Christopher Gray on the ghoulish appeal of the Royal Shakespeare Company's props

‘Is this a dagger that I see before me?” Actually it is. The very one used on the stage in a recent RSC production of Macbeth. Not far away from it, in a fascinating exhibition of company props at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, you can see a jester’s head puppet as brandished by Sylvester McCoy’s Fool in the 2007 Stratford production of King Lear, with Ian McKellen, and the skull of Yorrick as resurrected by David Tennant — like McCoy, a memorable Dr Who, of course — in his celebrated 2008 portrayal of Hamlet.

I had wondered at first, eyeing this macabre artefact across the well-lit PACCAR Room next to the upstairs theatre bar, whether this was the ‘real’ skull famously used by Tennant in 22 Stratford performances. This belonged, you might remember — or rather had belonged in the sense of having once been part of his body — to Oxford pianist André Tchaikovsky, an actor manqué who (following his early death from cancer in 1982) hoped to secure an onstage appearance at Stratford by bequeathing his cranium to the RSC — an ambition eventually achieved.

In fact the exhibit is a plastic skull later employed in Hamlet for the London run once the story of the unusual Stratford prop had come out and its presence in the production been judged by director Gregory Doran too much of a distraction for the audience. (The skull did reappear, however, when Tennant reprised the role for the BBC’s television version.) As with all 12 props in the show from the Bristol-based Stand + Stare Collective (it runs till September 21), the skull is housed in a tray which, when placed on a ‘docking bay’ in the centre of the room, triggers the conveyance of all sorts of information, visual and aural, concerning the item.

Thus is revealed much of what is known to the RSC props department concerning the provenance of the pieces.

Describing the work of the properties workshop its head, Alan Fell, says: “Our team make, source, or find props for all RSC productions — a prop being anything that appears on stage, which is not scenery, a costume or a hat.

“We use a huge range of skills from carving and sculpting to basket weaving and upholstery and the work is extremely detailed. Accuracy according to period is essential, so we spend a lot of time consulting reference books, researching online and at museums. We’re often asked to make the strangest things.”

Some of the props share with Yorrick’s skull a somewhat ghoulish appeal for the viewer. Perhaps what is required following a visit to the show is a good stiff drink. At present, this can be had in a form appropriate to the RSC’s current productions of the two parts of Henry IV. Taking the cue from Sir John Falstaff’s oft-expressed admiration for (and heavy consumption of) sherry, the company has extended the range available in the Rooftop Restaurant to tie in with a new tapas menu served there. They are supplied by the well-known Jerez firm of Gonzalez Byass.

Samples were offered to critics at last week’s press night. After knocking back a glass of the superb fino, it was a delight to return to the auditorium and Sir John’s lavish encomium — brilliantly delivered by Antony Sher — to “your excellent sheris” and their blood-warming effect.