Timeless 'Hamlet' has modern feel

SUSAN HAUBENSTOCK SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
Published: July 19, 2009

Like your "Hamlet" to have a colloquial, of-the-moment feel? The revamped Richmond Shakespeare production at Agecroft Hall has a Hamlet whose manner is so contemporary, you expect at any moment to see him texting Horatio.

There's no effort here to change the period of the tragedy, which is probably the 17th century, but Becky Willet's lovely costumes are not tied to any particular age. What's notable is the 21st-century sensibility -- lots of sarcasm and heavy irony in the line readings, and Jeff Cole's thoroughly extroverted Hamlet, with many modern mannerisms.

Grant Mudge directed both this and last fall's indoor-season version of the tragedy, and there are some differences. Jay Banks' Horatio is just as intelligent as Andrew Hamm's, but he's not the staunch friend Hamm's was. There's less romance and more insanity between Cole and his Ophelia, Liz Blake. And the production works better overall because of the more conventional thrust stage at Agecroft; Mudge can move his actors naturally, without the constraints of the long rectangle he had for a stage in the fall.

All the best elements of the production remain: high-quality spoken verse (Rebecca Jones was text and verse consultant), Blake's touching vulnerability, Cole's unflagging intensity. Timothy Saukiavicus is an even more craven Claudius than he was before, and Joseph Anthony Carlson is magnetic as Laertes -- his execution of Vanessa Passini's fabulous fight choreography includes a full-out leap that left audience members gasping.
A three-piece ensemble provides lovely background music, and the summer stage makes possible some effective stagecraft, like the entrance of Ophelia on her bier, hauntingly lit by designer J. David White.

In the customary Richmond Shakespeare style, 11 actors play 22 roles. But most of the principals play only one apiece, which leaves Katie Ford, 'Rick Gray, Shirley Kagan and LaSean Green playing 13 parts, and they do admirable work.

Susan Haubenstock is a freelance writer and editor based in Henrico County. Contact her at shaubenstock@gmail.com

Richmond Times-Dispatch

RTD PREVIEW: "The Bard is Back at Agecroft"

Shakespeare Festival kicks off with “Henry V”
BY MELISSA RUGGIERI TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITERPublished: June 11, 2009

Richmond Shakespeare Festival Productions: "Henry V" (tonight-June 28); "A Midsummer Night's Dream" (July 2-12); "Hamlet" (July 16-Aug. 2) Where: Agecroft Hall, 4305 Sulgrave Road. Gates open at 7 p.m., and the Festival Young Company entertains on the grounds; all performances begin at 8 p.m. Tickets: http://www.richmondshakespeare.com/ or 1-866-227-3849

With a trio of productions this summer and only three more months until its new permanent indoor home, Richmond CenterStage, is ready, the folks at Richmond Shakespeare are understandably excited.

On his desk, Artistic Director Grant Mudge even has a mini version of the CenterStage countdown clock currently facing Broad Street.
But before that fall season launches -- it will mark the 25th year of Richmond Shakespeare -- its popular summer shows on the grounds of Agecroft Hall will commence tonight.

This season, the group is tackling "Henry V," "A Midsummer Night's Dream" and "Hamlet," which Mudge is also directing.
Last year, "Henry IV, Part 2," was the centerpiece production. Mudge said the cycle of Shakespeare's histories will be completed by 2012.
"The stories are universal," he said of Shakespeare's ongoing appeal. "They're personal stories, personally told, and doing them at Agecroft really is something special. It's 500 years old and came from England, so we play in the courtyard just as Elizabethan actors would."

Starring in the role of King Henry in "Henry V" is London-born actor Phil Brown, who played Prince Hal the past two summers in "Henry IV, Part 1" and "Part 2."

Brown came to Richmond two years ago after being recruited by director James Bond -- who also is helming this year's "Henry" -- and the self-described "Shakespeare geek" said playing King Henry is tricky yet rewarding.

