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Hamlet at Garden Variety Shakespeare
Reviewed July 22, 2000 by Frank Thompson
I must confess that I attended
GVS' production of Hamlet with some skepticism. Having seen several
truly bizarre "concept" productions of Shakespeare's plays, I have
become a fairly jaded purist. Although I still enjoy and prefer a more
traditional approach to The Bard of Avon, director Clark Vines' innovative
and enjoyable Hamlet has forced me to admit that sometimes a new take
on a classic can work and work well. Vines has artfully trimmed the excess
dialogue in what is arguably one of Shakespeare's more lengthy and ponderous
plays. Running time is under two hours, and yet the story and essence of this
great tragedy remain intact and powerful.
Set in an insane asylum, this Hamlet casts the Melancholy Dane as a
world-weary administrator, filled with anger towards his uncle/stepfather, a
prominent doctor in the institution. It's a slight stretch of belief to
assume that by murdering Hamlet's father, Uncle Claudius has taken Daddy's
place on the medical staff, but it's an easy jump to make, (made even easier
by a convincingly sinister turn by Leonard Jowers as Claudius.)
Ginny Loggins also shines as Gertrude, Hamlet's
mother (also a doctor in the asylum). Loggins proves that she can perform
tragic, serious roles just as easily as the comic roles for which she is
locally celebrated. Especially gripping is her death scene (not to ruin the
surprise, but hey...it's a tragedy,okay?) Loggins brings a true
tortured fervor to Gertrude; her death a humanizing moment which casts her
previously cool, professional demeanor in a new light.
As the inmate/love interest, Ophelia, Elizabeth
Ellis shows tremendous range and control as an actress. Her insanity is
clearly defined, yet she never resorts to caricature. The self-destructive
character of Ophelia is artfully physicalized
by the placement of bloody bandages on Ellis' wrists, and this small detail
is most effective in enhancing her already outstanding performance.
In other roles, John Eccles as Polonius and Steven
Ross as Rosencrantz add professionalism and
talent to the production. Eccles, with his rich baritone (and authentic
accent) reminds one of John Barrymore or Peter Cushing, while Ross takes a
hilarious concept (I won't spoil the surprise) and plays it to the
hilt.
One particularly memorable "cameo" moment
comes with director Vines taking the stage as the gravedigger...clad in a
most appropriate "Comic Relief" t-shirt. His few moments with
Hamlet and the remains of Yorick are priceless.
And what of Hamlet himself? In the title role, Clay
Boyce does a magnificent job of capturing the rage and internal conflict of
this most famous angry youth. As an actor, Boyce has tackled perhaps the most
difficult of Shakespeare's roles with skill and aplomb. His physicality
and speech both create the image of an adolescent, yet (as with Ellis'
Ophelia) he never allows himself to sink into caricature petulance. Boyce is
an adult playing an angry kid, and he does it masterfully. Other high
points included the fight scene, which was most realistic,
and the ever-interesting maladies of the inmates. Throughout the play, the
mental patients of the asylum sit and twitch, fidget, twirl hair, and
generally display signs of dementia, sometimes even venturing into the
audience area. Watch these guys...they're good and they're consistent. I
noticed one young woman who had made the interesting actor choice of having
her character think she was a cat. For no less than fifteen minutes, this
actress clawed at the air, bathed, groomed, curled, and generally behaved as
a cat. Little touches like this, no doubt at Vines' direction, separate
performances of this high quality from the
merely amateur.
Now for the bad news..the new GVS location in Caldwell
Park, while better than the
bug-riddled amphitheatre at The Botanical Gardens, is still not ideal for
outdoor theatre. The high level of traffic, both pedestrian and automotive,
proved somewhat distracting, and the lack of any directional sound barriers
left a few lines muddled and lost. These are, however, very minor problems,
and do not distract from a very artful and enjoyable performance. Vines and
GVS should be proud. On a four-star scale, I would give Hamlet 3 1/2
stars.
Birmingham Weekly,
July 22, 2000 by Ward
& Martha Haarbauer.
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