Overview

John Mills spotlights the various ways in which the role of Hamlet has been performed over almost four centuries. He launches this work with the first Hamlet portrayal, that of Richard Burbage, and then, in chronological order, describes and analyzes the Hamlets of the other actors who make up the great tradition of English-language Shakespeare acting. Mills devotes an entire chapter to each actor, focusing on acting style, text interpretation, theatrical and critical influences, popular and critical responses, and more. He offers a scene-by-scene account of the central figure's performance, with special emphasis on business and line-readings.

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9780313246609

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Reviews

Brevity is necessarily the soul of wit in this admirable, brief survey of Hamlets from Burbage to Albert Finney. Whole chapters are devoted to Betterton, Garrick, Kemble, Kean, Macready, Forrest, Booth, Irving, Forbes-Robertson, Barrymore, Gielgud, Olivier, and Burton, each offering a glimpse of the age itself, the salient characteristics of the actor, and then scene-by-scene details of business, text, and interpretation of this most famous of roles. A vivid picture emerges of a great tradition sustained yet modified, with periodic oscillations between classic and romantic, formal and natural, contemplative and robust. Aside from the unavoidable smoothing off of rough edges and a selection of sources that gives a simplified coherence, this is a model of how the shards of primary evidence of theatre history can be assembled to vivify performances long gone by. The footnoting is meticulous; the concluding bibliographical essay is valuable .... [this] useful companion to a reading or viewing of Hamlet belongs in all college and general libraries. -Choice

. . . Written clearly and consicely, Hamlet on Stage is not only scholarly, but entertaining. Mills achieves his objective in this study, succeeding in bringing to vivid life the performances of theatrical giants of the past; the book is instructive in demonstrating the protean quality of a truly great role as it assumed a wide variety of forms at the hands of exceptional men who each brought something different to the part. However, one can only hope that Mills' conclusion that Hamlet will never be completely realized in the theatre will, nevertheless, continue to challenge succeeding generations to find the key to unlock the secrets of the Melancholy Dane. -Theatre Studies ?Brevity is necessarily the soul of wit in this admirable, brief survey of Hamlets from Burbage to Albert Finney. Whole chapters are devoted to Betterton, Garrick, Kemble, Kean, Macready, Forrest, Booth, Irving, Forbes-Robertson, Barrymore, Gielgud, Olivier, and Burton, each offering a glimpse of the age itself, the salient characteristics of the actor, and then scene-by-scene details of business, text, and interpretation of this most famous of roles. A vivid picture emerges of a great tradition sustained yet modified, with periodic oscillations between classic and romantic, formal and natural, contemplative and robust. Aside from the unavoidable smoothing off of rough edges and a selection of sources that gives a simplified coherence, this is a model of how the shards of primary evidence of theatre history can be assembled to vivify performances long gone by. The footnoting is meticulous; the concluding bibliographical essay is valuable .... [this] useful companion to a reading or viewing of Hamlet belongs in all college and general libraries.?-Choice ?. . . Written clearly and consicely, Hamlet on Stage is not only scholarly, but entertaining. Mills achieves his objective in this study, succeeding in bringing to vivid life the performances of theatrical giants of the past; the book is instructive in demonstrating the protean quality of a truly great role as it assumed a wide variety of forms at the hands of exceptional men who each brought something different to the part. However, one can only hope that Mills' conclusion that Hamlet will never be completely realized in the theatre will, nevertheless, continue to challenge succeeding generations to find the key to unlock the secrets of the Melancholy Dane.?-Theatre Studies Brevity is necessarily the soul of wit in this admirable, brief survey of Hamlets from Burbage to Albert Finney. Whole chapters are devoted to Betterton, Garrick, Kemble, Kean, Macready, Forrest, Booth, Irving, Forbes-Robertson, Barrymore, Gielgud, Olivier, and Burton, each offering a glimpse of the age itself, the salient characteristics of the actor, and then scene-by-scene details of business, text, and interpretation of this most famous of roles. A vivid picture emerges of a great tradition sustained yet modified, with periodic oscillations between classic and romantic, formal and natural, contemplative and robust. Aside from the unavoidable smoothing off of rough edges and a selection of sources that gives a simplified coherence, this is a model of how the shards of primary evidence of theatre history can be assembled to vivify performances long gone by. The footnoting is meticulous; the concluding bibliographical essay is valuable .... [this] useful companion to a reading or viewing of Hamlet belongs in all college and general libraries. -Choice

