It all seems so long ago now that I blogged about the Hamlet skull. David Tennant was one of the RSC's best-ever Hamlets, tickets were impossible to acquire and hordes of Shakespeare newbies were discovering Hamlet for the first time.
Well, now that Shakespeare buzz is back as Tennant is reunited with that skull for a BBC film version of the RSC's production. And once again a real skull will feature in the production. The RSC's Hamlet skull was bequeathed by pianist, Andre Tchaikowsky, who loved Shakespeare and wanted to star as Yorick forevermore.
As it transpires, Tchaikowsky's skull has been used in every performance of Hamlet, despite the RSC claiming that a fake would be used when the production transferred from Stratford-upon-Avon to London.
I can't wait to see Tennant and Tchaikowsky reunited on screen - and I suspect that a whole new generation of Doctor Who loving fans will be discovering Shakespeare for the first time. Good times await.
Photo © Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images
Comments
Chicago improv legend Del Close willed his skull to the Goodman Theatre for similar purposes in 1999, but several years later it turned out that his executor Charna Halpern ran into difficulties and had been forced to purchase a substitute from a medical supply company to give to the theatre. See http://archives.chicagotribune.com/2006/oct/05/news/chi-0610050127oct05
I don’t give a **** who provides the skull, just so long as we have one to make this scene live forever.