"When Shakespeare was writing 'Henry V,' one of his challenges was that he was writing about the king, the be all and end all of great kings. He had two tasks: to present the king in a way that wouldn't get him into trouble with Elizabeth and also to write a real human character facing real problems," Brown said last week.

"In 'Henry V,' the crown almost acts like a mask. The prince becomes the man, and the man has to deal with the responsibilities of the crown. In that respect, it's very complex, because you're trying to find where the voice is the king and where the voice is the prince and where to find the human balance."

Brown trained for three years at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, where he participated in many Shakespearean workouts.
"A good drama school training gives you the solid foundation, and every professional play you do after that, you learn more as you go along," said Brown, who, along with the rest of the cast, has been rehearsing the past five weeks, including rigorous fight scenes.

"Our choreographer, Vanessa [Passini], has been putting us all through our paces with sword drills," Brown said. "Hopefully, fingers crossed, the sword fighting will look quite cool."

Though Brown and his wife, Emily, plan to move back to New York at the end of the summer, he is still looking forward to CenterStage opening.
"Hopefully, once it's established, it's the kind of thing that breeds more art, essentially," he said.

But for the next couple of weeks, the only art Brown will be concentrating on his nightly portrayal of Henry.

"James [Bond, the director] says that Shakespeare is the most muscular form of theater," Brown said. "It kind of forces you to use your technique more than anything else. I believe if you can do Shakespeare well, you can do anything well."

The reviews are in: "Hamlet" is a hit!

Critics and audiences love Richmond Shakespeare's Hamlet.

Read what they're saying!



The Richmond Times-Dispatch's Susan Haubenstock calls it:

"...an intriguing "Hamlet"...

...Most striking is the choice to have Jeffrey Cole's Hamlet speak the "To be or not to be" soliloquy to Ophelia in the midst of love-play. This has a very different effect from that of the classic downstage delivery to the audience, and while surprising, it has a truly organic feel in the context of the scene. It seems like a late-night revelation from one lover to another, and as such it is thoroughly believable.

...Cole's Hamlet is an authentic punk, from his first sullen appearance in a moss-colored hoodie through the symphony of emotions he plays for us. The performance is always intense, but it is modulated throughout the three hours of the play so that we see the many authentic moods of a young man in mourning, in fury, in love."

Style Weekly's Mary Burruss praises

..."a Spartan version of the play, a version that will appeal to Shakespeare novices and die-hard purists alike.

...Jeff Cole as Hamlet does wonderful things with the words during the famous speeches (especially the “to be or not to be” speech), a gentle rolling quality. But the play is not so word-focused that it becomes dreary.

...The focus on words in the production heightens the action that much more. A brilliantly staged fight scene between Joe Carlson’s fiery Laertes and Hamlet snaps the audience to attention. Passini creates such realistic and electrifying swordplay in the tight audience-packed space that it caused gasps of amazement (and maybe some fear) from the audience. At one point I caught myself actually looking for blood from fictional nicks on actors’ flesh."

Richmond VA Theater blog's David Timberline raves:

"...Mr. Cole is princely without being ostentatious and his extreme emotions don’t seem to emerge from an outsized personality but from a well-meaning, loving son being compelled to vengeance and acts sure to wreck his life. It is a nicely contained but still compelling portrayal.

And his relationship with his Ophelia is heartbreaking.... It doesn’t hurt that Liz Blake plays Ophelia with such a sweet devotion to her prince.

...Richmond Shakespeare’s growing tradition of adding pre-show and intermission entertainment is a great addition to their performance philosophy.

...I cannot let it go without mentioning Timothy Saukiavicus’s powerhouse performance as Claudius. He is convincingly regal but has the self-aggrandizing pomp of a true politician and the slimy edge of someone willing to kill his own brother. I’ll be hoping to see Mr. S. in more local productions in the future."

WCVE Radio's John Porter concludes:

"One aspect of Hamlet which was especially nice was seeing the work of fight choreographer Vanessa Passini as she brought the duel between Joe Carlson's Laertes and Jeffrey Cole's Hamlet to a slow boil. The energy exuded by these two fine actors along with her choreography make the three of them individuals to watch for the future.

