David Tennant est Hamlet...

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) went ahead with Tuesday's press night performance without its leading man, who is suffering from a back injury.

"We are in luck," director Gregory Doran told the audience before the show. "This is the RSC."
Tennant will also miss Wednesday night's show at the Novello Theatre.
It will be his third missed performance in as many nights.

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.

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.
"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."

Bennett, who normally plays the role of Laertes, also received a standing ovation on Monday when he first stepped into Tennant's role.

"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.

"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.
Last week the RSC said it had been targeted by counterfeiters and warned around 800 people to arrive early to exchange their tickets.

BBC News, The Telegraph and many other media sources are reporting the Royal Shakespeare Company's press release that David Tennant will not be able to return to the role of Hamlet for the play's run at the Novello Theatre in London before Christmas. The Tenth Doctor actor will undergo surgery on Thursday for a back condition.

There is no news yet as to whether Tennant's injury will affect his participation in filming for Doctor Who from January. In Hamlet, his understudy Edward Bennett has won favourable reviews.

David a dû annuler ses représentations d' "Hamlet" au Novello Theatre, à Londres, comme vous le savez. Il était sous arrêt médical depuis le lundi 8 décembre, à cause d'un problème de dos, plus précisement une sciatique. Mais ce problème de dos c'est aggravé ces derniers jours, au point que David doit se faire opérer demain pour une hernie discale, et il ne sera pas de retour dans Hamlet avant Noël.

Voici le message qu'il a communiqué:
"C'est très embêtant pour moi de devoir manquer toutes ses représentations. Mon problème de dos a évolué, au point que c'est impossible pour moi de continuer sans subir une opération. Je veux revenir le plus tôt possible sur scène et je suis très reconnaissant envers Edward Bennett (celui qui le remplace dans Hamlet) qui a courageusement qui a repris le rôle en main, en si peu de temps. C'est une fantastique réussite."

The RSC have issued the following statement as regards David's return to Hamlet at The Novello:

David Tennant continues to make good progress and we are hopeful he might be able to return to Hamlet during the last week of the run, although we still cannot be more specific about the exact date of his possible return.

Latest news at 5 Jan: David Tennant has made good progress following his recent back operation and will perform the title role in Hamlet this evening. Edward Bennett returns to his original role as Laertes, along with Tom Davey, Ricky Champ and Robert Curtis who will play Guildenstern, Lucianus, and Francisco.

The 37-year-old Dr Who actor and the entire cast of the RSC production are preparing to make a film version of the play in June to record for posterity his portrayal, which was described by some as the greatest Hamlet of his generation.
Speaking at a lunch held at the Haymarket Hotel, Oliver Ford Davies, 69, who was nominated for his portrayal of Polonius, tells me: "We are intending to film it over two or three weeks in June. It won't be a full feature film as there isn't time but it will certainly be more than just the filming of the stage. It will be fantastic to work together again."
Tennant unfortunately only managed 11 performances at the Novello Theatre, after already appearing for a run in Stratford-upon-Avon, when he suffered from a prolapsed disc, obliging his understudy Edward Bennett, 29, to fill in on 21 occasions.

source : daily telegraph