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just gonna leave this here...
I love my some big screen Shakespeare.
And MacBeth is my FAVORITE of the tragedies.
And I really like Fassbender and Cotillard.
So, yeah I need to see this.
I love my some big screen Shakespeare.
And MacBeth is my FAVORITE of the tragedies.
And I really like Fassbender and Cotillard.
So, yeah I need to see this.
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Shakespeare Goes to the Movies
Shakespeare Goes to the Movies
I got to write another blog for work :D This time it's all about Shakespeare to help promote our Shakespeare movie night.
I got to write another blog for work :D This time it's all about Shakespeare to help promote our Shakespeare movie night.
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streaming on Netflix: Slings & Arrows
That's the opening theme to Slings & Arrows, a Canadian dramedy about a Shakespearean theatre company trying to get by after tragedy strikes their group. As you can probably guess from the song, their first big play post-tragedy is HAMLET!
Netflix has been trying to get me to watch this show for a long time, suggesting it after I liked all my British sitcoms and Shakespeare plays. I assumed it must be British but sorta kept pushing it to the back of the queue. Then my friend Karen started talking about it around the same time
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif){kind=small}
maybedeadcat mentioned his Canadian friend loved the show so we had to watch it! I love it! It has this great mix of inside theater/Shakespeare jokes for those geeky enough to know them, but enough character and story that you don't need to have taken a course on Shakespeare in college (*laughs nervously* I mean, who would do that? As an elective? non-English majors? of course not...) to enjoy the show. Rachel McAdams, who usually bores me to tears, is a main character in season 1 and I actually liked her! Oh and so is one of the guys from Kids in the Hall...in fact, I think he is one of the writers in a later season (makes sense).
Also, Paul Gross...I'm not sure how to feel about him. In a weird way, he reminds me of my Uncle...but also in a weird way, I think he is really cute and I just want to ruffle his hair. LOL. I dunno. His big baggy jacket is ridiculous. Maybe it's the character I like, he's damaged but has a good heart.
There was one American character in season 1 that had me wondering if she represented what Canadians thought of Americans - she's a bit work obsessed, money obsessed, sex obsessed (but more in a power way, not romantic way) and she doesn't "get" Shakespeare. Then again, the other American character is the movie star trying to make it on the stage and he's a nice guy...still,
maybedeadcat asked his Canadian friend if she was representative and he apparently burst out laughing...and never gave a real answer! The show makes me wish I had stayed involved in theater a bit after high school. Oh heck, I was barely involved in high school because my stupid band director hated the drama teacher and, like petty parents in a divorce, they made us pick sides and I had been in band since 6th grade so I wasn't gonig to stop now! But the one year I partiicpated, even though it was all just behind the scenes, I had a blast. I wish the library had a theater group LOL. We could totally geek it up.
Anyway, if you have Netflix streaming, check out Slings & Arrows, it's really a good show. :)
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theater thoughts: Cymbeline by William Shakespeare, as performed at the Shakespeare Theater, Washing
Cymbeline is one of the few Shakespeare plays I know absolutely nothing about. I have never read it or seen it performed prior to this afternoon. I had no idea what to expect. Cymbeline feels like someone took all of Shakespeare's plays and put them in a blender. Then, when the contents were retrieved, a studio executive ran in and said "look, your last few plays were really big downers, can you make this one have a happy ending? We don't care if it doesn't quite work with the rest of the play, just give it a happy ending!" There are so many plot lines, I think even Shakespeare was confused by the end, since the last 20 minutes of the play is a RECAP of the entire play. I swear, you need some kind of chart to figure this one out. But I'll attempt to break it down as quickly as I can:
Synopsis:
Cymbeline is the King of Britain. 20 years ago, his two sons were kidnapped. Now he just has a daughter, Imogen, though he did remarry and his new wife brought along her son, Cloten. Also, the King has raised up an orphan named Posthumus Leonatus. Now, Leonatus and Imogen have fallen in love and secretly married. The King, of course, does not approve of his daughter marrying a non-noble. The queen, Imogen's stepmother, sees this as an opportunity to drive apart the father and daughter, and get her son into his good graces. As the play opens, the queen tells Leo that he needs to leave the country. The couple exchange vows of love, swearing that they will be faithful no matter what. Imogen gives Leo her diamond ring, he gives her a golden bracelet. He also leaves his servant Pisanio at the court, to carry messages between the two of them. With a kiss, Leo heads off to Italy. The queen moves her plot forward, requesting poison from the apothecary. The apothecary knows better than to give a queen poison, so she tells the audience that she has given her highness something that will just give the illusion of death. Knowing that Pisanio will be in the company of Imogen daily, she gives him the vial, saying it is the equivalent of Tylenol and very precious.
