Alas, poor Tennant!

Due to a back injury David Tennant didn't appear as Hamlet tonight, the night I had tickets! Thankfully I got them from the theatre box office and didn't pay hundreds of pounds on eBay.

I'm not sure what the understudy arrangements are but tonight it was advertised in the lobby that Laertes was going on as Hamlet, Rosencrantz as Laertes and someone (the cleaner, for all I know) as Rosencrantz. Given that this is the first time that David Tennant has missed a performance, all three were presumably going on in their new roles for the first time. I just couldn't face over three and a half hours watching second, third and fourth fiddles and my partner (who really only agreed to go because of Dr Who) would have rather poked his eyes out than sit through it.

I was there tonight too, im a student and me and a friend got tickets purely to see David tonight. I saw the production in stratford and David was incredible in it. We chose to stay tonight because the RSC actors are incredible and we weren't let down. Edward Bennett taking Tennants place tonight gave an amazing performance and was given a standing ovation at the end of the play, something also got by Tennant in Stratford, so needless to say im not the only person who thought so. Having seen both actors in the role there is very little difference in their performance, but given time to develop his own take on the role Bennett could be equally as good as Tennant. In my opinion leaving was a mistake. You missed a good night and a fantastic actor's debut as Hamlet.

I had a brilliant title all thought out to start a thread on this, but hey, someone beat me to it!

How very unfortunate for him, but it's better he recover completely than risk permanent injury.

That's awful, poor David. How does Press Night work in London? Does his being out tonight mean that the critics can't review his performance? That absolutely sucks, I hope he recovers soon.

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Ouch and wish him well, my goodness thats going to cause a nightmare.

Nah, he's done the West End before. Quen's, Comedy, Albery, Donmar, stint at the National.

I wasn't sure if I was going to try queueing for a day seat once this one got to London. Now I know I'll be getting the understudy, I'm going to have to.

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From the BBC News website today (Weds):

"The RSC said refunds would not be issued "because the company has a fully rehearsed understudy policy"."

But today's Evening Standard says, of understudy Edward Bennett:

"With Hamlet he had not even had a chance to practise since the RSC moved to London this month after a run in Stratford. As understudy rehearsals were due to start this week, Bennett did not even know where his entrances and exits were when he got his first stab at the role on Monday night."

I rest my case (see the first entry under this title).

C'mon, the Evening Standard? Anyway, he must have been rehearsed in the *role* (else the Stratford run would have been hilariously awful had Tennant's back trouble kicked in then), just not the proscenium set-up. Oh no, he wasn't quite sure which of the "walking off through the audience exits" had been changed to "go out downstage left" or "go out upstage left". I bet you any money he knows where they all are now, and it's not like you would've even noticed, seeing as you didn't stay in the end.

Exy, I don't think anyone's under the delusion that this play would've sold half as well with just anyone in the title role. But, as I believe has been said on another board, it's an important reminder to people that s*** *does* happen in live theatre, and if you can avoid it, do NOT pay ridiculously over the odds like the eBay people did just to see one particular cast member.

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As the RSC spokesperson said 'its an ensemble company, The Royal Shakespeare Company. You pay to see the company not the stars who appear in certain shows'.
Good luck to the understudy who is gonna get a great career boost from this and the very best of wishes to Mr Tennent.

As someone who was in the RSC 2005/06 and understudied 2 parts in each show, I can tell you that you are extremely well rehearsed and must be up to speed by the very first preview in each venue. You have an assistant director especially for that purpose and you have a public understudy performance in Stratford. As an understudy you have to be able to go on at a moments notice and so you watch the rehearsals and performances of the main actors. Having spoken to the box office in Stratford people were buying tickets for their 6 year old children because they wanted to see Dr Who! Pathetic!

I remember when I saw Dustin Hoffman in The Merchant of Venice he also shunned the big star treatment with regard to cast lists, bows etc.

On Monday night after I decided not to attend Hamlet I was left with two unused tickets and no offer from the box office of any refund/substitution. Yesterday I read online that the RSC were offering replacement tickets to other London productions - an offer that I wasn't made. I e-mailed them last night and today received a very kind offer - they have said that I can choose two complimentary tickets to either A Midsummer Night's Dream or Taming of the Shrew. I've seen Dream umpteen times but never seen Shrew on stage before so I'm looking forward to it in February. Result!