Hamlet's Understudy
December 15, 2008 by Debra Murphy
Filed under "Put money in my purse!", Bard at Large, Hamlet, Patrick Stewart
Every avid theatregoer knows the pain, sooner or later, of having bought tickets to some performance specifically because of a certain actor, only to discover, upon arrival, that the actor has gotten sick or been injured, and the role is to be played by the Understudy. I’ve never (personally) had that happen with a Hamlet yet, though I confess to having seen a Hamlet or two where I wish it had happened; but imagine, if you will, that the theatre is the RSC, and the sidelined Hamlet in question is the highly anticipated David Tennant.
Not that this wouldn’t still make it on my “Put money in my purse!” most-devoutly-to-be-wished theatre list, if only to see Patrick Stewart’s Claudius—check out my review of Stewart’s take on the role in the BBC version from the ’80s.
Be that as it may, here’s David Jay’s take on the disappointing circumstance.
(P.S. If you, like me, haven’t ever seen David Tennant on stage, but you think he looks familiar, he was the wonderfully creepy Barty Crouch, Jr., in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and an erstwhile Dr. Who.)
