The legendary 1964 Broadway run of Hamlet directed by John Gielgud is one of the most famous productions of Shakespeare\'s most important play.
This new Edition at last brings Redfield\'s classic back into print, as The Motive and the Cue--the Sam Mendes-directed play about the Gielgud production that is based in part on the book--continues its successful run in London\'s West End..
In 1967, they were in 1967 collected into Letters from an Actor, a brilliant and unusual book that has since become a classic behind-the-scenes account that remains an indispensable contribution to theatrical history and lore.
During the three months of the play\'s preparation, from rehearsals through out-of-town tryouts to the gala opening night on Broadway, Redfield wrote a series of Letters describing the daily happenings and his impressions of them.
Present throughout, and ever attentive to the backstage drama and towering egos on display, was the Actor William Redfield, who played Guildenstern.
This was in no small part due to the starring role played by Richard Burton, whose romance with Elizabeth Taylor was the object of widespread fascination.
It was also a runaway critical and financial success, breaking the then-record for most performances of a Broadway show.
Audacious for its time in concept and execution, it placed the actors in everyday clothes within an unassuming rehearsal set, with the Ghost of Hamlet\'s father projected as a shadow against the rear wall and voiced by the director himself.
The legendary 1964 Broadway run of Hamlet directed by John Gielgud is one of the most famous productions of Shakespeare\'s most important play
