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orangerfulWowza. Just got back from 'Hamlet' at the Shakespeare Theatre in D.C. and let me tell you - it was amazing.
I'll be honest - I wasn't really looking forward to 'Hamlet'. I was forced to read it multiple times in school, I'd scene the Mel Gibson and Kenneth Branagh versions on TV, and I was sick to death of the whole "is he or isn't he cRazY?" argument. But I couldn't say no to free Shakespeare, and this theater has never let me down, so I still went, but I was wary.
In about the first 30 seconds, I realized it was foolish of me to ever worry. First of all, the stage itself was AMAZING. The set had tree limbs dangling from the ceiling, the structures around the back a weird, not quite transparent plastic that distorted the light and made the eerie smoke on the stage seem that more ethereal. And then the guard entered, not dressed in some Elizabethean garb, but as a modern day solider (actually, the outfit made me think of a Soviet Russia style uniform for some reason, with the little square fuzzy hat and rifle with bayonet). The ghost appeared, Horatio and the guards gasped, and then ran off to get Hamlet!
The next scene was the wedding reception for Claudius and Gertrude. Surrounded by men in suits and photographers, they entered - Claudius with his arms around her waste, constantly pulling her close. Hamlet's entrance is perfect - in one glance you know that this is not the adult Hamlet we have seen over and over, this is Hamlet as a true young man. Ripped from his life of studies at some far off college, he has returned home for his father's funeral and now must tolerate this. He enters across a ramp above the stage. He has his backpack slung across one shoulder, a hat pulled down covering his face, and he has on a suit - not cut to fit perfectly like the King and his subjects, but a suit that hangs off of him like a rockstar.
He sees Claudius and Gertrude hand in hand, going on about the wedding. He drops his backpack over the edge of the ramp and lets it land with a loud *THUD*.
And it works. Hamlet isn't some weird 30 year old hanging around the castle, moping. He's a very upset young man, probably in his early 20s, still mourning the sudden loss of his father (and we all know what wonderful relationships 20 year old men tend to have with their fathers...I'm just saying, he probably had lots of other (emotional) baggage he never got to unload). It feels so much more believable that this young man is so quick to go into emotional outbursts.
And Ophelia was also done so RIGHT. Usually, they just play her as a ditsy chick, so when she goes crazy later, it's a bit harder to tell. Ophelia in this production was a young girl that you really understood. She was totally normal (she even had a moment alone with her and her iPod). In that second scene, after Hamlet has made his way down from the catwalk above the stage, the first thing he does is slip her a little note and try to steal a few quick kisses, much to her brother's (Laertes) dismay. Again, because she is cast as this age, it works! When the champagne tray goes by, she tries to grab a glass, but Laertes quickly pulls it from her hand - a note to the audience that she is too young to be drinking.
I could go on and describe the WHOLE play, because it was just that good. This interpretation of Hamlet may be the best I've ever seen, and I wish every student who was sitting there now, stumbling through the play, trying to understand what makes it so great, could SEE this production. Because Shakespeare should always been seen and not just read. And this production was hypnotic. We all know Hamlet, it seems every other line has been quoted out of context since the play was originally performed, but the director (Michael Kahn) took care to make sure the soliloquies and other famous lines were delivered in a different way.
Jeffrey Carlson played Hamlet and he was fantastic! I hope they bring him back to do more shows at this theater (though apparently he's recently gained fame from playing the first transgendered character in 'All My Children'). For pictures from the play, check out the Shakespeare Theatre Company's blog. If you have the means, I definitely recommend seeing this play before it's gone.
There was even a nod to Tom Stoppard's 'Rosenzcrantz & Guildenstern are Dead' - when the two first appear on stage, one of them flips a coin, shows it to the other, who sighs and nods. LOL.
Oh, and as a dorky fandom bonus - Horatio was played by an actor that appeared in "The Freshman" (S4 e1) episode of Buffy!
I'll be honest - I wasn't really looking forward to 'Hamlet'. I was forced to read it multiple times in school, I'd scene the Mel Gibson and Kenneth Branagh versions on TV, and I was sick to death of the whole "is he or isn't he cRazY?" argument. But I couldn't say no to free Shakespeare, and this theater has never let me down, so I still went, but I was wary.
In about the first 30 seconds, I realized it was foolish of me to ever worry. First of all, the stage itself was AMAZING. The set had tree limbs dangling from the ceiling, the structures around the back a weird, not quite transparent plastic that distorted the light and made the eerie smoke on the stage seem that more ethereal. And then the guard entered, not dressed in some Elizabethean garb, but as a modern day solider (actually, the outfit made me think of a Soviet Russia style uniform for some reason, with the little square fuzzy hat and rifle with bayonet). The ghost appeared, Horatio and the guards gasped, and then ran off to get Hamlet!
