Izabella Urbanowicz (Gertrude) and Alexander Hulme (Claudius). Photo: Roy Tan Gertrude: The Cry
15 June 2016
4 Stars
Anyone who thinks Shakespeare is all about fancy collars and whimsical romance would get a shock if they attended a pub theatre in Balham this week. Howard Barker’s dark and grubby take on Hamlet is possibly one of the grungiest shows in London at the moment, presenting a thought provoking if unsettling evening.
Hamlet’s mother Gertrude is placed at the centre of this radical reworking; straight after having killed her husband, she starts seeing infatuated Claudius, to the horror of her troubled son. The play follows Gertrude as she falls in and out of love with a variety of different men and struggles to keep a lid on her chaotic family and personal life.
Izabella Irbanowicz. Photo: Roy Tan
Barker’s play has occasionally been accused of being misogynistic and it’s easy to see why. Gertrude’s life seems to revolve around sex and shoes and through her feminine wiles seems to wreck the happiness of everyone she encounters.
Having said that, she is portrayed as so smart and alluring that Barker just about pulls it off. Gertrude is constantly pulling the strings, manipulating the men in her life, until her sanity gradually falls apart.
Barker’s script is beautifully lyrical and he has a real gift for wordcraft. However, he is anything but subtle; Gertrude is eulogised and obsessed over from the first minute (I’d scribbled ‘relentless’ on my notepad after only 15 minutes). Barker may be a lovely chap but based on his script I manage him to be a bit like his brilliantly written Hamlet; a man with a one track mind.
Alexander Hulme (Claudia), David Zachary (Albert) and Izabella Urbanowicz (Gertrude). Photo: Roy Tan
Izabella Urbanowicz is a captivating Gertrude, even if she looks a touch young for the character’s 34 years. Prowling around the stage with intensity, she more than lives up to Gertrude’s star billing. She makes Gertrude just likeable enough to be believable, whilst still capturing her outrageous undercurrent
My favourite performance though was Jamie Hutchins as the sensitive and confused Hamlet. In a play where there is all manner of sordidness taking place, it was beneficial to have one character with a strong emotional core. Hutchins touchingly conveys Hamlet’s fragile mental state and frustration at his out of control mother; it was a massively complex and well-rounded performance – Hutchins may be one to watch.
Jamie Hutchins. Photo: Roy Tan
The play is a very long two hours (they wisely decided to add an interval for the performance I attended), and Barker’s often circular dialogue could have benefited from judicious editing, especially culling some fairly unnecessary narration.
Felicity Reid’s set was nicely crafted; a stark catwalk allowing for an intimate feel to the production. Having said that, the projections that lit the back wall were not too effective and served as a bit of a distraction.
Chris Hislop’s direction is shrewd and although parts do push the boundaries, none of the nudity or sex feels in any way gratuitous. Although it is a challenging and complicated play, it was well acted enough to make for an entertaining night out.
GERTRUDE - THE CRY RUNS UNTIL 30TH JUN E 2016 AT THEATRE N16. BOOK NOW
Danny Coleman-Cooke is an experienced writer, who covers news, sport and comedy for high-profile personalities and broadcasters. His speeches and scripts can be seen on stage, on primetime TV and in Parliament, broadcast to wide and diverse audiences. His experience includes writing for the BBC’s Have I Got News for You, Channel 4’s Paralympics coverage, and the Premier League’s live match commentary. He has also managed social media accounts for a number of major brands, including Tesco, The Guardian and the BBC. He's also a well-established speechwriter, scriptwriter and copywriter and has written for a wide range of famous faces in the world of politics and entertainment. He recently had his first theatrical credit, as co-writer of a musical adaptation of Beowulf, which toured the Midlands and was performed at the Royal Albert Hall. Danny is a huge theatre fan and was part of the writing team for the 2015 and 2016 Olivier Awards.
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