As the play opens it is apparent that there is something rotten in the state Denmark. Hamlet, prince of that realm, is mourning the recent death of his father, the king. Only two months after his father's death, his mother, Gertrude, has married his uncle, Claudius, making the latter the new head of state. A ghostly visitation by Hamlet's father confirms to the prince that he was murdered by Claudius. For the remainder of the play, Hamlet's fitful plotting against his uncle for his father's death provides the basic story for some of the greatest text and deepest philosophical ruminations that can be encountered in the theater.

Jude Law's performance of Hamlet was at all times energetic and credible.

For most of the duration of the play, Law performed the role with a basic angry aggressiveness that was justified by Hamlet's dilemma. However, there was room in his portrayal for a greater variety of emotional colors including a gentler tone of irony, sarcasm, dispassion and a more playful humor which would have masked Hamlet's designs for vengeance. There was also a somewhat hurried quality to Mr. Law's acting, as if there was concern that any slowing down of the pace of the drama might result in a loss of the audience's attention.

Law also had an almost continuous tendency to diagram the script with his hands, which may have been symptomatic of worry that the audience would not understand Shakespeare's artful language. Unfortunately, the almost constant use of hands and arms to choreograph the text became distracting and predictable. If anything it may have lessened the full import of Shakespeare's language. (In fairness, several other members of the cast engaged in similar mannerisms, though to not the same degree.) Nevertheless, Law's portrayal was serious and substantive. One admired the relentless stamina he demonstrated in the three hour and fifteen minute running `length of the play.

The at times deceptive nature of power and appearances is a major theme of Hamlet. The drama in particular speaks to the television age when so many perceptions of leaders are based on pre-packaged sound bites. The play demonstrates that behind the most benign appearances can lurk the darkest of designs. As Hamlet says in Act 1, "one may smile, and smile, and be a villain." Consistent with this theme, Kevin R. McNally performed the calculating Claudius with an appropriate avuncular gravitas. His portrayal made the viewer want to like the new king despite knowing his sinister machinations. Claudius is clearly a very savvy character. His pithy line regarding Hamlet defines a good portion of electoral politics: "He's loved of the distracted multitude, who like not in their judgment, but their eyes."

Polonius, played by Ron Cook, was Claudius' chief advisor and father of Hamlet's sometime love interest, Ophelia. As written in Shakespeare's text, the character often comes across as a comical, self-important, pseudo-intellectual nuisance. However, Cook's portrayal of Polonius radiated charm, perceptiveness, and a well-grounded common-sense that was very appealing in a plot otherwise surrounded by emotional uncertainty. It was interesting to see a performance of Hamlet in which the audience in essence laughed with Polonius instead of at him. In a clever bit of double-casting, Cook did a delightful comic turn as the First Gravedigger with a Cockney accent.

Geraldine James, as Hamlet's mother, initially had a cool reserve appropriate to royalty. However, she did not convey the shattering transformation called for when Hamlet violently confronts her over her unseemly, hasty marriage to her former bother-in law. Her climactic line, "O Hamlet, thou has cleft my heart in twain," was staidly delivered and did not render Gertrude's tremendous turmoil at her realization of her immense transgressions. Gugu Mbatha-Raw was charming as Hamlet's sometime lover Ophelia, though as with James, one wonders if she could have displayed greater cathartic depths of agony in response to the tragedies that befell her character.

Peter Eyre as the Ghost of Hamlet's Father had the best diction and vocal production of the evening. His deeply resonant voice had a commanding authority that made his monarchial status entirely believable. He also performed the Player King. Gwilym Lee as Laertes and Matt Ryan as Horatio were competent in their roles without creating a lasting theatrical impression. John MacMillan as Rosenkrantz displayed a rich voice and also had excellent diction. Harry Attwell as Guildenstern had the attributes of many other secondary young male characters in the cast. He was adequate without being very memorable.

Set in the present day, the scenery by Christopher Cram consisted of a ponderous, somber, old castle. The colors of the sets and costumes were largely black in keeping with the dark atmosphere. The occasional appearance of bright red or white punctuated a symbolic aspect of the play. A red carpet rolled out for Claudius could be seen as a sign of royalty or a reminder that he achieved his throne by murder. Similarly, Law delivered Hamlet's famous "To be or not to be" monologue in a snowy setting that was accentuated by ethereal white light. The wintry atmosphere was appropriate to the bleak despair of the soliloquy.

Despite some of its shortcomings, one would be amiss not to see this production of Hamlet. It is a function of Shakespeare's genius that his work speaks to all generations. Indeed, an existentialist dread permeates the drama and the Prince looks upon life with a modern, questioning eye. In a script studded with memorable, pregnant lines, perhaps the most telling is Hamlet's comment to his friend Horatio: "There are more things in heaven and earth… Than are dreamt of in your philosophy." Hamlet would also probably feel very comfortable with St. Paul's statement, "we see through a glass, darkly." The drama leaves us with a powerful, uneasy sense that we must bravely make our way through an uncertain universe whose true nature we may only dimly, partially perceive.