Hey Jude!
November 04, 2009 - by Dean GarnerLast night with Gregory Mercurio, one of the Adelphi University Honors College Academic Directors, I saw Jude Law in Hamlet again. His performance continues to astonish, and I thought I might add some to my previous reaction.
People have commented on how energetic Law is as Hamlet. But if you haven't seen the performance, you might not understand all that means. Last night I realized more than I had before just how much he does simply with his hands and arms. You could do a whole class for actors just on that. The amount and variety of movement is staggering and adds quietly and almost imperceptibly to the dynamism of the performance.
Another form of energy in Law's Hamlet is the enormous physical effort devoted to the vocal apparatus, the clear and beautiful production of line after line, often delivered at considerable speed. We were in the fifth row last night where we could closely observe the constant care with which Law pronounced each word. The effect was overwhelming.
My admiration for some of the secondary roles grew last night as well. The Laertes was quite engaging. Perhaps he's growing in this role as the production continues. Horatio too is striking--more solemn than I imagine him usually, but effective. Again, if you can manage to get to see this production, do. The play repays every visit you make to it on the page or in the theater. And you're unlikely to have many opportunities for theater visits as rewarding as this.
Posted by Ana Barbu on November 04, 2009 at 06:14 PM EST #