A question of Shakespearean sanity with Benedict Cumberbatch
One would be hard pressed to find a more British name for an actor than Benedict Cumberbatch. The very name conjures up images of a serious Shakespearean actor, with a deep, mellifluous voice and a commanding stage presence.
Luckily for audiences around the world, Benedict Cumberbatch lives up to his grandiose name, wowing critics and viewers alike with his towering performance in 2015’s National Theatre Live airing of Shakespeare’s great tragedy, Hamlet.
For those unfamiliar with the plot, a country arms itself for war while a family tears itself apart. Forced to avenge his father’s death but paralyzed by the task ahead, Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, rages against the impossibility of his predicament, threatening both his sanity and the security of the state.
Even so, director Lyndsey Turner tinkers with the production to make it both unexpected and politically relevant to modern times. “This is a Hamlet for a world on the edge: a warning from history, and a plea for new ideas from a new generation,” notes Variety’s Matt Trueman.
The original broadcast, which was seen by 750,000 people worldwide, is coming back to theaters for an encore performance this Thursday evening with Cumberbatch in the title role and supported by a top notch cast.
To see or not to see...that is not really a question. Go ahead and see it.
Hamlet
Thursday, 7 p.m.
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