The Broadway Ferret

Image from www.bargaintheatre.com

Rating: 4 out of 5 masks

I have no idea why anyone would see this play.  I mean, it’s not like there’s someone famous in it…

For the few people not familiar with this famous play, Hamlet is about a young prince who discovers that his mother has married his uncle upon his father’s death.  Convinced by his father’s ghost, Hamlet sets a plan to expose his father’s murderer.

My first thought when I saw the play was “Oh my god, did they keep the wall from Mary Stuart (the previous occupant of the Broadhurst Theatre)?”  Of course, once you consider that both productions came courtesy of The Donmar Warehouse, it all makes sense: the lack of scenery, the use of lighting to enhance scenes and the modern dress of the characters.  But once you look past all that, as I tried to, you’ll see something really good.

Since I was acquainted with the modern dress that most of the characters wore in Mary Stuart, I was not as distracted this time around.  Strangely, I think the choice of costumes allowed me to pay more attention to the dialogue of the play.  When you think about it, it could be mildly distracting to look at period-era costumes (or any era for that matter) while concentrating on the play because it almost turns the play into a fashion show.

I liked how they depicted the difference between scenes taking place indoors and outdoors by using a wall-behind-a-wall.  The front wall would occasionally part in the middle to reveal a space that could expand on a scene taking place outdoors or add more to a scene taking place indoors.  There were also a door on either end of the wall to help with scenes that take place in a room.  I wish I could find a picture of it, though.

My favorite scene in the play was when Hamlet staged a play to catch his uncle’s guilt. While most of the stage and the characters’ costumes were in dark hues, the characters for the play-within-a-play (”play”) and their small stage were in white.   While it seems obvious to make the “play” as detached as possible from the play itself, it almost serves as a way of creating a negative of the play that is going on.

I thought that the performances were good, especially Jude Law’s.  I thought his best acting was when Hamlet was acting erractically to throw off suspicion that he was up to something.  I was also drawn in to Gugu Mbatha-Raw’s performance as Ophelia.  I could feel her sadness when Hamlet turns her away and understand her madness when she offers the other characters herbs.

Image from www.trendhunter.com

I would recommend this show to anyone who’s likes Shakespeare.  It’s most appropriate for English and Theatre students as they can discuss the elements of the show afterwards.  Of course, it’s not appropriate for people who can’t sit through a tragedy play, especially one like this, for three hours.

Running time: 3 hours, 10 minutes with one intermission