William Shakespeare’s Hamlet is a story artists return to time and time again; whether it’s performed on stage or film, heavily adapted (“The Lion King” is Hamlet and yes, I will die on that particular hill) or more like Kenneth Branagh’s 1996 feature film which has a 4 hour and 2 minute run time, we have a fascination with the Danish Prince and his sorrows. Unchained Theatre Company is adding their name to the ever-growing list of productions with their Hamlet on stage at The Assembly Theatre. Directed by Jack Burrill, this production of Hamlet features breathtaking performances, but fails to heed Polonius’ most famous quip: “brevity is the soul of wit” (II,ii).
The first thing I notice upon entering The Assembly Theatre is the beautiful faux stained glass windows which adorn the playing space. I especially like the one depicting the willow tree and river where Ophelia will meet her end. Kafka Roposa’s design immediately gives the regal feeling of a court, while the stark lighting changes allow for the haunting moments to feel all the more eerie. The back of the stage is occupied by a raised platform with walls and curtains and containing the royal thrones of Denmark. While I immediately understood that this was going to be used for Polonius and Claudius’ hiding place as well as the arras where Polonius meets his demise, the solid walls and drawn back curtains caused some sight line issues when Claudius and Gertrude were sat on the thrones. Though it is a functional piece and I applaud the ingenuity, I wonder if the sides of it needed to be solid, or if they could have used more curtains drawn back further to give the same effect while making it able to be more open when it wasn’t being used for espionage. Teodoro Dragonieri’s masks for the players are expertly crafted and act as such a beautiful extension of the actors; his artistry is easy to spot and I was happy to see it used in this production.
For a tragedy, Hamlet is actually quite a funny play. Polonius and his long-windedness is certainly our main source of entertainment for the first two acts of the play, and of course there’s the famed grave-diggers scene which adds a beautiful moment of levity before everything falls to ruin. I love a production which is willing to embrace, and even celebrate, these moments of laughter amongst the tears. However, there were moments, particularly those which were ad-libbed, during the first half of the play which I thought were trying a little too hard to make light of the situation at hand. Shakespeare’s text is already funny, full of witty wordplay and sharp references, that I don’t know that it needs help with bringing out the lighter side of Hamlet. I think the moment which I found the most distracting was when Hamlet is holding up Yorrick’s skull, the iconic image of the piece, the gravedigger was mocking him by imitating his stance behind him. This is a moment of deep reflection and grounding for Hamlet, so to have that emotion lessened by the comedy was disappointing.
Photo by Kafka Roposa
I’m always looking to see how a production is going to cut down Hamlet to a reasonable time. As previously mentioned, if you want to do this play at it’s very fullest you’re looking at a 4 hour run. Unchained Theatre Company got theirs down to 2 hours and 45 minutes (this timing includes the 15 minute intermission), although there were times where I was shocked it was going to be that short. There was very little obviously cut from the play other than the political subplot about Fortibras, but that is easy to cut: no one is attending Hamlet for the geo-politics. While I was thankful that so much of the original script was able to be included, there were moments which felt like they dragged on; there are so many speeches in this play which don’t need to be given in full to have an emotional impact or forward the plot. Although, I have to admit that I don’t think that the heat in The Assembly Theatre helps one make it through a long play like Hamlet; if you have a little fan, bring it with you! I was very grateful for my neck fan during the show.
One thing I absolutely want to commend this production on is the performances of both madness and death in Hamlet. I loved how loud Hamlet would get when he was pretending to be mad, how violent Laertes was in his passions, and how loudly everyone died. Life is loud! We are loud particularly when we are in the throws of our emotions, and really that’s what is at the heart of Hamlet, why we keep coming back to it time and time again: it shows us as we are at our core. This production clearly honed in on that aspect and used it as the driving force behind its impressive performances.
Sam Cranston stars as Hamlet and gives a stirring performance as the Danish prince. The swings between the calm, thoughtful Hamlet and the performative, mad Hamlet were very distinct, showing Cranston’s remarkable range. Tom Lute gives his Laertes mountains of emotion, making him Hamlet’s perfect foil. Jack Burrill’s Claudius was quick to anger, which is a side we don’t normally get to see; I feel like I far more easily believed this man to be capable of killing his own brother. Bethany Joy-Radford’s Gertrude is caring and kind, a beautiful maternal light in this show. Tate Cook’s Ophelia broke my heart; Cook gives Ophelia a softness which makes you feel all the more for her as the play goes on. Reuben Stewart shines as Polonius. His expert comedic timing and ability to rattle off Shakespeare’s verse with lightning speed makes him perfect for the role. Brody Burrill gives his all in his many roles; the ghost is terrifying and his gravedigger a welcome fool.
Micah Stevens is a shy but faithful Horatio, as opposed to Cobourn Sands and Yixuan Chen’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, who are expert trouble makers! Andrew Wright rounds out the cast playing a plethora of roles, the most memorable being his overly enthusiastic Osric.
I love Hamlet; every time I’ve seen it I feel like I’ve learned something different from it. However, this particular production could have had more to say, and I wish they would have gone full force with it. Casting a woman as Hamlet makes total sense to me; there’s so much about the story which lends itself to this reading. Yet this production didn’t lean into that at all, still using male pronouns and titles for Hamlet. I would love to see Hamlet and Ophelia both cast as women – it makes more sense as to why their love feels downplayed by their parents. With such riveting performances and a clear understanding of the story, it would be so exciting to see these casting choices actually have a full effect on the script and see how the text can then take on new and relevant meaning.
Hamlet runs at The Assembly Theatre until August 31. For more information and tickets, visit: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/hamlet-tickets-1988863648712
Cover Photo: Jack Burrill, Bethany Joy-Radford, Sam Cranston, Brody Burrill. Photo by Kafka Roposa.
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