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Michael Cox reviews the Citizen's latest production of the classic.
It’s rare to be able to call any production of Hamlet (***) William Shakespeare’s for the simple fact that, through concepts and cuts, most productions take their own individual form. This current Hamlet might be ‘by’ Shakespeare but it is most certainly has the ownership of director Dominic Hill, for better and for worse. Little rewriting of the general plot here: elder King Hamlet is dead, his brother has married the queen and replaced him on the throne while his grieving son, still in mourning, is tasked with discovering whether murder was committed or not.
What is rewritten, here, is how these events visually unfold. Using Brechtian theories, the production (as with much of Hill’s work) is an ensemble affair, with no place for cast or tech to hide. The stage looks more like an installation piece set in a recording studio (with tape decks and musical instruments dotted throughout) and the cast sit in chairs and at tables in the background and to the sides when not in character. There are artistic flourishes throughout, all of which impress for the sheer commitment to the staging.
Perhaps it’s all a bit style over substance, but what great style nonetheless. It’s hard not to admire the full gusto that transpires, and clocking in at over three hours the production is never boring. But it also can be hard to follow at times. Much energy has gone into staging but little seems to have been spent on conveying plot or the voicing of lines, with some actors garbling their words to the point of incomprehension. There are also some character choices that seem questionable at best (Polonius lusting after daughter Ophelia—really?).
But there are also aspects that are downright triumphant. Adam Best is terrific as both Rosencrantz and Laertes, and Peter Guinness plays King Claudius more as an underworld kingpin to wonderful effect. But it’s Brian Ferguson’s original take on the titular character that really stands out. More as a ticking time-bomb than as a dashing hero, Ferguson’s Hamlet is nothing short of a revelation, constantly surprising as the story unfolds.
All of which makes Hill’s Hamlet a rather frustrating experience. By no stretch of the imagination bad or weak, it still lacks much of the emotional sucker punch the play can deliver, even if it is visually scrumptious and has stand-out performances.
Hamlet performed at the Citizens Theatre but has completed its run.
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