Hamlet

June 18 play#4 Hamlet- Stratford Shakespeare Festival

an uncut Hamlet in three hours and 5 minutes (including a 15 minute intermission). That's remarkable. How did they do it? Well, by the action always happening on the words. The actor playing Hamlet gave a seminar on acting Shakespeare. The production was good, not transformative though. The director placed the play in pre-WWI Denmark- choosing such a stiff, tight-assed setting makes the production stiff and tight-asses from the beginning. It's what everyone that is afraid of Shakespeare thinks it'll be- stiff and tight-assed. There was so much going for the production- directed by the genius Adrian Noble. There was so much about it that was unique, interesting, engaging- but the historic stuff which just got in the way of the terrific performances.

The actors had to fight the historic style that- and some did successfully.
Aren't these people Vikings? The story comes from a 12th century Danish folktale and, I don't know how the English from 1600 viewed them, but 21st century Danes still consider themselves Vikings (being one-quarter Dane, I joke with my daughter about our being Vikings). Not, the stuffy, stoic Scandinavians of the modern era.
I liked so much about this production, but found so much of it to be unnecessary and superfluous. Our Hamlet was very funny- just, as I think, he should be. It was a funny Hamlet which I think is appropriate, but it just was too… clean- to be great.