After "Dr. Kildare," Richard Chamberlain wanted to change his image so he went to England to play the title role in William Shakespeare's "Hamlet," the first American to play Dane in England since John Barrymore's success in 1925. The play opened on 12 March 1969 at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre located in the centre of England. The show was a sell out, all 15,000 seats were sold out within a week of going on sale, and smashed a 40 year attendance record for its limited five and half week run. Richard had scored a massive hit, and he described it as the most thrilling moment of his career.

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Most of the British press covered the premiere. Some of the headlines were:

DR. KILDARE SHINES AS HAMLET - The Daily Telegraph

GOOD NIGHT, SWEET DR. KILDARE - The Daily Mail

And in America:

ALAS, POOR DR. KILDARE; HAMLET'S DONE HIM IN - New York Times

DICK CHAMBERLAIN IS "HAMLET" - New York Variety

For more articles on "Hamlet" see the Articles section