There, he meets up with some bawdy gentleman, the loudest among them, Jachimo. After listening to Leo talk about how faithful and beautiful Imogen is, Jachimo wages that he could corrupt the girl with a single visit. Leo resists but after much pestering, the finally takes the bet. Jachimo heads off to court and first slanders Leo, saying he is messing around in Italy and having a grand time without Imogen. She is distraught by this so Jachimo tries to put some moves on her. She quickly figures out that he's toying with her emotions. Thinking on his feet, Jachimo apologizes and says it was a test. He begs her forgiveness, then asks if he could keep his trunk of jewels in her bedroom for the evening for safe keeping. She agrees. That night, after Imogen falls asleep, Jachimo emerges from the chest, memorizes the layout of her bedroom, her bed, and sneaks a quick peek under her nightgown. Before he goes back into the chest, he slips off the bracelet. The next morning, Imogen searches for her bracelet and runs into Cloten, who attempts to woo her himself. She says that she doesn't like him at all, goes so far as to say she hates him. She says, meaning it as a metaphor, that she loves Leo's simple clothes to Cloten's royal garb. He takes it literally.
( but wait, there's more!!! )
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Romeo & Juliet @ Shakespeare Theatre
On Sunday night I saw the performance of Romeo and Juliet at the Shakespeare Theatre in Washington D.C.. This place has never let me down. I'll admit, I was not 100% on Sunday night, after the long evening before that of Rocking and Rumming. But after some chorizo at Jaleo, I got a second wind (well, first wind actually).
Sunday was actually preview night, so apparently members of the media were there. There was a table set up in the lobby of the Sidney Harman Hall and folders were being handed out. Nothing special for Susan and I though, we are just normal theater goers. haha.
First of all, the reconfigured the entire staging area (apparently known as the "thrust configuration" if I was a theatre buff). It was so cool. I started to walk down the steps to find our usual seat and when I looked up I was like "whoa!". It was almost a theater in the round sort of setting. It felt as though they were trying to recreate the Globe, with the audience surrounding the players and the players within reach of the crowd.
That wasn't the only bit of the play that harkened back to Shakespeare's time. This production was all men. Yeah, I was worried at first - all men? Like a drag show? But no, it was just men playing women, the way a man might play a bartender or a woman might play an archeologist. Just another role. According to the playbill, the director decided to try this because of how much emphasis R&J puts on "manliness". (I'll admit, I haven't seen R&J since I was forced to read it in school and they made us watch the Zefferelli movie. Most of my knowledge of the play comes from Shakespeare in Love, which also focuses on the whole "men only" aspect of the society. I try not to think too much about the love story, because when you live in a society where you die at 40, I guess 14 would be the best time to settle down.)
I really enjoyed the show. It was easy to tell that some were uncomfortable with the men playing women, as they snickered at the wrong moments. I felt the actors did a fantastic job all around, so it was no fault of theirs. James Davis' Juliet was very much a spazzy 14-year old girl, jumping and skipping about. Finn Wittrock as Romeo also captured the youthfulness of his character. I think we tend to forget that Romeo and Juliet are barely adults, and they are still trying to figure themselves out as well as understand their families and their issues.
Of course, my favorite is Mercutio -- Aubrey Deeker. He's a regular at the STC and he always does a great job, whether he's playing comedy or drama. Mercutio is a great mix, and he played him as both the class clown/frat boy and the young man losing his best friend to romance. I thought his take on the death scene (whoops, spoiler!) was very well done.