Richmond Shakepeare's production of Hamlet has obviously been produced with great love and devotion to the play. Th actors are poised, the direction is swift, otherwise the show could run long into the night, and the climactic moments pack the right punch. I would say that the company has gotten it off to a good start for what looks like a promising season."

Don't miss the show everyone is raving about. Get your tickets now!

The Play(ing)'s the Thing

Catherine Bryne said something at Hamlet rehearsal last night that I think a lot of us are feeling: "I feel terrible saying this, but I didn’t realize how much I would enjoy playing this character."

You would expect that getting cast in a play with the reputation of Hamlet (um, okay, perhaps there’s only one play in that category) would bring a serious actor a lot of joy. But it seems that I’m not the only one around suffering from Paul Rudnick’s Disease (a serious psychological disorder characterized by an illogical, unnatural dislike or distaste for the greatest play in the history of blanket statements). Since writing the first-read-through post below, I have had several people whom I didn’t even know read blogs remark on how much they enjoyed reading it, how they have similar feelings about Hamlet.

It turns out that there are more than a couple of us with similar responses to the play, and especially to being part of it. I generally prefer tackling lesser-known works like Richard II and Measure for Measure, where the audience knows of the play more than they know it, and where the preconceptions are less likely to be obstacles for them to accept a bold acting or directing choice. (And we certainly made our share of those in Measure.) But Hamlet is more than a play, it's a fixture in the canon of world literature, it's scripture, it's pop culture. It's all those famous speeches and moments and scenes. And it's locked in the collective subconscious in a certain way: Gertrude is a certain way, Ophelia is a certain way, Hamlet is a certain way.

So it's a thrill to talk to Catherine, and to other actors, about the discoveries they're making with characters so deeply rooted in our cultural literature that they may as well be pure tropes. It's a delight to see some non-traditional casting (Prasad Tupe and Katie Ford's Rosincrance and Guildensterne) bear great fruit, and my favorite part of the night is when Jeff Cole and Liz Blake come rushing up to me individually or in a pair, thrilled to share what they've discovered about the extremely dynamic relationship they have developed between Hamlet and Ophelia. As for Horatio, well, let's just say that the "loyal friend" stereotype doesn't quite satisfy me as an actor, and that I'm working hard below the surface.

Strong, bold choices are growing all across the board, from 'Rick Gray (the Ghost), Margie Mills (Voltemand, etc.), Tim Sakiavicus (Claudius), and Jonathan Adams (Polonius), and the fight between Jeff and the wonderful Joe Carlson (Laertes) is looking fantastic even in early stages. Vanessa Passini's fight choreography is a wonderful mix of the urbane and desperate, and the actors have such a long stage to work on that it should be absolutely epic. Hamlet is shaping up to be unexpected and thrilling.

One actor asked me when I cast him in the show, "Andrew, are you sure I can do this?" I say to them all: Yes, you can. We can do this. We're doing it. As long as we treat this play like a play and not like a dusty, holy museum piece, we can do anything with it.

Lloyd Shockley

Please see this post from Bruce Miller on the recent passing of Lloyd Shockley, on the Barksdale Theatre blog.

Lloyd was a friend, and a terrific actor. His many roles include two that are quite connected to Richmond Shakespeare just at the moment: Claudius in Hamlet opposite David Bridgewater (our Henry IV this past summer), directed by Gary Hopper, and McMurphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, in which our very own 'Hamlets', Jeff Cole and 'Rick Gray (son and father, respectively) will also appear later this year for Henley Street Theatre. Lloyd's "McMurphy" in the Barksdale 'Cuckoo' is indeed now the stuff of legend. Thanks to Bruce Miller for the post.

-------Good night, sweet prince,
And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest.

Richmond Shakespeare Auditions March 16

Auditions for the 2008 Richmond Shakespeare Festival and the 2008-2009 Richmond Shakespeare Theatre will be held on Sunday, March 16 beginning at 2:00 PM at Second Presbyterian Church (5 N. 5th Street). Callbacks will be held later that evening.

