“To be, or not to be, — that is the question: —
Whether ’tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The particle beams of outrageous fortune,
Or to use the sonic screwdriver against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them? — To die, to regenerate, —
No more; and by a regeneration to say we end
The heart-ache, and the thousand natural shocks
That flesh is heir to, — ’tis a consummation
Devoutly to be wish’d. To die, to regenerate; —
To regenerate, perchance to dream of a new series”
By which shameless mangling of the Bard I mean to say that outgoing Doctor Who David Tennant’s sold-out run as Hamlet for the Royal Shakespeare Company is coming to the BBC. The original stage performances in Shakespeare’s old stomping ground of Stratford sold out in hours, as did the London shows later on and they attracted a wide audience, including many kids – I think its fair to say it probably introduced a lot of the younger Who fans to the Bard for the first time, which is indeed something “devoutly to be wish’d”. By bringing the performance to BBC2 the Beeb is hoping to take one of the most talked about Hamlets for years (it was seen as more than popular celeb casting, Tennant received many plaudits for his performance in one of the most coveted stage roles for any actor) and offer it to a much larger audience, which is A Good Thing in my not very humble opinion. Most of the original stage cast will reprise their roles, including X-men and Star Trek’s noted Shakespearian thesp, the excellent Patrick Stewart.
(David Tennant and Patrick Stewart in the RSC’s production of Hamlet)
And if you are a parent and thinking yes, that does sound like a good way to interest the kids in Shakespeare then don’t forget that the folks at Self Made Hero also have the excellent Manga Shakespeare range and the good folks at Classical Comics have some exceptionally fine adaptations of the plays of the Bard (with helpful notes) which are, I think, very interesting ways of engaging younger or reluctant readers into the delights of the classics in a way that should excite their imagination rather than scare them off. And that’s important because above all else they’re supposed to enjoy them – yes, they are venerated works, but if the kids don’t enjoy reading them or watching the performances then that doesn’t mean much, so encourage them to watch the Tennant performance, encourage them to read the comics versions and get them interested. I hate to think how many adults were put off Shakespeare (and other classics) when they were younger through dull, repetitive English lessons at school which made it a chore rather than a pleasure and now feel that sort of thing is not for them, when it is a vital part of our cultural heritage and should be open to all. We’re quite lucky today to have different and exciting ways of bringing new folks to the classics and it would be a shame not to use them.
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