Anyway, in Shakespeare's time, this performance would be nothing to blink at, as women were not allowed near the stage. But in 2008, the role of women being played by men feels so shocking. Yet the Shakespeare Theatre Company pulls it off as though it was 1660 yet underneath it all is a dash of 2008...it's hard to describe. Another job well done by the men (and there must be some women backstage!) of the STC!
(FYI: the dress Juliet is wearing in the photo that is on the STC site is not Juliet's dress. It's actually Lady Montague's dress. Guess they were not done with the wardrobe when the photographer arrived. So don't judge the costumes by that photo! Lady Montague is not the same size/proportions as Juliet)
Sunday was actually preview night, so apparently members of the media were there. There was a table set up in the lobby of the Sidney Harman Hall and folders were being handed out. Nothing special for Susan and I though, we are just normal theater goers. haha.
First of all, the reconfigured the entire staging area (apparently known as the "thrust configuration" if I was a theatre buff). It was so cool. I started to walk down the steps to find our usual seat and when I looked up I was like "whoa!". It was almost a theater in the round sort of setting. It felt as though they were trying to recreate the Globe, with the audience surrounding the players and the players within reach of the crowd.
That wasn't the only bit of the play that harkened back to Shakespeare's time. This production was all men. Yeah, I was worried at first - all men? Like a drag show? But no, it was just men playing women, the way a man might play a bartender or a woman might play an archeologist. Just another role. According to the playbill, the director decided to try this because of how much emphasis R&J puts on "manliness". (I'll admit, I haven't seen R&J since I was forced to read it in school and they made us watch the Zefferelli movie. Most of my knowledge of the play comes from Shakespeare in Love, which also focuses on the whole "men only" aspect of the society. I try not to think too much about the love story, because when you live in a society where you die at 40, I guess 14 would be the best time to settle down.)
I really enjoyed the show. It was easy to tell that some were uncomfortable with the men playing women, as they snickered at the wrong moments. I felt the actors did a fantastic job all around, so it was no fault of theirs. James Davis' Juliet was very much a spazzy 14-year old girl, jumping and skipping about. Finn Wittrock as Romeo also captured the youthfulness of his character. I think we tend to forget that Romeo and Juliet are barely adults, and they are still trying to figure themselves out as well as understand their families and their issues.
Of course, my favorite is Mercutio -- Aubrey Deeker. He's a regular at the STC and he always does a great job, whether he's playing comedy or drama. Mercutio is a great mix, and he played him as both the class clown/frat boy and the young man losing his best friend to romance. I thought his take on the death scene (whoops, spoiler!) was very well done.
Anyway, in Shakespeare's time, this performance would be nothing to blink at, as women were not allowed near the stage. But in 2008, the role of women being played by men feels so shocking. Yet the Shakespeare Theatre Company pulls it off as though it was 1660 yet underneath it all is a dash of 2008...it's hard to describe. Another job well done by the men (and there must be some women backstage!) of the STC!
(FYI: the dress Juliet is wearing in the photo that is on the STC site is not Juliet's dress. It's actually Lady Montague's dress. Guess they were not done with the wardrobe when the photographer arrived. So don't judge the costumes by that photo! Lady Montague is not the same size/proportions as Juliet)
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All the things I've seen...
So, I wanted to create an entry to that was a list of all the plays and such I have seen over the years so I could refer back to it (heiland_coo asked me what my favorite plays were that I had seen at the Shakespeare Theatre and I realized I could not remember them all!)
So I'm going through my playbills and ticket stubs and trying to create this list for myself. If you're curious at how much time (don't think about the money!) I've spent at concerts and such over the years, take a peak.
( on with the show )
heiland_coo asked me what my favorite plays were that I had seen at the Shakespeare Theatre and I realized I could not remember them all!) So I'm going through my playbills and ticket stubs and trying to create this list for myself. If you're curious at how much time (don't think about the money!) I've spent at concerts and such over the years, take a peak.
