A Timely Classical Hamlet at California Shakespeare Theatre
\nCalifornia Shakespeare\u2019s final play this season offers a spirited and meaningful Hamlet that takes hold of spectators from beginning to the tragic end of what probably is Shakespeare\u2019s most emotionally charged and morally challenging work.<\/p>\n
Cal Shakes\u2019 Hamlet depicts a rich number of emotional states such as betrayal, treachery, deception, tyranny, political ambition, injustice, dementia, sexual desire and motherly and parental love. All of these emotional states are over ridden by Hamlet\u2019s drive for revenge for his father\u2019s unjust death. This version (directed by Liesl Tommy) centering upon a son\u2019s avenging a father unjustly killed progresses briskly and elegantly through five acts as though happening in the twenty first century.<\/p>\n
In Act One, after we learn of the death of King Hamlet, the ghost of Hamlet\u2019s father appears to Hamlet to inform him he was poisoned by his brother Claudius (performed with authority by Adrian Roberts) in order to replace him as king and marry his widow Gertrude (interpreted by Julie Eccles with maternal grace and dignity).<\/p>\n
In Act Two, Hamlet hesitates to kill his uncle and then thinks of a plan to confirm his uncle\u2019s guilt by requesting actors to play a scene of the poisoning of a king before him. The actors\u2019 scene, played as a farce, is somewhat overextended.<\/p>\n
In Act Three, a guilty Claudius sends Hamlet to England with a plan to have him killed that fails. Hamlet meets with his mother and in one of the plays\u2019 most stirring scenes rebukes her for marrying so rapidly after his father\u2019s death. At one point when he hears Polonius (Dan Hiatt) hiding behind a tapestry, thinking it is his uncle eavesdropping, Hamlet stabs Ophelia\u2019s father.<\/p>\n
In Act Four, Ophelia goes mad after the loss of her father and Hamlet in a powerfully dramatic scene a bit overplayed by Zainab Jah.
\nAct Five contains philosophically deep reflections on mortality as a gravedigger (Dan Hiatt in a strong character role creation) digging Ophelia\u2019s grave speaks about death as he pulls out skeleton heads from the earth. At the end of this act Hamlet duels with Ophelia\u2019s brother Laertes (performed by Nicholas Pelczar ) for having argued with Hamlet about his sister\u2019s death being a suicide.
\nIn the play\u2019s tragic end the duel is accomplished with a poisoned sword that Laertes prepared to kill Hamlet and wine containing poison meant for Hamlet that Hamlet\u2019s mother accidentally drinks. Hamlet\u2019s dying words are to Horatio (Nick Gabriel) requesting he tell Hamlet\u2019s story.<\/p>\n
California Shakespeare\u2019s Hamlet is as philosophically and morally rich as it is dramatically and lyrically moving. It offers a blend of classicism, through the use of Shakespeare\u2019s text, combined with semi stylized 20th century movement, and a performance in modern dress and on unadorned sets (Clint Ramos) that harmoniously bring human relationships and the dramatic action into our present century.
\nCalifornia Shakespeare Theater\u2019s Hamlet plays until October 21. For information call 510.548.9666 or visit www.calshakes.org
\nAnnette Lust<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A Timely Classical Hamlet at California Shakespeare Theatre California Shakespeare\u2019s final play this season offers a spirited and meaningful Hamlet that takes hold of spectators from beginning to the tragic…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"yasr_overall_rating":0,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[78],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-3277","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-guest-review"},"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":true,"span_bottom":"