an addendum to last post

David Tennant as Hamlet: The production enjoyed a sell-out run in Stratford-upon-Avon Photo: AP

David Tennant a sell-out in West End Hamlet


By Anita Singh, Showbusiness Editor
Last Updated: 2:57PM BST 12 Sep 2008
The Telegraph

Demand was so high that the official website crashed and tickets were soon exchanging hands on unofficial sites for more than £1,100 a pair.

Booking opened Friday for the Royal Shakespeare Company production, which comes to London's Novello Theatre in December after a sell-out run in Stratford-upon-Avon.

The site crashed within minutes while fans jammed the telephone hotline, snapping up all 6,000 tickets by the end of the day. Hundreds of people queued outside the Novello in the hope of getting tickets, with some camping out in the street overnight.
Sellers are now charging exorbitant sums on the internet. At getmein.com, a "fan to fan marketplace" site owned by Ticketmaster, a pair of seats for the opening night on December 3 was priced at £1,164, including a £174 "processing fee".
The cheapest price quoted for any date during the run was £302.50 for a single ticket.

The prices drew an angry response from the RSC, which warned that tickets bought from unauthorised sources may not be valid.

A spokeswoman said: "The RSC absolutely does not support tickets being sold at inflated prices at any internet auction site or marketplace. The re-selling of tickets for profit or commercial gain violates the terms and conditions associated with the purchase of RSC tickets. We strongly advise that patrons do not purchase tickets in this way but check with the Novello box office for returns or day seats. People who do purcase tickets in this way run the risk of being refused admission." A small allocation of tickets for theatregoers aged 16-25 will be made available each day.
Ticketmaster declined to comment.
The clamour for tickets is due in no small part to Tennant's television role as Doctor Who, which has made him one of Britain's most popular actors.

In Stratford-upon Avon, the stage door was besieged each night by fans of the BBC show, prompting the RSC to send out an edict banning them from bringing Doctor Who memorabilia to the performance.

The director, Gregory Doran, said: "Fans turn up with bags of Doctor Who merchandise for him to sign. It's fantastic that there's so much excitement about this production, but he needs protecting from that level of intrusion." He added: "Outside, there's this constant sense of having to deal with David's celebrity. Once the door closes, the play's the thing."

The Stratford run draws to a close on November 15 and transfers to the Novello for 32 performances. The play co-stars Patrick Stewart as Claudius and Mariah Gale as Ophelia.

Tennant has drawn generally good reviews. The Telegraph critic Charles Spencer wrote that the actor "isn't in the pantheon of the great Hamlets yet" but added: "This is a gripping Hamlet that could become great if Tennant finds the courage to raise the dramatic stakes still further".

The Scottish actor began his career with the RSC before finding fame as the Timelord.

He said before starting rehearsals: "Hamlet is often regarded as the acme of acting to test yourself against, which isn't a particularly helpful thought, to be honest. Of course it is very flattering to be asked to do that role because of everything that is attached to it. But once you get into rehearsal you have to relinquish thoughts like that and just try and tell the story."