. . . Written clearly and consicely, Hamlet on Stage is not only scholarly, but entertaining. Mills achieves his objective in this study, succeeding in bringing to vivid life the performances of theatrical giants of the past; the book is instructive in demonstrating the protean quality of a truly great role as it assumed a wide variety of forms at the hands of exceptional men who each brought something different to the part. However, one can only hope that Mills' conclusion that Hamlet will never be completely realized in the theatre will, nevertheless, continue to challenge succeeding generations to find the key to unlock the secrets of the Melancholy Dane. -Theatre Studies ?. . . Written clearly and consicely, Hamlet on Stage is not only scholarly, but entertaining. Mills achieves his objective in this study, succeeding in bringing to vivid life the performances of theatrical giants of the past; the book is instructive in demonstrating the protean quality of a truly great role as it assumed a wide variety of forms at the hands of exceptional men who each brought something different to the part. However, one can only hope that Mills' conclusion that Hamlet will never be completely realized in the theatre will, nevertheless, continue to challenge succeeding generations to find the key to unlock the secrets of the Melancholy Dane.?-Theatre Studies ?Brevity is necessarily the soul of wit in this admirable, brief survey of Hamlets from Burbage to Albert Finney. Whole chapters are devoted to Betterton, Garrick, Kemble, Kean, Macready, Forrest, Booth, Irving, Forbes-Robertson, Barrymore, Gielgud, Olivier, and Burton, each offering a glimpse of the age itself, the salient characteristics of the actor, and then scene-by-scene details of business, text, and interpretation of this most famous of roles. A vivid picture emerges of a great tradition sustained yet modified, with periodic oscillations between classic and romantic, formal and natural, contemplative and robust. Aside from the unavoidable smoothing off of rough edges and a selection of sources that gives a simplified coherence, this is a model of how the shards of primary evidence of theatre history can be assembled to vivify performances long gone by. The footnoting is meticulous; the concluding bibliographical essay is valuable .... [this] useful companion to a reading or viewing of Hamlet belongs in all college and general libraries.?-Choice Brevity is necessarily the soul of wit in this admirable, brief survey of Hamlets from Burbage to Albert Finney. Whole chapters are devoted to Betterton, Garrick, Kemble, Kean, Macready, Forrest, Booth, Irving, Forbes-Robertson, Barrymore, Gielgud, Olivier, and Burton, each offering a glimpse of the age itself, the salient characteristics of the actor, and then scene-by-scene details of business, text, and interpretation of this most famous of roles. A vivid picture emerges of a great tradition sustained yet modified, with periodic oscillations between classic and romantic, formal and natural, contemplative and robust. Aside from the unavoidable smoothing off of rough edges and a selection of sources that gives a simplified coherence, this is a model of how the shards of primary evidence of theatre history can be assembled to vivify performances long gone by. The footnoting is meticulous; the concluding bibliographical essay is valuable .... [this] useful companion to a reading or viewing of Hamlet belongs in all college and general libraries. -Choice

Brevity is necessarily the soul of wit in this admirable, brief survey of Hamlets from Burbage to Albert Finney. Whole chapters are devoted to Betterton, Garrick, Kemble, Kean, Macready, Forrest, Booth, Irving, Forbes-Robertson, Barrymore, Gielgud, Olivier, and Burton, each offering a glimpse of the age itself, the salient characteristics of the actor, and then scene-by-scene details of business, text, and interpretation of this most famous of roles. A vivid picture emerges of a great tradition sustained yet modified, with periodic oscillations between classic and romantic, formal and natural, contemplative and robust. Aside from the unavoidable smoothing off of rough edges and a selection of sources that gives a simplified coherence, this is a model of how the shards of primary evidence of theatre history can be assembled to vivify performances long gone by. The footnoting is meticulous; the concluding bibliographical essay is valuable .... [this] useful companion to a reading or viewing of Hamlet belongs in all college and general libraries. -Choice ?. . . Written clearly and consicely, Hamlet on Stage is not only scholarly, but entertaining. Mills achieves his objective in this study, succeeding in bringing to vivid life the performances of theatrical giants of the past; the book is instructive in demonstrating the protean quality of a truly great role as it assumed a wide variety of forms at the hands of exceptional men who each brought something different to the part. However, one can only hope that Mills' conclusion that Hamlet will never be completely realized in the theatre will, nevertheless, continue to challenge succeeding generations to find the key to unlock the secrets of the Melancholy Dane.?-Theatre Studies ?Brevity is necessarily the soul of wit in this admirable, brief survey of Hamlets from Burbage to Albert Finney. Whole chapters are devoted to Betterton, Garrick, Kemble, Kean, Macready, Forrest, Booth, Irving, Forbes-Robertson, Barrymore, Gielgud, Olivier, and Burton, each offering a glimpse of the age itself, the salient characteristics of the actor, and then scene-by-scene details of business, text, and interpretation of this most famous of roles. A vivid picture emerges of a great tradition sustained yet modified, with periodic oscillations between classic and romantic, formal and natural, contemplative and robust. Aside from the unavoidable smoothing off of rough edges and a selection of sources that gives a simplified coherence, this is a model of how the shards of primary evidence of theatre history can be assembled to vivify performances long gone by. The footnoting is meticulous; the concluding bibliographical essay is valuable .... [this] useful companion to a reading or viewing of Hamlet belongs in all college and general libraries.?-Choice . . . Written clearly and consicely, Hamlet on Stage is not only scholarly, but entertaining. Mills achieves his objective in this study, succeeding in bringing to vivid life the performances of theatrical giants of the past; the book is instructive in demonstrating the protean quality of a truly great role as it assumed a wide variety of forms at the hands of exceptional men who each brought something different to the part. However, one can only hope that Mills' conclusion that Hamlet will never be completely realized in the theatre will, nevertheless, continue to challenge succeeding generations to find the key to unlock the secrets of the Melancholy Dane. -Theatre Studies

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