Studying his text is all very well, but unless you are seeing it delivered as it was written to be performed 400 years ago, you are not experiencing it in any way close to how it should be
25th June 2025
“To be, or not to be: that is the question:
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them?”
A later than planned update today, caused in no small part to seeing a wonderful production of Shakespeare’s Hamlet at the Gatehouse Theatre, Stafford.
A modern reworking of this most famous of Shakespearean tragedies, this was the first time I’d returned to the play in over 40 years having studied it as part of my English literature course at Grammar school. Featuring modern costumes paired with the original text, the play was incredibly well-produced and acted, the sparse stage set, clever lighting and wonderful sound design, all helping to create a most engaging performance.
If tonight proved anything at all, it is that Shakespeare should be seen and not simply read. Studying his text is all very well, but unless you are seeing it delivered as it was written to be performed 400 years ago, you are not experiencing it in any way close to how it should be. I studied this play and yet I had no memory of what took place within it. Now that I have seen it on stage, I will remember clearly the story and in some cases the soliloquies that form such an important part of the play’s words and message.
Hamlet is a bleak story with an unremittingly downbeat final chapter, but despite that, the Gatehouse Theatre’s production brought in some humour that helped lighten the load, most notably the scene just before the final act in which a gravedigger, hands Hamlet Yorick’s skull. Completely at odds with the rest of the play, the digger sang “Another One Bites The Dust” as he dug, drinking Carlsberg lager along the way – all very funny and a much-needed break from the doom and gloom!
Tonight was a reminder of how much theatre can capture your imagination of hold your attention. The first Shakespeare play I’ve seen since As You Like It whilst still at school, I hope it won’t be my last. The next one is Richard III at the Gatehouse, which neither Liz or I studied. What better way to find out what it’s all about than seeing it on stage? Shall we say same time next year?
See you tomorrow.
SPENCER POLLARD'S KIT BOX 
Oh, you lucky one . . . and indeed, the Bard is best heard and seen – that is what he wrote for, not to be read silently in a closet . . . although that has its pleasures, too!
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