( on with the show )
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Brokeback Marlowe
"Galveston, Why Can't I Quit You?"
'Edward II' at the new Shakespeare Theatre in D.C. was AMAZING! Just...WOW!
The play is the story of a King Edward II. His father has just died, a father that banished his "favorite", Galveston, to France some years back. Now with is father six feet under, Edward immediately calls back his favorite, his friend, his lover - Galveston - back to the court. His wife, Queen Isabella, is none too thrilled. It is clear that Edward truly loves Galveston, and his love his returned. The noblemen of the court despise Galveston. In fact, they hardly ever call him by name, he's just a "minion", a "wanton" or "base". Edward always calls him "dear Galveston" or "friend Galveston" or "My Galveston". The nobles swear that it's not really the relationship that bothers them, but the fact that Edward would bestow titles on Galveston, who is a "nobody" to them. And, as with so many crusaders, they charge into battle with the phrase 'It's not for me, but for my country that I do this'. Yeah, right.
Where 'Tamburlaine' was the story of a main rising to power by destroying everyone around him, Edward just wants to be left alone, but his position as King gives everyone the right to tell him how best to live his life. Things fall apart around him because no one will let him be! He even tries to delegate his power to the nobles so he can go and hide away with Galveston. You feel for Edward. You can tell the director and the actor put a lot of thought and care into his portrayal. He could easily have been an effemenate, naive joke or a spoiled King throwing a fit for not getting his way. But he is just tired. You can tell his has put up with being what he is supposed to be - he has married a princess of France, he has provided the throne with an heir. He has been a good father to his son. But now, finally, his true love can return to him. He just wants to be in love but the real world entervines.
Gale Edwards interpretation was just fantastic. She has the play in a 1920-30s era world, so the men are all in suits and tuxedos. Wallace Acton as Edward...what can I say? I had never seen or read this play before but I know it will take a lot to top this production. Every. Single. Cast Member gave 110%!
If you see the play, watch ALL the characters, even if they are only off to the side. The glances, the nods, the gestures - they are all truly in the moment. Poor Edmund, brother to the King, might be the most sympathetic character. He tries so very hard to stand by his brother and its not until he sees that his country might be at stake that he tells Edward that he can't realistically have Gaveston and his kingdom too. And he immediately regrets it.
Oh, and Mortimer! I have this image of him warming up for Act II by standing backstage and laughing maniacally. He has a very James Bond villian moment, where you divulges his plans to the audience. If he had a mustache, he would have been twirling it.
So, in short - Play GOOD! If you can, go see it.
'Edward II' at the new Shakespeare Theatre in D.C. was AMAZING! Just...WOW!
The play is the story of a King Edward II. His father has just died, a father that banished his "favorite", Galveston, to France some years back. Now with is father six feet under, Edward immediately calls back his favorite, his friend, his lover - Galveston - back to the court. His wife, Queen Isabella, is none too thrilled. It is clear that Edward truly loves Galveston, and his love his returned. The noblemen of the court despise Galveston. In fact, they hardly ever call him by name, he's just a "minion", a "wanton" or "base". Edward always calls him "dear Galveston" or "friend Galveston" or "My Galveston". The nobles swear that it's not really the relationship that bothers them, but the fact that Edward would bestow titles on Galveston, who is a "nobody" to them. And, as with so many crusaders, they charge into battle with the phrase 'It's not for me, but for my country that I do this'. Yeah, right.
Where 'Tamburlaine' was the story of a main rising to power by destroying everyone around him, Edward just wants to be left alone, but his position as King gives everyone the right to tell him how best to live his life. Things fall apart around him because no one will let him be! He even tries to delegate his power to the nobles so he can go and hide away with Galveston. You feel for Edward. You can tell the director and the actor put a lot of thought and care into his portrayal. He could easily have been an effemenate, naive joke or a spoiled King throwing a fit for not getting his way. But he is just tired. You can tell his has put up with being what he is supposed to be - he has married a princess of France, he has provided the throne with an heir. He has been a good father to his son. But now, finally, his true love can return to him. He just wants to be in love but the real world entervines.