Shows include:

The Compleat Works of Wllm Shkspr (Abridged) – June 12-29
As You Like It – July 3-13
Henry IV, Part 2 – July 17-August 3
Hamlet – October 2008
Other shows in 2009 TBA

Actors should prepare a one-minute classical monologue, bring a resume and headshot (if available), and be prepared for movement and cold reading. Some roles have already been cast. Most roles are non-union, but a limited number of Equity contracts are available.

To make a reservation or ask questions, contact Andrew Hamm at 232-4000 or Andrew@richmondshakespeare.com.

Thoughts on Henley's Production: "The Spanish Tragedy

Length advisory: I'm vying for Bruce Miller for the title of 'longest blog' post by an Artistic Director.

Let me start by saying there's plenty of room for another company doing classical theatre in Richmond, especially if they're as nice as these guys. Last night proves it. Henley's work provides another avenue for Richmond actors to keep classical 'muscles' in shape, and helps increase the overall size of the theatre-going audience. It's been great to see the theatre community support their work and I was delighted to count myself part of that response. Henley won't pull audience away from Barksdale or Firehouse or even Richmond Shakespeare. I'm convinced that die-hard theatre fans will see our productions and try the new company in town, not forgo one for the other.

After seeing Henley's second production, (also caught Thoreau last fall) I'm pleased to report that Henley does a credible job with a tough play. Here's a company reaching very far, giving actors a chance at really chanllenging roles. In this outing, I feel that a few early production choices hampered their efforts---the set is serviceable apart from what the audience must observe as actors squat to pass under the arches; as our RS fans know, I'm a proponent of less scenery rather than more. More importantly, I really hope that Henley expands how they think about that Pine Camp performance space. It could be used in vastly different ways; here, the company feels squashed into one corner while the audience occupies 3/4 of the available space in the room.

What there isn't room for (or time, even in a looong post) is to comment on all the peformances, so with apologies to those whom I'm needing to omit: it's especially fun to see actors who've worked with RS doing great elsewhere, like Stephen Ryan, Patrick Bromley and Frank Creasy (at left as Gonzalo in the RSF07 Tempest) and new faces coming on with great promise--folks like Dean Knight, Kerry McGee Alison Haracznak and in particular Leslie Cline, as the Viceroy, a new arrival to Richmond who uses an excellent voice with dexterity. Cline has a terrific, clear resonance that fills the room and forces everyone around to come up to her level. She's a great balance for Bromley and Frank Creasy, and I'm looking forward to seeing more of her.

Frank's Hieronimo is fantastic, blending madness with self---he was especially wonderful in a couple of understated scenes; I was thrilled by his work. See below for a connection to Hamlet there.

For another, it was also fun to connect with Stephen Ryan's character of the Ghost of Andrea. Having just played the Ghost in Hamlet with my students I found myself thinking "Hey, an epilogue speech for the ghost....I like it!" Stephen masters a sense of otherness and yet nicely humanizes Andrea, even in the afterlife.

The character of Revenge personified is brought to life by Michael Sater, one of those actors from whom you just can't move your eyes. His face seems to evoke the kind French theatrical ancestry that has informed Cirque du Soleil's bouffant clowns for decades; here, despite the gore, the overall effect from Revenge isn't so much grand guignol as the emcee from Cabaret--but in his off hours. I felt he could have gone much farther but the choice for an understated performance was a logical one and interesting to watch. Sater is a remarkable talent and though Thoreau and Revenge were a great start, I'm looking forward to seeing him really tested.


Lastly, Patrick Bromley as the devious Lorenzo is TONS of fun (easily the strongest voice in the company, here he is looking a little less devious as Trinculo in the 2007 RSF production of The Tempest, directed by Anthony Luciano); he's another actor with only more terrific roles ahead. His ringing bass adds an air of complete authority to Lorenzo. It's one of the characters I feel Kyd creates and then doesn't quite know what to do with once he's created him. In comparison, only Hieronimo gets an actual arc through to any kind of resolution.

