NEW YORK—Pain, vengeance, and a bit of unexpected jocularity were all present in the Public Theater's very engrossing production of Hamlet.
Set in ancient Denmark, Prince Hamlet (Michael Stuhlbarg) was in a severe state of depression over the death of his father two months earlier, not to mention his mother Queen Gertrude's (Margaret Colin) hasty remarriage to his father's brother Claudius (Andre Braugher). To make matters worse, Claudius had now been crowned King.
Lost in this state of melancholy, Hamlet was shaken to the core when he sees the ghost of his father (Jay O. Sanders) who reveals he was murdered by Claudius. This news moved the already erratic Prince to even more extreme behavior as he plotted revenge. While he often dropped hints of his intentions, it was not until he proved to his satisfaction that the words of the ghost were true, (via arranging to stage a play about a murder), that his course waset.
Hamlet is one of the most fascinating and multi-layered characters in the Shakespeare canon and thus more open to interpretation than such figures as say, Lear or Romeo. Has Hamlet's visitation from his ghostly father pushed him over the edge, or is it all simply a ruse to make his enemies think he's mad? Indeed at one point he says to Gertrude, "I essentially am not in madness, But mad in craft." But is he to be believed about this? There's also the question of just how much his mother knows about her husband's murder.
This production was given a bit of fresh air with Stuhlbarg's interpretation of the title role. While full of vengeance and righteous rage, his Hamlet was also imbued with a grim sense of fun. This was a Hamlet which skips rather than strides; one that enjoyed engaging in endless wordplay with friends, foes, and strangers; and who tried to keep everyone off-balance until he made his purpose known. One of the most interesting sequences was Hamlet's meeting old school friends, Rosencrantz (Hoon Lee) and Guildenstern (Greg McFadden), and how he reacted when he learned they were in the service of his uncle. There was even a bit of slapstick present in regards to the disposal of a body.
Another nice surprise was the character of Polonius (wonderfully played by Sam Waterston). A trusted adviser to Claudius and father to Ophelia (Lauren Ambrose) and Laertes (David Harbour), the character came off as a sort of eccentric uncle (with maybe a hint of dementia) who just won't stop talking. He was a man who takes five minutes to get to a point which in other's hands would take 15 seconds. (His comment "I will be brief" brings shouts of laughter from the audience.) This was a character both amusing and interesting and one which must be listened to because there is a lot of wisdom buried in all the verbiage.
Other good performances came from Braugher as Claudius who simply wants Hamlet to go away, but who, in private, worries if the evil he has done will cause him to be destroyed; Sanders who did very well in multiple roles, (including the ghost of Hamlet's father, the Player King, and a very interesting gravedigger); and Harbour as Laertes, in the beginning a loving son, driven mad by family tragedy, and at the end determined to avenge himself on Hamlet no matter the cost.
The two female leads didn't fare as well, often because their characters weren't given enough to do. Colin, as Gertrude, simply stood around for the most part, offering words of support to both Hamlet and Claudius. The character's quiet demeanor was also somewhat lost among the more flamboyant performances of Stuhlbarg, Waterston, and Braugher.
Ophelia was another character who never really catches fire. More talked about than interacted with, Ambrose never really made the role her own, with the character's descent into madness a bit too quick to be believed. One should care about what happens to Ophelia and her final fate, which is very hard to do given the way she's portrayed.
Oskar Eustis's direction worked well in most places. It took a few minutes to get into the flow of the play, but soon enough one felt transported back to another time where murder and intrigue walk hand in hand, and something is indeed rotten (and quite involving) in the state of Denmark.
Costumes by Ann Hould-Ward and the lighting by Michael Chybowski worked well, as did the sound design (by Acme Sound Partners) and fight choreography (by Michael Chybowski). Sets by David Korins were okay, with another nice touch being the puppets designed by Basil Twist.
Also in the cast were Julio Monge, Piter Marek, Gilbert Owuor, Kevin Carroll, Paul O' Brien, W. Tré Davis, Christopher Bonewitz, Stephen James King, Miriam Silverman, Dana Lyn, Matt Carlson and Miriam Silverman. Puppeteers: Bruce Cannon, Emily DeCola, Erin Orr, and Michael Schupbach.
Hamlet
Presented by The Public Theater as part of its Shakespeare in the Park series
Delacorte Theater
Central Park (81st Street)
Tickets: 212-529-8750 or www.publictheater.org
Admission: Free
Closed: June 29, 2008
Running Time: Approximately 3 Hours, 35 Minutes
Judd Hollander is the New York correspondent for the London publication The Stage.
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