My overall impression
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 performed by 8 in Catalan) and in England. And Mr. Sidney’s accomplishment is to be admired not only for its accomplishment but also for his daring in even attempting any production under the stripped down circumstances of the Hollywood Fringe. Bravo.
However, only the young and naïve would, as the lead actor/ director in a production, be audacious enough to practice yoga center stage as a warm up as the audience files into its seats and the rest of the cast obediently sits on either side of the stage and watches. This in itself might be worth the price of admission.
Rest assured that Mr. Sidney simply could not have accomplished production without the dedicated and earnest support of seven others, Casey McKinnon, Andy Hirsch, Jonathan Goldstein, Kellie Matterson, Matt Henerson, Kathy Bell Denton and Corryn Cummins.
Be that as it may, the production is not without flaws and many curiosities.
One wonders what possessed Mr. Sidney to cast Laertes as a woman. Laertes is a foil to Hamlet (we all know him, the “jock” vs. “student” “the hail fellow well met commoner vs. the serious aristocrat. Casting a very lovely young lady to play that role meaninglessly discards the value of the role.
Another woman to play Marcellus (soldier), the second player and Osric also distorts the meaning of the play. In fact that act completely annihilates the function of Osric who is written as a “water fly”, a fop, an emasculated male lost in courtly manners. Osric is the corruption of the kingdom. The essence of that role is that he is a man turned woman; not a woman.
And the final conceit is also strangely realized: we are greeted by a prologue that ways that Hamlet has been away for 30 years, during which time Denmark, now the center of the world has drifted into decay; and that Hamlet is well loved but ill equipped to save the Kingdom.
Enter Mr. Sidney with dyed hair, spray painted with a helmet cross and carefully painted toe nails .
One does at that point expect some sort of hip counter culturist, however, what we get is a very very serious resentful young man. Not at all what the package portended.
One wonders, since Mr. Sidney created the production, why he chose to deck himself out abnormally and then play the character normally.
Before I read the program and realized that actor and director were one and the same I assumed that the actor and director were in conflict over the interpretation and Mr. Sidney was refusing “to play” his make up and costume.
Outstanding in the production were
1) First and foremost, Mr. Sidney whose vision, determination and drive make the production hold together. His articulate grasp of Shakespeare is a wonder at his age. However, Hamlet, has a sense of humor…in fact the conceit of the play is that he is clowning around. Mr. Sidney bends over backward to be serious.
I longed for Mr. Sidney to make Hamlet more loveable; Hamlet’s entire life before the play has been one of dalliance. This is not something that he drops over night just because he saw his father’s ghost and learned that he was murdered.
However, under Mr. Sidney’s interpretation is a flicker of fun. I cannot help but want to see resentment, anger and … more fun. He is the infinite human spirit surrounded by groundlings. That would hope would lead to a kind of delight. Hamlet is a “star” and stars above all else must have charm.
I am afraid that this Hamlet, although fascinating and dramatic, tends to be a bit of party pooper, rather than a party maker who has found himself in a pickle.
But after all is said and done, that is a matter of interpretation and Mr. Sidney’s performance is outstanding and not to be missed.
2) Jonathan Goldstein as Claudius (the best and warmest Claudius I have ever seen and I have seen a lot of them). One does wish however that the character who is described as a villain who smiles and smiles (Denmark used car salesman) would smile a bit more;
3) Kathy Bell Denton as Gertrude (finally a Gertrude portrayed as a powerless middle aged woman seeking to preserve her status, usually portrayed by over the hill actresses who refuse to play that aspect). Although one wishes that she would not die with her head on a box (I assume not her choice);
4) Andy Hirsch as Horatio who without trying captures the character’s honesty (Rarely by actors who usually portray only his stalwart bravado);
5) Corryn Cummins as Ophelia who deserves accolades for the sincerity of her “mad scene” as well as her passion with Jacob Sydney;
6) Matt Henerson who as Polonius has discarded the usual fool for an articulate advisor and who, as the Gravedigger, is delightful and, with his shirt off, certainly brings new meaning to being upstaged by your own navel. Delightful.
I say that most affectionately as a fellow actor with an ample gut,
And then last, but not least,
7) Casey McKinnon and
8) Kellie Matteson
both of whom with stalwart, earnest, dignified, good humored aplomb have tackled the impossible task of playing six male roles never intended to be played by women. Bravo.
This is a remarkable production not to be missed.
