Letters from an Actor

One of the most famous productions of Shakespeare's most important play, Hamlet, was directed by John Gielgud on Broadway in 1964. It was a critical and financial success, breaking the then-record for most performances of a Broadway show. William Redfield, who played Guildenstern, wrote a series of letters describing the daily happenings and his impressions of them, which were collected in Letters from an Actor in 1967. This new edition brings Redfield's classic back into print.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 264 pages
Publication date: 05 March 2024
Publisher: Globe Pequot Press

One of the most renowned productions of Shakespeare's most significant play, Hamlet, was John Gielgud's legendary 1964 Broadway production. It was audacious in both concept and execution, placing 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. Additionally, it was a runaway critical and financial success, breaking the then-record for the most performances of a Broadway show. This was largely due to Richard Burton's starring role, whose romance with Elizabeth Taylor was the subject of widespread fascination.

Throughout, and ever attentive to the backstage drama and towering egos on display, was the actor William Redfield, who played Guildenstern. 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. In 1967, they were 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.

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 on London's West End.

Weight: 298g
Dimension: 202 x 126 x 19 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781493084609