such a demanding role was fantastic, and I can’t wait to see what else he has in store (hint: I’ll surely be watching his performance as Marvel’s Doctor Strange next year). And while Hamlet proved to be a great experience, my favorite Shakespearean play remains to be Othello.