THOSE expecting the usual sumptuous RSC design might be a little taken aback by the stark array of mirrors which make up the set for this production of Hamlet, but the palace of Elsinore when it is eventually revealed is more than glitzy enough to satisfy.

David Tennant in the title role is mesmerising. His haunted eyes at turns come alive with mischief, and open up to show the depths of his torment as his performance shifts unflinchingly from hilarious to frightening.

Peter de Jersey’s Horatio is full of warmth, making it far easier to sympathise with Hamlet’s predicament, while Mariah Gale’s Ophelia is a little too self-conscious, never quite giving way to her madness.

Penny Downie’s Gertrude doesn’t really let rip until after the interval, but when she does it’s well worth the wait, and Patrick Stewart makes for a debonair and charming Claudius leaving little wonder why Gertrude might have turned to him.

This is quite the funniest production I’ve seen, with the entire cast constantly discovering fresh meaning and real warmth within familiar moments, surprising the audience into regular bursts of laughter. Indeed Oliver Ford Davies’ self-important turn as Polonius feels almost as if it has been lifted from Dad’s Army.

Overall an electric production which pares back the non-essentials to give more space to stunning performances by the cast, and well worth picking up a ticket for, even when it transfers to the West End.

AT