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Hamlet no-show for actor Tennant Ovation for Tennant's understudy
(1 day later)
Doctor Who actor David Tennant has pulled out of a second performance of Hamlet due to a back injury. Actor David Tennant's stand-in Edward Bennett received a standing ovation as the Doctor Who star missed a second West End performance of Hamlet.
The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) has decided to go ahead with Tuesday's press night performance with understudy Edward Bennett in the title role. The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) went ahead with Tuesday's press night performance without its leading man, who is suffering from a back injury.
The play's director Gregory Doran said Tennant was "gutted" to disappoint the audience at London's Novello Theatre. "We are in luck," director Gregory Doran told the audience before the show. "This is the RSC."
Tennant, 37, who also missed Monday's preview performance, is due to play Hamlet until 10 January. Tennant will also miss Wednesday night's show at the Novello Theatre.
Doran said: "David is gutted, not only at the thought of disappointing audiences, but also to be unable to perform a role that he has worked on and developed throughout 60 performances in Stratford-upon-Avon. It will be his third missed performance in as many nights.
"Before this injury, he has only ever been off for one performance in his entire career to date, and is hoping that he will be able to return to the show as quickly as possible. The 37-year-old is due to play Hamlet until 10 January in the London transfer of the RSC's sold-out Stratford-upon-Avon production.
"It is an indication of the RSC's investment in understudies that Ed Bennett can take over from David in one of Shakespeare's largest roles at such short notice." Earlier, Doran said Tennant was "gutted, not only at the thought of disappointing audiences, but also to be unable to perform a role he has worked on and developed throughout 60 performances in Stratford.
Bennett, who normally plays the role of Laertes, received a standing ovation from at the the theatre on Monday when he stepped into Tennant's role. "Before this injury, he has only ever been off for one performance in his entire career to date, and is hoping that he will be able to return to the show as quickly as possible."
Sold-out 'Ensemble'
RSC artistic director Michael Boyd said on Tuesday afternoon: "As an ensemble company we feel that it is important to go ahead with tonight's performance. Bennett, who normally plays the role of Laertes, also received a standing ovation on Monday when he first stepped into Tennant's role.
"While understanding that some people will be disappointed at not seeing David Tennant on stage, this production, like all our productions, is more than the sum of its parts - an ensemble of actors, designers, composers etc. and we should respect that by going ahead as planned." "It is an indication of the RSC's investment in understudies that Ed Bennett can take over from David in one of Shakespeare's largest roles at such short notice," said Doran.
The sold-out production, which also stars Patrick Stewart, has just transferred from Stratford-upon-Avon. "As an ensemble company we feel it is important to go ahead with tonight's performance," said RSC artistic director Michael Boyd on Tuesday.
"While understanding that some people will be disappointed at not seeing David Tennant on stage, this production, like all our productions, is more than the sum of its parts."
Tickets for the London shows sold out within three hours when they went on sale in September.Tickets for the London shows sold out within three hours when they went on sale in September.
However, Tennant's back trouble is not the first problem to have affected the show. Last week the RSC said it had been targeted by counterfeiters and warned around 800 people to arrive early to exchange their tickets.
Last week the RSC said it had been targeted by counterfeiters.
Around 800 people were warned to arrive early to performances to exchange tickets over fears forgeries had been issued.