Benedict Cumberbatch’s Hamlet makes reporter’s month

Like so many other young women, I follow British actor Benedict Cumberbatch obsessively. Let me put it this way: If BuzzFeed ever made a quiz on the most obscure of his interviews, videos and photos, I would ace that quiz.

By the time Cumberbatch was announced to play Hamlet with National Theatre Live (NTLive), I knew from interviews that he had been looking forward to the role for years. My elation lasted all of 2 minutes before I found out the play would take place 5,000 miles away— in London.

Tickets for the live play sold out in less than a day and at the highest rate in London theater history. So when I heard that NTLive would screen Hamlet in select theaters worldwide on Oct. 15, I was not prepared to take any chances. I immediately secured two tickets online for AMC Cupertino 16.

At this point, it was May. I had five months to figure out the plot of Hamlet. Fast-forward to 10 minutes before the 7 p.m. show, and in the theater seat next to my dad, I had just finished reading the Wikipedia plot summary.

As the lights dimmed and Cumberbatch appeared onstage, I just barely refrained from gushing audibly. Throughout the play, he put his all into every voice, gesture and facial expression (and never have I been more invested in a work of Shakespeare).

During Cumberbatch’s soliloquies, the lights around him dimmed and the characters around him continued moving in slow motion, as if time went on while the audience was let into Hamlet’s thoughts. I speak without bias when I say Cumberbatch’s trembling voice lent itself to Hamlet’s angst and agony. Even during the less consequential scenes, I latched onto each of his lines.

Yet as much as I love to watch Benedict Cumberbatch’s acting and his appearances in the most pointless of YouTube videos, even I began to tire of his spotlight. By nature, Hamlet is a bit of a one-man show, but that was no excuse for the director to practically shove other characters off stage.

Luckily, this did not hurt the play too much, thanks to Cumberbatch’s nuanced portrayal and my unparalleled love for him. I enjoyed the rest of the performance — the haunting music, the stunning set and the simple, modern clothing.

Three hours after stepping into the theater, I emerged glowing. Dad, who’s grown used to my Cumberbatch-related effusions, at least had the sense to nod along. While seeing the play on screen could not possibly compare to seeing it live, I would take the broadcast over nothing any day.

Since then, I’ve been browsing variations of “Benedict Cumberbatch Hamlet” on Tumblr and Google, in part to relive the experience, and in part to check for additional video clips and photos of Benedict.

If there’s anything new, I’ll be the first to let you know.