Hamlet

This BBC Radio presentation combines a full cast--featuring Kenneth Branagh in the title role--with stirring music and sound effects to bring this lengthy, difficult play to life. A number of production touches help the listener. Seven of the eight cassette sides end with the conclusion of a scene, and appropriate music signals the end of each act. In addition, a twenty-four-page booklet offers insight into each character as seen by the actor who plays each part. Listeners would benefit, however, from a brief synopsis of each scene, as well as mention of the characters who appear in them. P.B.J. (c)AudioFile, Portland, Maine


Simon Russell Beale portrays the tragic Prince of Denmark in Shakespeare's most quoted play, with actress Imogen Stubbs playing the fair Ophelia. This production of HAMLET, produced exclusively for the Archangel Shakespeare audio collection, is a gem worthy of repeated listening. Paul Jesson provides a beautifully dramatic, but strangely un-ghostly, soliloquy as the King's ghost. Also in the cast are Jane Lapotaire as Gertrude, Bob Peck as the murderous and incestuous Claudius, and the late Norman Rodway as the garrulous Polonius. Music composed by Dominique Le Gendre supplies evocative interludes between scenes, and a handy printed insert provides a track list, cast list, and scene-by-scene summary of the play. S.E.S. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine


Experience the heartrending dark humor of HAMLET in this CBC broadcast. Though definitely of the Old-Time Radio variety in sound and format, the penetrating depth of the performances and the passion of the players provide timeless tragedy. The production manages to envelop the listener in its shroud of drama and brilliant writing, defining the chilling and eerie passages for which the play is known. Time seems to stand still as Peter Haworth as Hamlet emotes his suicidal sarcasm. Listen to this audio theater gem during the gloomy dusk, and you may be heard to say, "Though this be madness, yet there is method in't." D.J.B. (c) AudioFile 2004, Portland, Maine