Jude Law depicts the prince with methodical madness

BY MICHAEL SOMMERS

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

BROADWAY REVIEW

Known best for his film work ("The Talented Mr. Ripley," "Cold Mountain"), Jude Law is the smartest, sanest Hamlet you'll ever meet in a commendable British import of Shakespeare's drama.

Already well-received in London and even at Elsinore Castle itself, director Michael Grandage's Donmar Warehouse revival now on view at the Broadhurst Theatre proves to be an engrossing three hours-plus production enlivened by considerable in-the-moment spontaneity.

Slashed by dramatic shafts of lighting, unfolding against gloomy, massive walls and a monumental door, this "Hamlet" is ably staged by Grandage as a classy thriller with existential undertones.

A prelude reveals Hamlet writhing in shock amid a whispering chorus telling of his father's demise and mother's remarriage. Seemingly a sensible lad who follows his dead dad's ghostly advice, his madness entirely a mask played at first for laughs, Law's Hamlet purposefully seeks revenge on his stepfather only to be undone by impatience and sheer accident. (It's never a good move to kill anybody in your mom's bedroom.)

Making his first Broadway appearance since "Indiscretions" in 1995, Law invests the sweet prince with plenty of youthful energy, a pliant and expressive physicality and a voice that rasps with increasing urgency. Blue eyes glittering in the murky blue atmospherics, Law's handsome Hamlet puzzles thoughtfully over the meaning of life but scarcely lets introspection hinder his practical intentions.

If Kevin R. McNally's stolid Claudius appears rather dull, Geraldine James' slim, blond Gertrude aptly conveys growing mistrust of her husband. A sweetly understated Ophelia by Gugu Mbatha-Raw and a particularly sonorous Ghost from Peter Eyre are other standouts among the capable company.

First-timers seeing this play will get a contemporary-accented production that's relatively easy to grasp. Old-timers can appreciate the clarity of Grandage's straightforward slant on the story. Everyone is likely to be charmed by Law's fresh, natural approach to his not-so-melancholy Hamlet.

"Hamlet" continues through Dec. 6 at the Broadhurst Theatre, 235 W. 44th St., New York. Call (212) 239-6200 or visit www.telecharge.com.