Word: hamlets
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...Scott's Hamlet is simply too genteel. Wearing Allison Reed's stylish costumes--black silk pajamas replace the ripped stockings that Ophelia describes--Scott unintentionally makes it seem that Hamlet's tragic flaw is vanity. The Prince cannot kill anyone; the exertion would mess up his hair...
...contrast, Simonson's focus on society does wonders for Roi's Ophelia, the revelation of this production. Unlike the standard, innocent interpretation, this Ophelia is a sophisticated and mature woman trapped by Hamlet's love because she has nothing else to which she can look forward. Her insanity and death painfully demonstrate the extreme fate of women in many cultures, who have no option but to marry and if that fails no reason to live...
...role. As the long-winded Lord Chamberlain and father of Ophelia, Cromwell never fails to get a laugh, as he constantly finds longer ways to say things. Particularly memorable is the scene where he takes at least a hundred lines merely to say that Ophelia is the cause of Hamlet's insanity, prompting Queen Gertrude (Mary Beth Peil) to utter the famous lines, "More matter, less...
Peil as Gertrude and Jordan Charney as King Claudius are both unmemorable. Even in the pivotal scene where Hamlet confronts his mother in her bedroom, Peil's performance shows far too much reserve to evoke passion. Charney's performance suffers in the same way, especially as he contemplates his murder of Hamlet's father. His charm and gentility greatly mar his performance, as they subvert the evil that he attempts to convey...
...credit, this Hamlet has beautifully integrated production elements, as Robert Brill's inspired sets lead the actors into a maze of inner and outer spaces, anticipating their every move. Brill accomplishes a minor coup when Hamlet kills Polonius behind a curtain that runs from floor to ceiling of the theatre. The enormous curtain drops to the ground, burying Polonius under...