Watching Jude Law in his most recent role as Hamlet in the Wyndham’s Theatre, I struggled to cope with conflicting views over the barrage of celebrities in the West End.
Theatre director Sir Jonathan Miller has in the past criticised the West End of having ‘an obsession in the celebrity’ and is amongst a growing group of critics targeting this new trend.
What, however, are the benefits of the celeb in the theatre and why is it important to question their place there?
I must admit that part of me was somewhat star struck by the Jude Law Hamlet. I was simply intrigued to see such a famous film actor plucked from Hollywood and placed into Shakespeare. I cannot have been the only one, for the show drew younger and keener crowds, and early hour queues at the box-office marked a new scale of demand.
It is this factor; its ability to attract an audience, that stands as the biggest pro for the celebrity thespianas, since this in turn draws general interest to the West End scene, promoting the theatres and their productions.
Part of me was frustrated, however. Primarily because it felt like the sparkle of A-list glamour was overwhelming some of the production’s main strengths. The unusual and delicate performance of Gugu Mbatha-Raw as Ophelia, for example, was denied the focus she deserved. Similarly, the stunning staging and use of colour was exceptional. Sadly it continually remained secondary to Law’s performance as the Prince of Denmark.
‘A-list glamour overwhelmed many of the production’s main strengths’
This leads me on to my second key criticism of celebrity endorsed theatre – if the celebrity just doesn’t quite cut the mustard, then the production is left in danger of looking rather daft. Law did not quite deliver enough in this role. Though his classical training was evident and his lines were delivered with passion and clarity, as the play progressed I became more and more frustrated with the consistently high levels of volume and anguish, and silently wished him to shut up for a while and brood around for a bit.
Undoubtedly, there would have been some unknown actor of more talent, denied the part purely for his anonymity. This rejection of talent extends beyond the individual actors to the interest of the producers in the productions themselves.The likelihood of a show even making it to the stage is enhanced massively by the status of the people involved. Once Joanna Lumley had made it clear that she could not commit to a long run transfer of the Sheffield production of The Cherry Orchard to the West End, they dropped it.
It is a risky business recruiting a celebrity in the West End; if it works, you can almost assure a sell out. David Tennant has demonstrated this with his well praised delivery of Hamlet, which justified the hype and put him alongside Patrick Stewart as living proof that it is perfectly possible to balanca career of both stage and screen performances, with exploits in neither medium hampering the other.
Financially, of course, the risk is small; if the actor in person cannot quite deliver; then little harm done, sales still guaranteed. Yet these shows run serious risk of receiving mediocre reviews and, the biggest fear of all, becoming just another production with yet another celebrity endorsement.
