Last night I drove Andrea and Tilly to Warwick Arts Centre where we went to see a play called; ‘Hamlet: The Clown Prince.’ Put on by The Theatre Company of Mumbai, the play has won prestigious awards in India, and is now on an international tour.
I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. Cheek by Jowl’s Russian Tempest was not the finest theatrical experience I have ever had, and as we drove to the venue I wondered what I had signed us up for, and hoped there would be an interval in case we needed to escape.
As it transpired, there was no interval, so it was a good job that all three of us loved it.
It is a, thankfully, brutally edited version of the story of Hamlet, performed by a group of clowns in full fig. There is enough English dialogue for you to work out what is going on, and the rest is a kind of gibberish, which sounds fluent and real, and with enough physical clowning, actually makes sense.
It was very funny indeed, but there were moments where you were totally brought up short by tiny but intense hits of seriousness. Ophelia’s madness was particularly affecting, as was their version of the ‘to be or not to be’ soliloquy.
The play lasts an hour and a half, and if you have any interest in Hamlet at all, but like your theatre accessible and not four hours long, you will love it.
We did.
It will be at the Hackney Empire in London from Wednesday 23rd to Saturday 26th March.
I can see how you would be a leetle concerned but glad it all turned out ok. So, what’s next then – Macbeth in Mandarin on motorbikes?
This is the best blog on the whole of the internet. The BEST in every way!!
That sounds fabulous. Have I already recommended Slings & Arrows to you? Three season tv show about a Canadian Shakespeare company. Soapy and funny and Shakespearean!
Sharon
That sounds cool. We should definitely find out if there is a version.
Anna C
Thank you
Nimble
My lovely friend Bronxbee sent it to me. I love it.x