Gale Edwards interpretation was just fantastic. She has the play in a 1920-30s era world, so the men are all in suits and tuxedos. Wallace Acton as Edward...what can I say? I had never seen or read this play before but I know it will take a lot to top this production. Every. Single. Cast Member gave 110%!
If you see the play, watch ALL the characters, even if they are only off to the side. The glances, the nods, the gestures - they are all truly in the moment. Poor Edmund, brother to the King, might be the most sympathetic character. He tries so very hard to stand by his brother and its not until he sees that his country might be at stake that he tells Edward that he can't realistically have Gaveston and his kingdom too. And he immediately regrets it.
Oh, and Mortimer! I have this image of him warming up for Act II by standing backstage and laughing maniacally. He has a very James Bond villian moment, where you divulges his plans to the audience. If he had a mustache, he would have been twirling it.
So, in short - Play GOOD! If you can, go see it.
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crisis averted
Turns out I should not do stats homework at 10:30 at night! Because my reading comprehension drops way down. I missed the whole sentence about how to make SPSS spit out percentages and gammas so a whole 3 charts of information were missing. So I'm less confused and more done with my homework now.
AND I managed to get rid of Sunday at the library, so I will be having a bonus Thanksgiving withjimithingy's family. Should be delicious.
Tomorrow: Edward II at the fancy new theatre. Last week, we saw 'Tamburlaine', which was 3 HOURS! I wouldn't have minded so much but it was an evening performance so I was sort of sleepy haha. Avery Brooks was very good, actually everyone was very good, but I'm not really a bit Histories person. 'Tamburlaine' never gets his comeuppance. He's a little bastard, who kills and betrays lots of people to become an even bigger jerkwad, ruling the world, and is finally challenged, which leads him to think that stabbing his own son is a good idea and before anyone can really get revenge, he has a heart attack and dies. Hm. 'Edward II' sounds a lot more nuanced and complex. (Reading the Wikipedia entry...I wonder if it is possible to find the production that Ian McKellan starred in....)
The new theatre is very snazzy. It's right across the street from the Verizon Center (was had to walk through a crowd of Springsteen fans to get there last week, who knows what will be going down on a Saturday afternoon).destertale asked me what was going to happen to the Lansburgh Theatre and as far as I know, they are going to keep it open! Right now they have 'Taming of the Shrew' extended through Nov 25th, something they couldn't do until now. And a couple more plays are scheduled there for the season too. They are also using the new theater to host all kinds of different events.
AND I managed to get rid of Sunday at the library, so I will be having a bonus Thanksgiving with
jimithingy's family. Should be delicious.Tomorrow: Edward II at the fancy new theatre. Last week, we saw 'Tamburlaine', which was 3 HOURS! I wouldn't have minded so much but it was an evening performance so I was sort of sleepy haha. Avery Brooks was very good, actually everyone was very good, but I'm not really a bit Histories person. 'Tamburlaine' never gets his comeuppance. He's a little bastard, who kills and betrays lots of people to become an even bigger jerkwad, ruling the world, and is finally challenged, which leads him to think that stabbing his own son is a good idea and before anyone can really get revenge, he has a heart attack and dies. Hm. 'Edward II' sounds a lot more nuanced and complex. (Reading the Wikipedia entry...I wonder if it is possible to find the production that Ian McKellan starred in....)
The new theatre is very snazzy. It's right across the street from the Verizon Center (was had to walk through a crowd of Springsteen fans to get there last week, who knows what will be going down on a Saturday afternoon).
destertale asked me what was going to happen to the Lansburgh Theatre and as far as I know, they are going to keep it open! Right now they have 'Taming of the Shrew' extended through Nov 25th, something they couldn't do until now. And a couple more plays are scheduled there for the season too. They are also using the new theater to host all kinds of different events.
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Pink Tights and Plenty of Props
My mom was asking about this sketch (because my brother is currently obsessed with Shakespeare). And it still cracks me up. From 'Rowan Atkinson Live!'
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oh that this too too solid flesh would melt...
Wowza. 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!