HAMLET

Simon Russell Beale portrays the tragic Prince of Denmark in Shakespeare's most quoted play, with actress Imogen Stubbs playing the fair Ophelia. This production of HAMLET, produced exclusively for the Archangel Shakespeare audio collection, is a gem worthy of repeated listening. Paul Jesson provides a beautifully dramatic, but strangely un-ghostly, soliloquy as the King's ghost. Also in the cast are Jane Lapotaire as Gertrude, Bob Peck as the murderous and incestuous Claudius, and the late Norman Rodway as the garrulous Polonius. Music composed by Dominique Le Gendre supplies evocative interludes between scenes, and a handy printed insert provides a track list, cast list, and scene-by-scene summary of the play. S.E.S. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2008]