Benedict Cumberbatch is playing Hamlet on stage in William Shakespeare's classic tragedy at the Barbican Theatre in London from August to October 2015.
Star of BBC TV's "Sherlock" Benedict Cumberbatch has taken on one of Shakespeare's most challenging roles for 12 weeks in summer of 2015 at the Barbican Theatre in London. Lyndsey Turner is directing the play, following her success of Posh and Lucy Kirkwood's play Chimerica, while her revival of Sophie Treadwell's 1928 play Machinal recently ended an acclaimed run on Broadway. Sonia Friedman Production is producing it.
Friedman described the actor as one of the most gifted actors of his generation. "I'm thrilled to be producing Hamlet with Lyndsey and Benedict, and we are all delighted that the magnificent Barbican has agreed to present the show," Friedman said.
Hamlet is said to be sold out and talked up for nearly a year. This marks Cumberbatch's first full return to the stage since starring in Frankenstein, directed by Danny Boyle, at the National Theatre in 2011 when he alternated the role of Frankenstein and his creature with Jonny Lee Millera.
On its opening night on Wednesday (August 5), Benedict Cumberbatch's fans queued up in London to catch the actor in his first performance as Hamlet. Such fanfare wasn't unexpected. The Sonia Friedman Productions show has been one of the most anticipated of the season. When tickets for the play's 12-week run went on sale nearly a year ago, starting at £30, fans snatched them up in a single day. On some resale websites this week, prices had reached upward of $1,000 each.
Since Frankenstein, Cumberbatch has become a Hollywood star, where he became the villain Khan in "Star Trek Into Darkness," Julian Assange in "The Fifth Estate" and a slave owner in "12 Years a Slave."
Asked by Sunday Express why Hamlet is such an aspirational role, taken on by actors who want to prove themselves, theatre critic Michael Arditti says it is because it is one of the ultimate and most challenging parts. "Hamlet is the biggest role in Shakespeare, and the role is full of unanswerable questions, including the biggest in literature, 'To be, or not to be!' It means that every actor who plays the part can find their own answers to those questions and there are many ways to interpret the character."
Some who have made a famous name predominantly on-screen before attempting a long, live, gruelling stage run of this enormous role in Shakespeare's longest play are Mel Gibson, David Tennant and now Cumberbatch.
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