Theatre critique and analysis

Hamlet: A Theatre Review

In the month of March 2008, the Redlands Regional Players put on a production of William Shakespeare's classic play, Hamlet. Hamlet is widely considered to be one of the greatest literary works of the English language. It is what Goethe's Faust is to the German language, or Cervantes's Don Quixote to the Spanish language. As such, whenever a theatre group dares to put on a performance of Hamlet, they are taking quite a big risk, and the consequences can be grave. The Redlands Regional Players' production took even a bigger risk by deciding to place Hamlet in a modern day context. Thanks to some fine performances, however, the theatre group managed to pull it off, reminding us that Shakespeare's classic play is full of universal truths that apply to all eras and conditions.

One of the things that make Hamlet so intriguing is its complicated plot. The play takes place in Denmark and charts Prince Hamlet's descent into madness as he tries to figure out a way to exact revenge on his uncle Claudius, who has married his father, the King of Denmark, and married Hamlet's mother, effectively assuming the throne in the process. Among other themes, the play explores incest, revenge, treachery, and corruption.

In attempting to make Hamlet appeal to a modern audience, directors Darcie Flansburg and Yvonne Flack made a number of idiosyncratic casting decisions. They transformed Ophelia into a "goth" type character, and added a contemporary score by musician Sean Longstreet, who performed the music live during the course of the show. In a sense, one was very much reminded of the modern film version of Romeo and Juliet released a few years ago, which starred Leonard DiCaprio and Clare Danes as the star-crossed, ill-fated lovers.

Dane Johnston gave a stunning performance in the title role of the play. In fitting with the modern interpretation of the classic, Johnston's rendering of Hamlet is akin to the "emo" youth subculture - just as Ophelia is meant to conform to the "gothic" subculture. At the same time, Johnston delivered Hamlet's numerous long monologues with sophistication and ease, proving to the audience that you do not have to fake a British accent in order to accurately capture the Shakespearean essence of the role.

Hamlet's best friends, Horatio (Kit Fugard) and Marcella (Vanessa Downs), were also portrayed as "scene kids," but obviously of an artistic and intelligent nature. Angela Donor's interpretation of Ophelia tended to be a bit melodramatic at some points during the play; at the same time, it can be said that such over-acting may be necessary, as it is part of Ophelia's true nature.