Review: Hotel Elsinore, Riverside Studios

For fans both old and new of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, a visit to the stunning performance of Hotel Elsinore at Riverside Studios, is recommended. After a debut at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2022 and a coast to coast tour of the US in 2024 to critical acclaim, this emotional rollercoaster of a play – written, co-directed by and starring Susanna Hamnett as Greta Elder – is rightfully earning rave reviews in the capital too.

We start with the arrival of Henry and Olivia Elder (played brilliantly by Hamnett’s own adult-children Joshua MacGregor and Lily McGregor) along with their mother Greta (Hamnett) at the Hotel Elsinore in a raging storm. They carry with them the remains of the late, great actor Henry Elder, their father and husband, who was due to perform his one-handed Hamlet masterpiece at the Elsinore Shakespeare Festival. Due to his untimely demise, the threesome have instead travelled to Elsinore to represent Henry and pay their respects. Little do they know that an unexpected twist in his last will and testament means they are asked to perform in his place the very next day. The deceased Shakespearean master had perfected his one-man Hamlet throughout his life, and the family know the script word for word.

As the plot develops over a lean, but perfectly timed, 70 minutes, Hamnett is mesmerising as the challenged widow; mother of two and hinted-at failed actress in comparison to her late-husband. As she comes to terms with each, we see a yearning for alcohol, causing tensions amongst the three characters, beautifully and subtly played by all; a yearning to be in the spotlight, much to the bemusement of her children, who have no desire to follow in their father’s footsteps, perhaps seeing his faults, his obsessions and the damage this has done to the dynamic of the family as a whole; a yearning to try to please the Artistic Director of the Elsinore Festival in the absence of the great Henry. Some wonderful physical, emotionally driven character acting by Hamnett throughout is superbly supported by Joshua and Lily, whose own roles begin subdued and unenthusiastic, slowly and triumphantly building throughout the performance until they are all equal on stage.

As the family rehearse young Henry’s abridged version of Hamlet, emotions run deep: their grief, sorrow and family drama are skilfully acted out and intriguing questions are raised. Are they rehearsing a play or are they releasing their own pent-up tensions and emotions? Was there a call from the Artistic Director of the Festival asking Greta if they would perform, or not? Was this a clever ploy at attempting to re-build her family, getting them to talk about their grief? Was there a festival to actually go to, or not? Were they in a hotel room or actually on stage?

Hamnett’s creative process and writing are exceptional, interweaving the three characters’ lives into Hamlet, and down to the smallest detail, with the Elder family’s initials of G, H and O being the same three first letters of Gertrude, Hamlet and Ophelia.

The simple staging (Steve MacGregor) and lighting (The Swallow Theatre and Daisy Grindrod) add to the drama and encourage the cast to be the focus here. Whilst two beds are used fully throughout to create scenes for the Hamlet rehearsal, moved ably by the cast, they never detract from the powerful performances, the eyes always on the three actors in front of us. With no music, the voices and emotion create the atmosphere.

Excellent throughout, this is a production that offers a uniquely crafted twist on Shakespeare’s classic play. Both superbly executed and highly enjoyable, it is not to be missed.

Written by: Susanna Hamnett (with adapted text from Shakespeare’s Hamlet)
Directed by: Susanna Hamnett and Joshua MacGregor
Lighting Design by: The Swallow Theatre and Daisy Grindrod
Additional Direction by: Nigel Richards
Voice Over by: Alan Williams

Hotel Elsinore runs at Riverside Studios until Saturday 3 May