As such, I'm thrilled that Bromley, Creasy and the lovely Julia Rigby (great in a couple small roles in Tragedy) will all be in Richmond Shakespeare's season finale, As You Like It, where audiences will have a chance to see them again!

Cheers to Henley for really chewing into tough material (if Frank Creasy will forgive the pun) and hanging on.

* * *

THE PLAY ITSELF

Watching Henley's production of The Spanish Tragedy Saturday night, I was struck by the repetition not only of plot devices clearly echoing through to Shakespeare's Hamlet, but little word choices that kept ringing in my ears:

guerdon - This is an ancient word, which feels more French than Spanish, and in fact part of its roots come from Old French, as well as Medieval Latin, but the further roots, meaning essentially "gift" or "reward" are in the furthest recesses of Indo-European language families.


Kyd uses it a whole lot in Tragedy. What's interesting is that Shakespeare also loved the word. Costard, in Love's Labor's Lost makes nearly a whole scene out of guerdon. And here's the fun part: the peak of Kyd's use of it in Tragedy included these lines:

My presents are not of sufficient cost
And being worthless, all my labor's lost.
Yet might she love me for my valiancy... II.1 (17-19)

Now, clearly it's a convention not limited to Elizabethan dramatists to ponder over the efforts expended in the pursuit of love, but the repeated use of guerdon really highlighted that moment for me, especially because Costard gives the word a spanish flair in translation. Add a mocking Spanish accent to the word when it appears, Costard has just been give a little money by---you guessed it---an outrageous Spaniard, "Don Adriano de Armado:"

"Now will I look to his remuneration. Remuneration!
O, that's the Latin word for three farthings: three
farthings--remuneration.--'What's the price of this
inkle?'--'One penny.'--'No, I'll give you a
remuneration:' why, it carries it. Remuneration!
why, it is a fairer name than French crown. I will
never buy and sell out of this word." --Love's Labor's Lost, (III.i.)

I may roast proverbially for it, but in our 2002 RSF production we changed "three farthings" to "ten bucks," and ended the speech there. Walking off, Costard repeated "Ree-myoo-ner-ah-thee-ohn" and "gerrr-dohn" a few times before an entering character interrupted him. I think it was successful in that production.

Of course, one neededn't know that three farthings wasn't a large sum to see how much fun Costard has with the new name for a unit of currency. The point here, of course, is that there's plenty to be plumbed in comparisons between "Spanish Tragedy" and Shakespeare's own work.

We know that by 1592 The Spanish Tragedy was a huge hit; Ned Alleyn probably played the Hieronomo role with Lord Strange's Men and a few players of the Admiral's Men, (prominent troupes of the day) working at the Rose Theatre with Geoffrey Rush. (er, Philip Henslowe)

The real question for me is: was The Spanish Tragedy part of the repertoire when Lord Strange's Men, touring through the English countryside, stopped in a sleepy little town on the Avon River, short a man (if memory serves, one of their own had just been killed in a bar brawl), and many argue that so began the theatrical career of a young Will Shakespeare.

For a really interesting local blog on Elizabeth, Strange, Kyd, Marlowe and Shakespeare (and some comments on Robert Southwell from yours truly), check out this posting by Bruce Miller.

Just a couple further connections to wrap up, of the many echoes of Hamlet in ST: Like Hieronimo's madness, the Dane of course puts on an 'antic disposition.' In English, a "Hamlet" may be a small village or may invoke WS's son Hamnet, but the ancient Norse word "Amleth" means essentially, "madness." Also fascinatingly similar to Shakespeare were names like Isabella (in RS's upcoming Measure for Measure) and Balthasar, as well as the death of a regal woman offstage--echoing in Macbeth. So too, were all the other pre-Hamlet echoes: the Hero (Hieronimo) staging a play-within-the-play-to-catch-a-murderer, and the Ghost demanding revenge for the loss of a father. The connections were many and really enjoyable.

Thanks to all involved.


Up next, Measure for Measure, in the RST, A Midsummer Night's Dream with the Ballet at the Landmark, and a few Acts of Faith.


--Grant Mudge