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Nothing is rotten in the state of Denmark: Cumberbatch walks in the footsteps of the greats with his electrifying performance in Hamlet, writes JAN MOIR

By Jan Moir for the Daily Mail

Published: 19:24 EST, 5 August 2015 | Updated: 01:06 EST, 6 August 2015

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Hamlet

Barbican

Rating:

First there was Sherlock. Then there was Frankenstein. Now for the biggie, the monster role of them all – Hamlet. At around 7.20 last night, Benedict Cumberbatch appeared onstage at the Barbican theatre in London to face the biggest challenge of his career to date.

Dressed down in a costume of charcoal jeans and Hush Puppies, sometimes even taking refuge in a zipped-up hoodie, the 39-year-old actor stepped into the spotlight to take on the mantle of the tragic hero in Shakespeare’s epic drama.

With 1,480 spoken lines and a performance that must include a descent into madness, assorted murders most foul and a fencing scene, it is renowned as being perhaps the most difficult role in the theatrical canon, an Everest that only the most gifted actors can climb.

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Fetching in white: The actor brandishes his fencing foil as he takes the stage in Shakespeare's epic drama

Triumph: Benedict Cumberbatch on stage last night as he faced the biggest challenge of his career to date

Dressed down: The 39-year-old actor stepped into the spotlight to take on the mantle of the tragic hero

Flitting across the stage with an athletic intensity, Cumberbatch was walking in the footsteps of the greats; among them Sir Laurence Olivier, Sir John Gielgud, Peter O’Toole, Mark Rylance and most recently, David Tennant.

So was it a case of alas poor Benedict, I knew him well? Or did the actor, who once admitted he looked like an otter, triumph in the blasted palace of Elsinore in the rotten state of Denmark? By the time he took his bows three hours later, drenched in sweat, the audience were on their feet, clamouring for more.

For his Hamlet in a hoodie was electrifying, a performance that veered from moments of genuinely hilarious comedy to plunge down to the very depths of throat scalding tragedy.

Upon a beautifully atmospheric set, Cumberbatch donned the trappings and suits of woe in a variety of costume changes that saw him also dressed like a toy soldier, a ragamuffin fugitive and a black clad spectre at a celebratory feast.

I must say, he looked particularly fetching in his tight, white fencing jacket, even when it was pierced by a poisoned foil. And at one point, shortly before the murder of Polonius, the prince appeared to suffer a wardrobe malfunction, only remembering half way through the scene to do up his trouser zip.

Electrifying: His performance veered from moments of comedy to plunge down to the very depths of tragedy

Seasoned: Although Cumberbatch is best known for his film and television roles, he is no stranger to theatre

Benedict Cumberbatch fans queue for hours to get Hamlet tickets

That was not the only surprise. In this Hamlet, directed by Lyndsey Turner, the famous ‘To be or not to be’ soliloquy is performed at the very beginning of the play rather than in act three. There are also hipsters, some crazy dancing, glitter cannons shooting black confetti across the stage and into the audience – and the spectacle of an actor delivering a career changing performance.

Although Cumberbatch is best known for his film and television roles, he is no stranger to classical theatre. The son of two actors – his parents were both in the audience last night – he first performed in Shakespearean plays such as Romeo and Juliet, Love’s Labour’s Lost and A Midsummer Night’s Dream early in his career.

He has appeared in films such as Atonement, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and War Horse and was the star of the TV series Sherlock, receiving three Emmy award nominations for the role. For The Imitation Game, about code-breaker Alan Turing during the Second World War, he received an Oscar nomination.

Earlier in the day: The Barbican had been besieged by Cumberbitches, who have a slavish devotion to the acto

Excited: Fans queued up overnight for some of the coveted £10 tickets that are being released every day

He recently married the British director Sophie Hunter and the couple are parents to a newborn son. Hunter has been in Northern Ireland, directing a performance of Phaedra, but flew home to watch her husband’s debut last night.

Earlier in the day, the Barbican theatre had been besieged by Cumberbitches, the ultra-fans who have a slavish devotion to the British actor. Tickets for the highly-anticipated production sold out when they went on sale in August last year, but excited fans queued up overnight for some of the coveted £10 tickets that are being released every day of the two-month run.

Some had travelled from as far away as Los Angeles, sleeping overnight on the pavement outside the theatre, in the hope that they might snare a seat.

Rehearsals: The actor with the cast of Hamlet before the opening night at the Barbican Centre in London

Concentration: The actor was photographed ahead of opening night of the new production

Some people in the queue insisted the race for tickets was down to the timeless appeal of Shakespeare’s work

Meanwhile, theatre security were on standby and crush barriers were in place amid fears the mass popularity of the Sherlock star could overwhelm box office staff.

Worries that the Cumberbitches might ruin theatre etiquette by screaming every time their hero appeared onstage were largely unfounded. Yes, there were the occasional excitable giggles during the comical interludes and a shrill tittering ran through the stalls when he uttered the immortal ‘alas poor Yorick’ line, but the audience were focused and enrapt throughout. Indeed, there was only one outbreak of crazed applause mid-scene, which – by Cumberbitch standards – was something of a miracle.

Taking his triumphant bows at the end, Cumberbatch thanked the audience then headed off into the wings. He looked happy but exhausted and no wonder. Goodnight, sweet prince. You were completely amazing.