|
 Cumberbatch, 39, star of the BBC TV series "Sherlock" who has
become one of Britain's biggest sex symbols, had all the energy
Hamlet required but little subtlety, said Kate Maltby in a tepid
review entitled "What a waste! It's Shakespeare for the kids."
The early verdict caused anger in an industry that uses previews
to tune performances and fix production issues before facing the
press at the official opening night.
"Really shoddy journalism for the Times to review the first
preview of Hamlet. Breaks all boundaries of protocol, taste and
art. Bad form," actor Samuel West tweeted.
Producers Sonia Friedman Productions said no critics were
granted access to the first preview of Hamlet.
"There has been some reporting to the contrary," it said in a
statement. "Our opening night remains August 25."
Maltby said the Times had been made aware another newspaper,
which she declined to name, had been granted access to the
production in return for favorable coverage, and she was
therefore offering an early independent review.
[to top of second column] |
However, perhaps mindful that "the lady doth protest too much," she
conceded to BBC radio there was "something very unfair about giving
a final verdict on a production on the first day."
She said the decision to move "to be or not to be," Shakespeare's
most famous soliloquy, to the opening from its position in the
middle of the play was "indefensible."
She was not the only journalist in the audience on Wednesday for a
run that sold out nearly a year ago, forcing bereft fans to camp out
for hours to get one of the few tickets released every day.
Daily Mail columnist Jan Moir also attended the preview at the
Barbican Theatre as did the Telegraph, which posted a "first look."
Moir, who awarded the production five stars, said Cumberbatch
"walked in the footsteps of the greats with his electrifying
performance."
(Editing by Stephen Addison)
[© 2015 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2015 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |
