Theater Review - Hamlet

Hamlet

Written by William Shakespeare

Directed by Mark Lamos

Where: Thompson Theatre at the Roselle Center for the Arts

(University of Delaware, Newark, Delaware)

When: Thursday, March 7, 7:30pm

Photos from the REP

Maybe the Resident Ensemble Players at the University of Delaware should give the audience a Shakespearean production each season.  While this doesn't quite compare to the 2010-11 season's fantastical A Midsummer Night's Dream, this year's Hamlet is quickly paced, nicely acted, and sumptuously designed -- elements that make a centuries-old play a bit more relatable for a modern-day audience.  Not that Hamlet necessarily needs any help in that area.  In fact, although I'm not incredibly well-versed in all of Shakespeare, this seems to be one of his easiest plays to grasp in terms of plot and characters which is all the more reason I'm surprised that I never had to read this in either high school or college as it seems like a really good starting-off point to get into the Bard.  While I had seen the four hour-long Kenneth Branagh version back in eleventh grade and I prepped myself a little bit by watching a recent PBS special on the play, I'm not sure this prior knowledge of Hamlet would've been necessary (but admittedly it was nice to have a general overview of the plot).  That being said, despite a simple story, there is depth to Hamlet and if I had to fault the production in one area it's that director Mark Lamos almost plays things too straightforward -- there really isn't much ambiguity in this production and maybe there should have been a bit in order to see the many layers that make up the title character and his emotional struggles.

The play's called Hamlet so it's a good guess to assume that the thing revolves around the title character with Shakespeare providing quite a commanding role for an actor to tackle.  Here, REP member Michael Gotch grabs hold of the Danish prince and doesn't let go.  Running the gambit of emotions, to me Gotch presents a compelling Hamlet that is undoubtedly intelligent and steadfastly resolute in his need to enact revenge on his uncle Claudius who murdered Hamlet's father and then married his mother in order to ascend to the throne (the latter of which makes for a very funny line in which Hamlet questions whether that now makes his mother his aunt).  If anything, it's this strength Gotch exhibits after seeing his father's ghost that leads to the lack of ambiguity I mentioned above.  I never once believed that Hamlet's nonsensical rambling craziness that he undertakes near the beginning of the play was anything other than an incredibly intelligent young man trying to fool others into thinking he was going mad so they'd render him not capable of committing an act of revenge against Claudius.  Now, all of this is certainly up for interpretation and, as was mentioned in the talkback following this evening's production, there's really no wrong way to interpret the title character here.  That said, after the play had ended, I longed for a tiny bit of ambiguity as to whether Hamlet was slowly going mad and I never really got that.  While Hamlet certainly questions himself and his motives (the "to be or not be" soliloquy comes to mind), the way things are presented in this production, I couldn't help but think he found his answers very quickly despite perhaps putting on a show for those around him.  Listen, though, this is a really minor quibble (and it's not even really a quibble) as Gotch has created something quite great here and if the standing ovation he received at this production is any indication, he has certainly succeeded.

Personally, I think the standing ovation should have started when Erin Partin came onstage to take her bow.  As Ophelia, a former love of Hamlet wronged by his disgust of women after his mother's betrayal of her father, Partin (who is a frequent guest artist of the REP) takes on her best role yet giving the audience something hauntingly beautiful.  The scene in which she tries to win Hamlet back by reminding him of the time they spent together ends in such a viscerally intense manner that it was almost uncomfortable to watch (kudos to both Mr. Gotch and Ms. Partin on that as I mean that as the highest compliment).  Then as Ophelia begins to spiral downward, I couldn't help but feel her pain and sorrow.

In that very scene in which Ophelia's heartbreaking insanity begins to show itself, Partin is wearing a flowing, yet much tattered gown, and while it's incredibly simple, it adds so much to who that character is at that moment in time.  That is the case throughout this production as the costume design by Fabio Toblini is exquisite.  From the blackened iron-clad Ghost of Hamlet's father to the royalty and pomp of Queen Gertrude's blood red gown (which apparently took over 200 man hours to create and rightly so caused some audible awestruck gasps upon its first appearance), the REP continues its tradition of crafting design elements that could rival anything you see on Broadway.  [The stark, yet almost convoluted, scenic design by Alexander Dodge is wonderful as well.]

With nice turns from Elizabeth Heflin as Hamlet's mother Gertrude and Stephen Pelinski as the outwardly innocent Claudius along with the return of REP actor Carine Montbertrand whose comedic chops have been missing this season, this ensemble proves once again that they're capable of pretty much any play put in their midst.  Together, they help to make this play hugely accessible to an audience of people who are likely not as well versed in Shakespeare's work as they are.  Along with the aforementioned Mr. Lamos who keeps this piece moving along at a rapid pace with nary a moment to catch your breath, this Hamlet is absolutely worth the price of admission.  If you've never seen a REP production and find yourself game for a bit of Elizabethan-era drama, spend the $25 because, to roughly quote a line from the production, this play's definitely the thing.