by Nataliia Zhuk

Yesterday, yet another Hamlet was born. London has seen a spate of them in recent years; there are three different productions playing in the capital this weekend alone. But none has been as anticipated as this one since Benedict Cumberbatch played the Dane in 2015.

The reason for the fuss? The presence of British heartthrob du jour Tom Hiddleston in the lead and the fact that this production has a unique, exclusive intimacy. Running in Rada’s tiny, 160-seat Jerwood Vanbrugh theatre, and directed by that Shakespearean master Kenneth Branagh, it has been put on to raise money for the drama school, and tickets were allocated through a tout-proof online ballot. Unfortunately, for the many not lucky enough to get in, there is as yet no plan to record it for posterity.

It’s a shame, as this Hamlet hooks you in at once. In a space with only three rows of seats (flanking the stage on three sides), the audience are only ever a couple of meters away from the action, which lends this modern-dress production a special kind of claustrophobia.