 In May 1936 Olivier and Richardson jointly directed and starred in a new piece by J. B. Priestley , Bees on the Boatdeck . Both actors won excellent notices , but the play , an allegory of Britain 's decay , did not attract the public and closed after four weeks . Later in the same year Olivier accepted an invitation to join the Old Vic company . The theatre , in an unfashionable location south of the Thames , had offered inexpensive tickets for opera and drama under its proprietor Lilian Baylis since 1912 . Her drama company specialised in the plays of Shakespeare , and many leading actors had taken very large cuts in their pay to develop their Shakespearean techniques there . Gielgud had been in the company from 1929 to 1931 , and Richardson from 1930 to 1932 . Among the actors whom Olivier joined in late 1936 were Edith Evans , Ruth Gordon , Alec Guinness and Michael Redgrave . In January 1937 he took the title role in an uncut version of Hamlet , in which once again his delivery of the verse was unfavourably compared with that of Gielgud , who had played the role on the same stage seven years previously to enormous acclaim . The Observer 's Ivor Brown praised Olivier 's " magnetism and muscularity " but missed " the kind of pathos so richly established by Mr Gielgud " . The reviewer in The Times found the performance " full of vitality " , but at times " too light ... the character slips from Mr Olivier 's grasp " . 
 In May 1936 Olivier and Richardson jointly directed and starred in a new piece by J. B. Priestley , Bees on the Boatdeck . Both actors won excellent notices , but the play , an allegory of Britain <a href='null_genetive' title='1'><mark>'s</mark></a>decay , did not attract <a href='None' title='2'><mark>the</mark></a><a href='negative_concord' title='3'><mark>public</mark></a> and closed after four weeks . Later in the same year Olivier accepted an invitation to join the Old Vic company . The theatre , in an unfashionable location south of the Thames , <a href='been_done' title='4'><mark>had</mark></a> offered inexpensive tickets for opera and drama under its proprietor Lilian Baylis since 1912 . Her drama company specialised in the plays of Shakespeare , and many leading actors <a href='been_done' title='5'><mark>had</mark></a> taken very large cuts in their pay to develop their Shakespearean techniques there . Gielgud had been in the company from 1929 to 1931 , and Richardson from 1930 to 1932 . Among the actors whom Olivier joined in late 1936 <a href='uninflect' title='6'><mark>were</mark></a> Edith Evans , Ruth Gordon , Alec Guinness and Michael Redgrave . In January 1937 he took the title role in an uncut version of Hamlet , in which once again his delivery of the verse was unfavourably compared with that of Gielgud , <a href='null_relcl' title='7'><mark>who</mark></a><a href='been_done' title='8'><mark>had</mark></a> played the role on the same stage seven years previously to enormous acclaim . The Observer <a href='null_genetive' title='9'><mark>'s</mark></a>Ivor Brown praised Olivier <a href='null_genetive' title='10'><mark>'s</mark></a>" magnetism and muscularity " but missed " the kind of pathos so richly established by Mr Gielgud " . The reviewer in The Times found the performance " full of vitality " , but at times " too light ... the character <a href='uninflect' title='11'><mark>slips</mark></a> from Mr Olivier <a href='null_genetive' title='12'><mark>'s</mark></a>grasp " . 
In May 1936 Olivier and Richardson jointly directed and starred in a new piece by J. B. Priestley , Bees on the Boatdeck . Both actors won excellent notices , but da play , an allegory of Britain  decay , did not attract no public and closed after four weeks . Later in the same year Olivier accepted an invitation to join tdaOld Vic company . The theatre , in an unfashionable location south of the Thames , done offered inexpensive tickets fir opera and drama under its proprietor Lilian Baylis since 1912 . Her drama company specialised in thdalays of Shakespeare , and many leading actors done taken very bigass cuts in their pay to develop their Shakespearean techniques thea . Gielgud had been in thedampany from 1929 to 1931 , and Richardson from 1930 to 1932 . Among the actors whom Olivier joined in late 1936 was Edith Evans , Ruth Gordon , Alec Guinness and micheal Redgrave . In January 1937 he took the title role in an uncut version of Hamlet , in which once again his delivery of the dase was unfavourably compared wit dat of Gielgud , done played the role on the sda stage seven years previously to enormous acclaim . The Observer  Ivor Brown praised Olivier  " magnetism and muscularity " but missed " the kind of pathos so richly established by Mr Gielgud " . The reviewer in The Times found the performance " full of vitality " , but at times " too light ... the chdacter slip from Mr Olivier  grasp " .