Hamlet Max

Wow. This was an amazing production! All of the elements combined to make an incredibly enjoyable and fast-paced new angle on arguably the greatest play of all time. I won't spoil it for you, but suffice it to say that this is the theatre piece I've wanted to stage for over a decade and I'm so glad someone else was able to do it so I could enjoy it as an audience member! Kudos, bravo, and go see this! Though I've no doubt it will be playing at a nearby theatre soon!... full review

The title of Jacob Sidney’s futuristic Hamlet refers to the Dane’s dead father Maximus, a character who never appears live on stage but only materializes as part of Hillary Bauman’s black & white anime projections on a screen behind the actors. The audience sees the ghost fade in and out behind them while a mirthless Hamlet peers out over the audience and responds to his father somewhere out in the empty wasteland beyond us. It is a stylistic element that characterizes Sidney’s Hamlet in a production that is a steely mix of live action and introspective contemplation. As an exercise, it is immensely thought-provoking, but because each of the actors is already working within his or her own individual style, it keeps the sum of its parts fr... full review

This eight person rendition of Hamlet is a must see for a variety of reasons. First, it is well-constructed forcibly moving performance of a great work. Second, it has been accomplished, with audio synchronized rear projections, on a shoe-string budget in a simple black box space. And third, in many ways the most remarkable feature, is that with the earnest help of seven others, one man steers this production as the adapter, director and Hamlet, Jacob Sidney. I am 73 years old and been immersed in theatre for most of those years. I have seen Hamlet performed multiple times on the West Coast (Ashland , South Coast Rep and the CTG), East Coast (Broadway: Burton and Jude), in the South, in Barcelona, Spain (where it was performe... full review

AMAZING PRODUCTION - make sure you attend this show! Hamlet in a mere 90 minutes? Is it possible? YES - and this is a production you don't want to miss!!! The entire concept of the post-apocalyptic world of Denmark within the framework of a graphic novel was a stunning slant on the classic play. The sound design and the original music was haunting and perfect to underscore the piece, and the the gorgeous artwork/ animation/ graphic design really brought the world to life to beautiful effect, especially coupled with the costume design that was both the destroyed future with historical elements of the past. The production designers have done such a beautiful job - by including only the props that are necessary to support the story, and t... full review

This was an awesome production and performance due the incredible amount of raw creativity and perfect casting - even the use of female actors to perform some of the traditional male parts; After all acting is acting and once the novice to Hamlet gets past the confusion (It only took a minute or two) the rest of the play moved on without that being any distraction. This was a bold performance utilizing modern technology of the arts to portray a most accurate depiction of the human relationships analyzed by Shakespeare in Hamlet. The theatre investigative work done through the use of fully animated settings is groundbreaking and cutting edge and deserves further attention and development. It was very enjoyable from start to finish and ... full review

Jacob Sidney stars in the lead role and directs this vibrant, imaginative and compact staging of the classic. The background animation had me wondering what a fully-animated version of the cast would be like; which is not to take anything away from the strong nature of performances themselves, (standouts include Matt Henerson’s Polonius and gravedigger (some actors had dual roles) and Jonathan Goldstein as Claudius and Kathy Bell Denton as Gertrude) and a very finely choreographed fight scene at the end—but I’d love to see the manga-style version of Hamlet’s flaming red and white striped hair. Hopefully this version will continue to be developed and staged again in a theater with a more functional and robust air conditioning system. O... full review

HamletMax was FANTASTIC!! The animations, truly wonderful acting and edited down version made this production much more accessible than traditional Shakespeare performances. As someone who hasn't studied Shakespeare, I usually am left wondering what's going on half the time, but this stylized performance, I felt, extended a hand out to those among us who aren't in the know already and invited us in. Much appreciated, modern exploration while still remaining true to Shakespeare. Beautiful! I wish there was more like it!... full review

I wrote an article for Bleeding Cool in which I discussed the manga panels created by artist Hillary Bauman. The article titled "Shakespeare Meets a Post-Apocalyptic Manga World in Hamlet Max Theater Performance" posted on June 24, 2014 and included accompanying stills taken by Kim Gottlieb-Walker. Please visit the Bleeding Cool post to have a look at the photographs: http://www.bleedingcool.com/2014/06/24/shakespeare-meets-a-post-apocalyptic-manga-world-in-hamlet-max-theater-performance/ The 75-seat Schkapf and Sacred Fools Theater in Los Angeles is hosting a limited run of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Presented by Central City, theatre actor Jacob Sidney directed Hamlet Max, which he adapted from Shakespeare’s Second Quarto. The eight-... full review

Use of the Second Quarto as text, an interesting take on the character of Guildenstern and several fine performances make this show a solid choice for fans of the Bard and the melancholy Dane.... full review

Well, Jacob Sidney played Hamlet. Hamlet lost. A production with quite a bit of money involved, and even more ego. Never a good mix as this show so sadly proves.... full review