The Grand Theatre is a classically styled venue right in the heart of this famous seaside town. It is about a 10-minute walk from Blackpool North train station and there is plentiful parking nearby. Thank you to the staff for their help and assistance. My friend and I sat in the dress circle and had a bird’s eye view of the action as it unfolded before us.
Director Rupert Gould has worked with set designer Es Devlin to create what is a unique and strikingly engineered production of this classic play, presented by the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC). When the action begins, there is just a coffin, draped with the Danish flag, on what appears to be a flat, raked stage, tilted upwards – the reason for this becomes apparent very quickly. The stage area went dark and when the lights went up again, most of the actors had appeared. We caught the end of the funeral of Old Hamlet (Ian Hughes), the former King of Denmark who has recently passed away. A priest (Mark Oosterveen) conducts the service. Old Hamlet’s brother Claudius (Raymond Coulthard) has succeeded him and has married his widow Gertrude (Poppy Miller). Her son, Hamlet (Ralph Davis), is distressed by his father’s death and the hasty remarriage. When he is visited by his father’s ghost, Hamlet learns the truth about how his father died and vows revenge, feigning madness to cover his true intentions.
I will not say too much more about the plot of this iconic drama from the Bard of Stratford-upon-Avon, but it has been revived by the RSC in a truly innovative way. It is the 15th of April 1912, giving a clear nod to another nautical disaster which occurred at that time in history, and everything happens over just a few short hours on that fateful night. The assembled throng of characters are on board an ocean liner which is being constantly buffeted by the stormy sea. The sloping stage is used as the deck of the ship at various points when it encounters heavy waves. We see the actors mimic being thrown around, struggling to contend with the treacherous conditions.
We are quickly introduced to the other key players. Firstly, there is loyal Polonius (Richard Cant), who is chief counsellor to the royal court. Then we meet his troubled daughter Ophelia (Georgia-Mae Mayers), who is all but betrothed to Hamlet, and his fiery son Laertes (Benjamin Westerby). Hamlet is accompanied by close friend Horatio (Colin Ryan), plus trusted allies Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (energetically portrayed by Jamie Sayers and Julia Kass). The crew consists of the captain (Rob Alexander-Adams), sailors Marcellus (Maximus Evans), Barnardo (Djibril Ramsey) and Francisco (Leo Shak), along with a quirky company of actors whom Hamlet has asked to perform a play to help him surreptitiously learn the truth about his father’s demise. The actors take on various roles, including the King and Queen (Ian Hughes and CJ Johnson) and ensemble members (Kat Collings and Jonathan Savage).
The whole production is played with tremendous energy and pace throughout. I loved the clever use of a video-based backdrop showing the moving and stormy ocean. Many really good sound, musical and lighting effects truly added to the atmosphere as the drama, which does have some comedic touches, continued and kept the audience enthralled and entertained. The scene transitions were slickly managed; stage props were brought on and off very quickly and smoothly. The portrayal of the title character is truly memorable, eliciting great sympathy from the audience. I personally found myself swept along with this production, which I can highly recommend. One last thing to note is just how many seminal phrases are contained in this extraordinary play, many of which we still use today.
The production runs until March 28th, including matinees on Thursday and Saturday. Tickets can be purchased in person at the box office, by phone on 01253 290 190 or via the theatre’s website: https://www.blackpoolgrand.co.uk/event/hamlet-by-the-rsc
Reviewer - David Swift
On - 24/03/2026
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