Hamlet--The Shakespearean Director

Library Journal

Wilcock (Shakespeare & directing, University Coll., Dublin) offers a fascinating study of the stage history of Hamlet in the modern theater. He discusses a variety of directors and their styles, directorial practices, and interpretations of the theater in general and Shakespeare's Danish prince in particular. The chapter on Tyrone Guthrie (Guthrie Theatre, Minneapolis) is particularly illuminating, reminding this reviewer how she has taken that director's genius for granted as the years have distanced us from him and the mid-20th century. Wilcock clearly illustrates how Guthrie influenced and opened the way for other directors (and actors) who followed. Other directors studied here are Gordon Craig, Stanislavski, Meyerhold, Brecht, and Barrault. Throughout, Wilcock deepens both directors' and actors' understanding of Hamlet; the one drawback is that the indexing is minimal and only by director's name. Recommended for all academic and large public libraries.-Susan L. Peters, Univ. of Texas, Galveston Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.