|
Post by cavocado on Nov 9, 2023 18:46:42 GMT
Hamnet isn't the main character in terms of dialogue or time on stage or pages in the book, but his conception, birth, and the love and grief that other characters feel for him propel much of the narrative, so in a sense it is a play about him. The title seems fine to me, though I thought it was an average play.
|
|
1,177 posts
|
Post by joem on Dec 1, 2023 23:41:51 GMT
A faithful adaptation of the novel, barring the continual time switches in the novel which would simply have been too confusing on stage, especially for those unfamiliar with the novel.
Competent rather than exciting, the style and production will be familiar to anyone who's ever attended an RSC production. Well acted, brisk (sometimes a little too much so) with music - which sometimes jars in its modernity - and a good use of space, especially in the conversion of the stage to the Globe Theatre in its last scene.
Clearly the play is not about Hamnet, even less than the novel was since his character's role in the play is diminished by the (correct) decision to present the narrative in a linear fashion, but he has a crucial role in how the characters of Agnes (Anne Hathaway) and Shakspear and their relationship develops. It is the name of the novel so it would have been confusing to have given it a different name, in my view.
|
|