What I liked
Great performances! Standouts were Amelia Mackey’s Horatio, Henrik Nielsen’s Laertes, and of course Rex Olsen’s Hamlet. I think a ton of the cuts made were really smart and made for a super digestible version of Hamlet.
What I didn't like
Why does Hamlet endure as the greatest work of literature in the english canon? The plot? The characters? The language? The themes? This production gets full marks for maintaining the plot (works fine without Fortinbras) and the characters came through well, especially for a 3-day rehearsal period. I think the joy of the language and depth is largely lost when cutting the “fluff” as it were.
My overall impression
The leanest dang Hamlet you’ve ever seen! Even with all the cuts, the text and some great performances come through crystal clear, telling one of the greatest stories of all time in a Fringe-length package. A 60-minute version of Hamlet is a remarkable achievement, though it doesn’t quite feel like Shakespeare’s grand meditation on philosophy and the nature of life.
