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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Expanded Edition It is an odd quirk of the history of performance that so much of it leaves not a rack behind. We do not know what David Garrick's soliloquies looked and felt like, beyond a couple of scattered reports from witnesses, more precious because these are so rare. What the performer intended to convey and how he shaped his performance is simply irretrievable . Those lost gems of creativity continue to be my quest in this book. So when Holly Carver, director of the University of Iowa Press, approached me about expanding Modern Hamlets and Their Soliloquies, I was intrigued with the idea of bringing the work into the present by selecting Hamlets that represent the best of the transition into the twentyfirst century. I refer to those actors who, according to my opinion, taste, and experience, performed the role in a stellar and convincing way. For Hamlet is a role that not only requires discipline and stamina but also calls upon the deepest competencies in classical acting. It demands individuality and panache, that elusive stamp of personal style. Kenneth Branagh first came to mind. His characterization carries many qualities of the man, providing the energy of someone who has produced the best of the late twentieth-century filmed Shakespeares with a sure knowledge of what delights and instructs a contemporary audience. Branagh's performance also has a sense of command, which he has exhibited in numerous ambitious projects: He is an idea man, a producer, a fund-raiser, a playwright, and a screenwriter as well as an actor and a director . Furthermore, he is a mover and a shaker, socially conscious, political , progressive. Of all the filmed versions of Hamlet, Branagh's is much more focused on textual integrity yet never lets go of the flexibility and capability ofthe film medium. He has prov'd most royal as both artist and entrepreneur. Simon Russell Beale was another natural choice. I first met him when I was teaching in London in 1989. A colleague in Shakespeare studies, Susan Baker, invited him as a guest lecturer for her class. After class, he Vll joined us for a beer and I found him not only gracious, but possessed of a sparkling wit and intelligence. His career has progressed quickly as he takes on role after role, displaying an astonishing range and capability . I remembered smiling with pleasure during three performances of his Hamlet, marveling at his mastery of craft, which never lost immediacy or naturalism. He is one of the few modern Hamlets who chose to address his solo speeches directly to the audience: They became his intimate companions and then his chief mourners at the end of the play. I am pleased and gratified with these new offerings. Happily, both men are also friends and mutual admirers of each other's work. Finally, I would like to express appreciation to Tamar Thomas, Lyn Haill, Trish Montemuro, and David Ira Goldstein, all of whom helped make these interviews possible. viii : Acknowledgments ...

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