Sep 14, 2015

from Sherlock to Hamlet & beyond

i am sure that you have heard of Benedict Cumberbatch...
if not, you don't know what you are missing! for a brief introduction, just enjoy this video filmed for Harper's Bazaar back in 2010.


Benedict Cumberbatch - My Cultural Life from Treetops Productions on Vimeo.

so, who is he? his full name is Benedict Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch (somehow difficult to remember...). he was born & raised in England, which you can easily guess from his accent. although he started his acting career in 2002, it was only in 2010 he received a worldwide recognition & fame, basically due to his role as Sherlock Holmes in an amazing TV series produced by BBC.































on the big screen he made shorter or longer appearances in Atonement, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, 12 Years A Slave, August: Osage County, The Fifth Estate, & more recently, The Imitation Game, which led to his first Oscar nomination as a male actor in a leading role.


he also "borrowed" his magnificent voice to movies like The Hobbit & Penguins of Madagascar.

& if you happen to be in London until the end of October, you might have the chance to see him acting live as Hamlet on the stage of Barbican Theatre. according to one of his interviews, he has been dreaming of playing this role since he started working as an actor (or even while studying... not really sure). nevertheless, Hamlet appears to be a milestone in his career, which simply raises our expectations & makes a visit at Barbican worthwhile.









although the show is sold out, every day 30 tickets at the price of £10 are offered to those who are lucky enough. this basically means that you have to wake up around 4:00 am, go to the theatre hoping that there are less than 10 people ahead of you and, of course, stand in the queue until 10:30 am when the ticket counters open.
if, on the other hand, London is far away from your home, you still have a chance to catch the show live on October 15, as National Theatre Live will offer a live broadcasting at selected cinemas throughout Europe, U.S., Japan & Brazil. for a list of the participating venues, as well the availability of tickets, just press here.

so... are you convinced that Benedict deserves some of our attention?
if not, take into account also this: last Thursday, after the conclusion of his performance at Barbican he urged the audience to donate cash to the refugee crisis. his exact words were "a parent only puts their child on a boat when the sea is safer than the land", a quote from a poem titled Home. he also appeared giving a message before a new charity single, Help is coming, to raise money for the plight of refugees around the world. all proceeds from the song will go to charity Save the Children and it is now available to download on iTunes.