“Webster was much possessed by death
And saw the skull beneath the skin;
And breastless creatures under ground
Leaned backward with a lipless grin. ”
(David Tennant regards ‘Yorick’ in the RSC production of Hamlet)
The BBC reports that the skull used by Doctor Who star David Tennant for the famous ‘Yorick’ scene in his highly acclaimed Hamlet for the Royal Shakespeare Company was in fact a real human skull. The musician Andre Tchaikowsky, who died of cancer in 1982 at the age of only 46 left his body to science with the proviso that the skull be gifted to the RSC for use on stage, which is, depending on what sort of person you are, either macabre and ghoulish or an amusing nod to mortality and not letting it get in the way of your showbiz career. Apparently Andre’s skull had been taken out of storage a number of times across the years and had been used in rehersals but never in actual performances, normally because those involved felt it wasn’t quite right. Director Greg Doran decided to use it with Tennant for the new Hamlet production, but, understandably, kept the fact quiet before the show’s run, fearing the media would be more excited about a famous actor on stage with a real person’s skull in his hands than in the peformance.
For my own part, if I may quote Steven Wright, I’m considering leaving my body to science fiction… I’m also trying to supress the urge to sing “ain’t got nobody, and nobody cares about me…” and failing. (and yes, I am aware the opening quote is from T.S. Eliot, but somehow I thought it suited the story more than rehashing “alas, poor Yorick…”)
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