I went to see Jude Law the other night in Hamlet. As a "resting" actor myself, I think it was quite evolved of me to go and see this hugely successful, stupidly handsome and wealthy man playing the ultimate role. To play The Dane , after all, is every actors dream. Myself included. I was willing Jude to be dreadful and for a short while he obliged, at least in my mind. He started off being very sulky with his mum. She kept trying to attract his attention in their opening scene, but he kept turning away from her, melodramatically. "Poor frail woman," I thought. "Cut her some slack, Jude."La Law came at the part like a Juggernaut. Sometimes splashing in puddles of emotion and occasionally channelling Kenneth Brannagh, with painfully elongated vowels, I initially thought he sawed the air too much with his hands, thus.
"Stop that, Jude. You've got a whole two hours ahead and a big speech on the nature of performance, so take it easy, fella!"
By about the third or fourth scene I was actually paying attention to the other actors. Polonius was the best I have ever seen (not that I have seen many.) He came across as a man doing his best, as a caring father and so on, but, unfortunately....an imbecile. Before long I am forgetting that Jude Law is Jude Law. Forgetting my resentment. Forgetting how much better I would be playing the part. Forgetting I am in the theatre. The production and the story takes over and Jude gets better and better (as do his ensemble.) Even a saccharine Ophelia eventually redeems herself when she faultlessly plays dead.
The production is stunning and Hamlet's "To be or not to be" speech floats and falls like snowflakes over us, his rapt groundlings. Hats off to the guy.
Jude nailed it...the fecker. Completely unforgivable. It shoulda been ME!
In a few days time, I leave for Bulgaria to say five (count 'em) lines in my first speaking role in a movie. Two scenes as the camp make-up artist of a lookalikes agency. The movie is an adaption of a popular Bulgarian novel, and will most likely be successful there, and at some select festivals. It has a remote chance of making an impression on the international film market but I am assured it is a step in the right direction. We live and hope! Who knows, maybe one day I too will channel The Dane.
