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  • RSC brings Hamlet, Dream and Shrew to London

    09 Jun 2008

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    The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) has announced it will return to the Novello later this year to play a winter season, transferring productions of Hamlet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream and The Taming Of The Shrew. Read more


Hamlet

Showing at: Novello Theatre

Box Office: 0844 482 5135

Age: General

Genre: Shakespeare

David Tennant and Patrick Stewart star in the Royal Shakespeare Company production of Hamlet, Shakespeare's famous tragedy.

In Elsinore, Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, grieves for his father. His mother has already re-married, taking Hamlet's uncle Claudius for a husband. When the ghost of Hamlet's father appears one night and tells his son a tale of betrayal, the young prince sets about seeking vengeance, feigning an 'antic disposition' in order to get to the truth. Shakespeare's great play explores themes of revenge, madness and corruption.

Tennant is best known for his current TV role as Dr Who, though he has numerous stage credits including playing Romeo for the Royal Shakespeare Company and appearing in The Pillowman at the National Theatre.

Stewart, who plays Claudius, is also well known for a sci-fi role, playing Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation. An RSC veteran, he has recently appeared in Macbeth, The Tempest and Anthony And Cleopatra in London.

The cast also includes Mariah Gale as Ophelia, Oliver Ford Davies as Polonius and Penny Downie as Hamlet's mother Gertrude.

RSC Chief Associate Director Gregory Doran has previously brought productions of Antony And Cleopatra, A Midsummer Night's Dream and Othello to London. His other work includes The Canterbury Tales and the York Mystery Plays.

This production of Hamlet comes to London after a much-anticipated, sell-out run in Stratford-Upon-Avon.

Following surgery for a prolapsed disc, David Tennant returns to the production for its final London week. His health will be monitored daily, so theatregoers are advised to check www.rsc.org.uk for the latest information.


Performance Details

  • previews from: 03 Dec 2008
  • opening night: 09 Dec 2008
  • closing: 10 Jan 2009

show times: Mon-Sat 19:15

ticket prices: £10-£40 (previews £5-£25)

cast: David Tennant, Patrick Stewart, Penny Downie, Oliver Ford Davies, David Ajala, Sam Alexander, Edward Bennett, Ricky Champ, Ewen Cummins, Robert Curtis, Tom Davey, Peter De Jersey, Samuel Dutton, Ryan Gage, Mariah Gale, Mark Hadfield, Jim Hooper, Keith Osborn, Roderick Smith, Andrea Harris, Riann Steele, Zoe Thorne, John Woodvine

author: William Shakespeare

director: Gregory Doran

designer: Robert Jones

producer: Royal Shakespeare Company

map: View Map

Access Enabled Map (pdf format):
View The Novello Theatre Access Enabled Map

address: Aldwych, London, United Kingdom, WC2B 4LD

nearest tube: Covent Garden (approx. 300m) Charing Cross (approx. 600m) Holborn (approx. 600m)

nearest bus: 6, 13, 19, 77a

nearest train: Charing Cross

parking: NCP in Drury Lane.

air conditioned: Yes

Assisted Performance Booking Information

Access Booking: Tel: 0844 482 5137

Accessible Facilities Venue Information

discounts: Discounts available for disabled customers and their companions

limited mobility: Only 10 steps to rear of Dress Circle.

access description: 5 steps into the foyer through swing double doors. Box office on the left. To get to Stalls there are 20 steps. 10 steps up to Dress Circle seating. Staircases are highlighted and have handrails.

hearing impaired: Infrared system in the auditorium

guide dogs policy: Guide dogs are not allowed into the auditorium, but cloakroom staff can look after them.

wheelchairs: Separate access for wheelchair users off Catherine Street. 4 steps down inside the door. 2 spaces for wheelchair users in Box A. Venue not suitable for scooters. However, theatre provides transfer seats for 2 wheelchair/lightweight scooters in total per performance. Transfer seats are available at A32, A33, A10 and A11 in the Dress Circle (view better on right hand side). Each wheelchair user must bring a non-disabled companion.

toilets: Men's and Women's toilets at Stalls, Dress and Upper Circle levels.

disabled toilets: Adapted toilet to the right of the Dress Circle

bars: There are four licensed bars. Sam's Bar is situated behind the foyer down 7 steps although there is street access from Catherine Street via a ramp. The Shubert Bar is up 29 steps from the foyer. Ivor's Bar at the back of the stalls is down 2 steps and through the auditorium then a further 3 steps. The Waldorf Bar services the Grand Circle (up 17 steps) and Balcony (8 steps down).

Hamlet David Tennant Royal Shakespeare Company (photo: Jillian Edelstein)

David Tennant stars as Hamlet (photo: Jillian Edelstein)

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