Benedict Cumberbatch's HAMLET

Next week Benedict Cumberbatch begins his sold-out run of Hamlet at the Barbican in London. The production will be directed by Lindsey Turner and produced by Sonia Friedman. I do hope that the powers-that-be decide to bring this production to Broadway.  Jude Law's turn as the melancholy Dane sold out in London. I was there during his run, staying at my usual St. Martin's Lane Hotel, a block away from Wyndham's Theatre. Every morning a queue would form before sunrise for day tickets. I never bothered to wake up early to try to snatch up a ticket. Why spend my early morning hours watching the sun rise over Leicester Square, inhaling the fumes from the constant traffic on Charing Cross Road? The production eventually came to New York, and not surprisingly it sold out its brief limited run. I saw it on Broadway, at the Broadhurst Theater, and it was worth the wait.

Now it's time for us to be given the chance to experience how Mr. Cumberbatch will shape Shakespeare's greatest role.