Revenge Backwards, and in Heels: <i>Hamlet</i> and <i>The Revenger’s Tragedy</i>, England, Summer 2008

Abstract

Revenge Backwards, and in Heels: Hamlet and The Revenger’s Tragedy, England, Summer 2008 Laura Grace Godwin Hamlet Presented by the Royal Shakespeare Company at the Courtyard Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, England. July 24–November 15, 2008. Directed by Gregory Doran. Designed by Robert Jones. Lighting designed by Tim Mitchell. Music composed by Paul Englishby. Sound designed by Jeremy Dunn assisted by Martin Slavin. Movement by Michael Ashcroft. Company Text and Voice Work by Lyn Darnley and Gigi Buffington. Fights directed by Terry King. With David Tennant (Hamlet), Patrick Stewart (Claudius/ Ghost), Penny Downie (Gertrude), Oliver Ford Davies (Polonius), Edward Bennett (Laertes), Mariah Gale (Ophelia), David Ajala (Reynaldo/Dumb-show Poisoner), Peter de Jersey (Horatio), Sam Alexander (Rosencrantz/ Second Gravedigger), Tom Davey (Guildenstern), Keith Osborn (Marcellus), Ewen Cummins (Barnardo), Robert Curtis (Francisco/Fortinbras), John Woodvine (Player King), Ryan Gage (Player Queen/Osric), Ricky Champ (Lucianus), Roderick Smith (Prologue/Voltemand/Captain), Samuel Dutton [End Page 115] (Dumbshow King/Court Attendant), Jim Hooper (Dumbshow Queen/ Priest), Mark Hadfield (Gravedigger), Andrea Harris (Cornelia), Riann Steele (Lady in Waiting), Zoe Thorne (Page). The Revenger’s Tragedy Presented by the Royal National Theatre at the Olivier Theatre, London, England. May 27–August 28, 2008. Directed by Melly Still. Designed by Ti Green and Melly Still. Lighting designed by Paul Anderson. Music by Adrian Sutton and DifferentGear. Sound designed by Paul Arditti. Movement by Rick Nodine. Fights directed by Paul Benzing. Puppetry by Mitchell Moreno. Company Voice Work by Jeannette Nelson. With Rory Kinnear (Vindice), Jamie Parker (Hippolito), Barbara Flynn (Gratiana), Katherine Manners (Castiza), Ken Bones (Duke), Adjoa Andoh (Duchess), Elliot Cowan (Lussurioso), Billy Carter (Spurio), Tom Andrews (Ambitioso), John Heffernan (Supervacuo), Tommy Luther (Younger Son), Simon Nagra (Antonio), Donatella Martina Cabras (Whore/Gloriana), Conor Doyle (Gentleman/Officer), Peter Hinton (Piero/Gentleman/Officer), Derek Howard ( Judge, Keeper, Spurio’s Man), Pieter Lawman ( Judge, Nobleman, Officer), Jane Leaney (Nencio), Robert McNeill (Sordido), Pamela Merrick (Lady in Waiting), Rick Nodine (Lord/Guard), Richard Shanks (Lord/ Officer/Spurio’s Man), Ross Waiton (Nobleman/Guard), Lizzie Winkler (Lady Antonio). The title of this piece is drawn from a quip of uncertain attribution which asserts that while Fred Astaire may have been a great dancer, no one should forget that “Ginger Rogers did everything he did, backwards . . . and in high heels.” It may appear somewhat perverse to open an essay on a pair of bloody revenge tragedies by evoking the image of elegant dancers gliding with apparent effortlessness across a silver screen, although one certainly could argue that “To be or not to be” is simply a succinct expression of the age old clash between “Let’s Face the Music and Dance” and “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off.” It is not mere flippancy, however, that engendered the coupling of Hollywood musicals and the violence of the early modern stage. Rather, the impulse to link the two in an admittedly awkward embrace was inspired by the provocative choices of England’s two national theatres as they marketed and staged an unconventional, or “backwards,” Hamlet and a Revenger’s Tragedy that teetered precariously as it quick-stepped its way through the play’s complex negotiation of role playing and gender. In both productions, strong directorial choices partnered with interpretive paratextual material to create intriguing dialectics—like Rogers and Astaire working in tandem, the [End Page 116] productions and their packaging mirrored each other in complimentary and, at times, contradictory ways. The Royal Shakespeare Company’s high-profile Hamlet proved an extraordinarily popular production before it even opened, with tickets fetching more than five times their face value on internet auction sites. Much of the clamor for seats was provoked by an all-star cast that drew RSC devotees and science fiction fans into a largely unprecedented alliance: David Tennant, current star of the BBC’s Dr. Who, returned to his RSC roots in the role of Hamlet, while RSC Honorary Associate Artist and former Star Trek captain Patrick Stewart took on the part of Claudius. Although the classical pedigree of actors who made their names with the Company was likely irrelevant to the throngs of fans queuing nightly for autographs—permitted only on RSC related materials, no science fiction memorabilia allowed...