“To be, or not to be?”: Shakespeare’s infamous question has permeated our consciousness for over 400 years. Jessica Carmichael has homed in on Hamlet’s meditations on life, death, and grief for her stirring production of Hamlet for this year’s Dream in High Park. Breathing new life into one of Shakespeare’s most recognizable works, this is truly a Hamlet for today.

Jessica Carmichael’s Hamlet is raw and emotionally charged in a way which makes it feel new and revitalized. Qasim Khan, as the titular prince of Denmark, goes through a gauntlet of turmoil from love to hate, sadness to madness. He puts his own unique mark on this well-known character – this is a Hamlet who recoils when handed a skull, a perfectly human reaction which we normally don’t see portrayed. Dan Mousseau as Laertes is heartbreaking. By wearing his heart on his sleeve, he makes Laertes’ fury and despair palpable. Likewise, Stephen Jackman-Torkoff’s Horatio is full of passion, and their sorrowful sobs at Hamlet’s death are a fitting end to this expressive adaptation.

An interesting addition is the production’s focus on Ophelia, beautifully portrayed by Beck Lloyd. Opening the play with contemporary poetry, Ophelia’s presence is front and centre long before Hamlet enters the scene. However, we’re also given the opportunity to see Hamlet and Ophelia in love, another unique quality to this production. Rather than being hearsay, we witness their loving embraces, and it’s implied that their relationship might be more fruitful than initially supposed. This makes their falling out, and Ophelia’s eventual breakdown, have a deep emotional impact. While we are accustomed to looking for signs of Hamlet’s madness throughout the production, Carmichael’s interpretation presents just as many inklings for Ophelia; the text weaves several threads which aid in creating a feeling of inevitable devastation as the play approaches its final bloody moments.

Another brilliant adjustment to the text is the shared soliloquies which traditionally belong to Hamlet alone. By making them conversations rather than internal monologues, the people around him become complicit in his actions throughout the play. There’s an intimacy in these shared speeches which humanize these normally distant, high-born characters and makes them feel even more grounded in reality.

However, amongst the examinations of grief and love is the delightful reprieve brought by Polonius, Rosencranz, and Guildenstern. Sam Khalilieh takes Polonius’ humour to another level, eliciting laughter at all the right moments as the bumbling yet earnest father and confidant to the King. Amelia Sargisson and Christo Graham’s vaudevillian Rosencrantz and Guildenstern likewise enliven the play with their performances. They double as the gravediggers, brilliantly playing on the similarities in functions of both pairs of characters. The blending of light and dark, comedy and tragedy, life and death, is expertly steeped into every aspect of Hamlet.

Joshua Quinlan’s set and costume design bring the reality of Dream in High Park to the foreground with earthy tones and moss-covered stonework. You get the sense of the dreariness and cold which subsumes the characters, yet the production design allows the life which surrounds the stage to seep into its being. A particular highlight is the costume for the Ghost of King Hamlet, played by James Dallas Smith; a truly haunting assemblage of moss, leaves, sticks, and bone make the Ghost breathtaking from his first appearance. Adding these colours of life to a play which speaks so much about death and grieving creates a beautiful juxtaposition.

By taking on the same questions as Hamlet throughout the production, Carmichael, her team, and this wildly talented cast have created an unforgettable Hamlet. While the 90 minute run-time advertised on the website is in actuality more like 2 hours, it is the most engaging 2 hours you will spend at the theatre this summer. Running until September 1st, there are plenty of opportunities left to partake in one of Toronto’s most beloved summer traditions. For more information and tickets, visit: https://www.canadianstage.com/shows-events/season/hamlet-2024?gad_source=1&gbraid=0AAAAADvVdyANRX0t2s9Pwz0OkBlAaoAu1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwkdO0BhDxARIsANkNcreBZG6MtaNwe3E4PDZGoqXyxTUl9B7TvmzUGVzSy0MLZR31xwum_H0aAjRYEALw_wcB

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Cover Photo: Qasim Khan (foreground) with Raquel Duffy and Diego Matamoros (background). Photo by Dahlia Katz.

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