The next scene was the wedding reception for Claudius and Gertrude. Surrounded by men in suits and photographers, they entered - Claudius with his arms around her waste, constantly pulling her close. Hamlet's entrance is perfect - in one glance you know that this is not the adult Hamlet we have seen over and over, this is Hamlet as a true young man. Ripped from his life of studies at some far off college, he has returned home for his father's funeral and now must tolerate this. He enters across a ramp above the stage. He has his backpack slung across one shoulder, a hat pulled down covering his face, and he has on a suit - not cut to fit perfectly like the King and his subjects, but a suit that hangs off of him like a rockstar.
He sees Claudius and Gertrude hand in hand, going on about the wedding. He drops his backpack over the edge of the ramp and lets it land with a loud *THUD*.
And it works. Hamlet isn't some weird 30 year old hanging around the castle, moping. He's a very upset young man, probably in his early 20s, still mourning the sudden loss of his father (and we all know what wonderful relationships 20 year old men tend to have with their fathers...I'm just saying, he probably had lots of other (emotional) baggage he never got to unload). It feels so much more believable that this young man is so quick to go into emotional outbursts.
And Ophelia was also done so RIGHT. Usually, they just play her as a ditsy chick, so when she goes crazy later, it's a bit harder to tell. Ophelia in this production was a young girl that you really understood. She was totally normal (she even had a moment alone with her and her iPod). In that second scene, after Hamlet has made his way down from the catwalk above the stage, the first thing he does is slip her a little note and try to steal a few quick kisses, much to her brother's (Laertes) dismay. Again, because she is cast as this age, it works! When the champagne tray goes by, she tries to grab a glass, but Laertes quickly pulls it from her hand - a note to the audience that she is too young to be drinking.
I could go on and describe the WHOLE play, because it was just that good. This interpretation of Hamlet may be the best I've ever seen, and I wish every student who was sitting there now, stumbling through the play, trying to understand what makes it so great, could SEE this production. Because Shakespeare should always been seen and not just read. And this production was hypnotic. We all know Hamlet, it seems every other line has been quoted out of context since the play was originally performed, but the director (Michael Kahn) took care to make sure the soliloquies and other famous lines were delivered in a different way.
Jeffrey Carlson played Hamlet and he was fantastic! I hope they bring him back to do more shows at this theater (though apparently he's recently gained fame from playing the first transgendered character in 'All My Children'). For pictures from the play, check out the Shakespeare Theatre Company's blog. If you have the means, I definitely recommend seeing this play before it's gone.
There was even a nod to Tom Stoppard's 'Rosenzcrantz & Guildenstern are Dead' - when the two first appear on stage, one of them flips a coin, shows it to the other, who sighs and nods. LOL.
Oh, and as a dorky fandom bonus - Horatio was played by an actor that appeared in "The Freshman" (S4 e1) episode of Buffy!
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(no subject)
Date: 2007-06-17 02:22 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-06-17 04:23 am (UTC)Now I want to watch Ros & Gil...maybe I'll pop that in before bedtime (oh yeah, like THAT won't give me weird dreams!)
(no subject)
Date: 2007-06-17 04:12 am (UTC)Nice point about how Hamlet is rarely played as a college-aged man. I thought for a second you were going to say they had done an emo Hamlet, which would have been appropriate. Was it clear what time period they were going for, or was it generic "modern"? I guess if Ophelia has an iPod it must be pretty modern.
The nod to R&G is a riot. (did people get it?)
Hamlet is my favorite Shakespeare play, probably just because I know and understand it better than the others. And I like the darkness, I guess. So I wouldn't have been dreading it. But this sounds like a great interpretation.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-06-17 04:22 am (UTC)He was sort of emo - all black clothes (though he is technically still mourning his father), his hair is clearly dyed blonde (more on the white side of blonde too), and he tends to curl up in a fetal position when distressed. (also, matinee = old people saying that he needs to cut his hair haha, some things never change)
It's not specific about the time period, but the clothes were pretty normal - Claudius wore a nice suit, Gertrude a simple dress, Ophelia had a "private school" sort of look to her outfit (skirt and nice top), and Laertes had a sweater on that made him look like a college student. The sets were pretty modern too.
I definitely heard a few other people giggling in the audience during the R&G bit. Not everyone, but a select few.
heehee. if you want to come down for it, you're welcome to crash out our new place. This play would be totally worth it. Sooo good.