JohnCenaFan28
12-04-2008, 12:14 AM
The Royal Shakespeare Company is to stop using a real skull in Hamlet as it is "too distracting for the audience".
http://www.ananova.com/images/web/1457144.jpg
The use of Polish pianist Andre Tchaikovsky's skull had been kept a carefully guarded secret during the play's four month run in Stratford.
But then leading man David Tennant disclosed that the skull was real and had belonged to a Shakespeare fan, reports the Daily Telegraph.
Mr Tchaikovsky left his skull to the RSC in 1982 after he died of cancer to be used on stage in Hamlet. It took a quarter of a century for him to posthumously appeared as Yorick at Stratford.
Now the RSC has confirmed that they are no longer planning to use the skull of Mr Tchaikovsky when the show transfers to the West End despite Mr Tchaikovsky's dying wishes.
It is thought, after the publicity, audiences had begun to over-react when they saw the skull.
Mr Tchaikovsky's former agent and friend Terry Harrison has said that he is "disappointed" by this decision.
"I understand that artists are very sensitive, most are? and I could imagine someone not being very comfortable? so I think that David Tennant was wonderful that he did it" he told Channel 4 News.
Mr Harrison added that the pianist "hated" the use of a plastic skull.
"He hated the way it was done. When he saw it with the RSC, he said: 'I am going to leave my skull to the RSC, they really should have a proper skull. It doesn't work with the plastic thing they have'."
-Nova
http://www.ananova.com/images/web/1457144.jpg
The use of Polish pianist Andre Tchaikovsky's skull had been kept a carefully guarded secret during the play's four month run in Stratford.
But then leading man David Tennant disclosed that the skull was real and had belonged to a Shakespeare fan, reports the Daily Telegraph.
Mr Tchaikovsky left his skull to the RSC in 1982 after he died of cancer to be used on stage in Hamlet. It took a quarter of a century for him to posthumously appeared as Yorick at Stratford.
Now the RSC has confirmed that they are no longer planning to use the skull of Mr Tchaikovsky when the show transfers to the West End despite Mr Tchaikovsky's dying wishes.
It is thought, after the publicity, audiences had begun to over-react when they saw the skull.
Mr Tchaikovsky's former agent and friend Terry Harrison has said that he is "disappointed" by this decision.
"I understand that artists are very sensitive, most are? and I could imagine someone not being very comfortable? so I think that David Tennant was wonderful that he did it" he told Channel 4 News.
Mr Harrison added that the pianist "hated" the use of a plastic skull.
"He hated the way it was done. When he saw it with the RSC, he said: 'I am going to leave my skull to the RSC, they really should have a proper skull. It doesn't work with the plastic thing they have'."
-Nova