Outside Ashton Hall, Ian McKellen’s name is prominently displayed above the title on posters advertising this new high concept production of Hamlet. With good reason. The acting legend is the main attraction here in the world premiere of this bold version of the classic play, which mixes dance with drama.
At 83, McKellen is mesmerising. It initially appeared as if his role might be a flickering cameo, popping up to deliver occasional soliloquies between the interpretative movements of the Edinburgh Festival Ballet Company. But as the abridged 75-minute collaboration directed by Peter Schaufuss evolves, McKellen becomes increasingly involved, moving with grace and style alongside the young company.
Throughout proceedings the star, who first played the role in Edinburgh in 1971 and revisited it in another unconventional age and gender-blind version in Windsor in 2021, is accompanied by Johan Christensen acting out his lines. This two-hander suggests the divided mind of the Prince, tormented by his father’s murder and undecided how he should respond.
Age becomes an irrelevance as McKellen, who was involved in the concept, delivers his lines with deep emotion and sonorous gravitas. His expression shifts from hangdog one moment to pensive the next. Frequent costume changes also reflect his fluctuating mental state. All in white in one scene, bright shirt and blue beanie hat in the next.
If there is a flaw, it is that at times it feels like watching TikTok-friendly bites from one of the greatest-ever plays while craving a full meal. Anyone without a working knowledge of the plot might struggle to follow it. But McKellen’s speeches are never less than captivating.
And for those who want the timeless moments this Hamlet ticks those boxes. From "Alas poor Yorick" at the graveside to a reflective "O, that this too, too solid flesh would melt”. And the ultimate existential poser, "To be or not to be". Though maybe it could have been retooled as "To plié or not to plié".
Music, by Ethan Lewis Maltby, a hybrid of period and Hollywood blockbuster, adds atmosphere, while the dancing is accessible rather than avant-garde, evoking references from Kate Bush to The Wicker Man. Rosencrantz (Adam Bell) and Guildenstern (Scott Matthews) bring levity, bouncing on and off the stage like Easter bunnies.
But despite various distractions this is very much the Ian McKellen show. The bare stage, as if the Elsinore furniture has been recently repossessed, creates a starkness and ensures that all eyes are on the performers. Though even if the Edinburgh Tattoo fireworks had been going off in the room it would be unlikely to draw the audience from one very special icon.
Ashton Hall until August 28. edfringe.com
