For all of the rottenness in the state of Denmark, the conniving, thieving and murderous behaviour in Shakespeare’s Globe’s touring production of Hamlet succeeds in being hysterically funny. Co-directors Dominic Dromgoole and Bill Buckhurst have assembled a talented eight-strong cast for the US. The verse trips off the tongues of these actors-turned-Elizabethan musicians, who provide sound effects and music, and play multiple characters.
In homage to the open-air Globe, the orchestra lights of Pace University’s Michael Schimmel Center for the Arts are kept on throughout the performance. As Horatio (Tom Lawrence) explains, “you can see us, but we can also see you.” Designer Jonathan Fensom’s set, a small slice of a cabin, is completely symmetrical with several wooden staircases that lead to the main stage, which leads to a balcony-like platform at the top. It is in this multi-level space that Hamlet’s story unfolds, with the energetic cast taking it over in the way a travelling circus would a tiny tent. The transitions between scenes are playful, sometimes musical and work to delightful effect.
As Hamlet, Michael Benz holds his own in a role that has been performed by an illustrious list of theatre greats. His Danish prince is vigorous, a young adult on the cusp of manhood angry with his mother for marrying the uncle he suspects of having played a part in the death of his father, the king. Transitioning from fury to madness, Benz captures the whirlwind of Hamlet’s mournful mania in an extremely convincing manner, without seeming like an angsty child.
As well as his beautiful handling of some of Shakespeare’s most famous soliloquies, Benz succeeds in bringing fresh humour to familiar lines.“Me thinks I see my father/Where, my lord?/In my mind’s eye, Horatio,” is genuinely funny here.
Dickon Tyrrell, who plays the ghost of Hamlet’s father, his uncle, Claudius, and one of the travelling troupe of actors, moves between hilarious buffoonery and calculating murderousness with the grace of an expert tightrope walker. The pivotal ‘play-within-a-play’ is masterfully staged to emphasise important plot points while exploiting its full comedic potential. Not only do the cast play the performers acting out a murder with deliberate parallels with the death of Hamlet’s father, they play the characters watching —dumbfounded and angry. Choreographer Siân Williams presents this scene in a way that not only amuses but makes total sense.
As Polonius, Christopher Saul is wonderful – gentle and protective of his daughter, Ophelia (a beautiful Carlyss Peer) – and an old hoot as the Gravedigger. Miranda Foster is an elegant and guilt-ridden Gertrude, a riotous second gravedigger and wonderful as a performer in the incriminating meta-play. Meanwhile, Peter Bray and Matthew Romain excel as bumbling idiots Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (or “Rosenblatz and Guggenheim” as Tyrrell mischievously refers to them). Romain is also excellent on the accordion during the musical interludes.
This production may lack the severity of other interpretations, but it makes up for this with fresh, well-crafted hilarity. Here, characters who normally come across as hysterical or completely deranged become relatable – an impressive feat when tackling such a well-known play.
This production will tour the following venues after leaving New York: Paramount Center, Boston (9th – 21st October); Mondavi Center, UC Davis, California (1st – 2nd November); Campbell Hall, Santa Barbara, California (8th – 9th November); Humboldt State University, Arcata, California (11th – 12th November); and The Broad Stage, Santa Monica, California (15th – 25th November).