Alec Anderson-Carrasco and Colin A. Borden (Photo by J. Chris Rouse)
Reviewed by Lovell Estell III
Lightning Rod Theater at the McCadden Place Theatre
Through November 22
RECOMMENDED
Colin A. Borden and Bethany Koulias (Photo by J. Chris Rouse)
Hamlet has undergone a lot of reimagining and upgrades in film and stage over the years, many of them notable, but many more far from commendable. This imaginative adaptation by Paul Hoan Zeidler’s is on balance well done.
Per the program notes, the action transpires in “1776, an era of Revolution in a Denmark about 300 miles offshore from the 13 colonies”. Themes of tyranny, freedom, political unrest and revolution are appropriately woven into the text, and we get a stark sampling of this at the outset, where a ragged peasant stealthily enters the stage to the haunting music of Arvo Pärt’s Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten, then takes a brush from a bucket and writes” No Property In Man” on the wall.
Not long after, the ghost of Claudius (Peter Zizzo) appears in chains, led in by three eerie characters, presumably Hell’s henchmen, clothed in black robes. He informs Hamlet (a solid turn by Colin A Borden) of the ugly circumstances of his murder, but he also pitifully wails about the many wrongs he has committed against the people of Denmark and begs Hamlet to avenge his” foul and unnatural murder.”
This scene is dynamic and startling, and from this point the script pretty much follows familiar channels. Act II is where Hamlet’s “madness” culminates in the blood bath at Elsinore, but there are some clever additions along the way (one is where Hamlet reads the Declaration of Independence, and another comes during the play staged to “catch the conscience of the King” in which the words of Patrick Henry are spoken). Zeidler’s direction in Act II is not as sharply focused as it was in Act I, where the progression of scenes is effectively managed, but this does not detract from what is otherwise an engaging show.
The ensemble performs well in multiple roles, and performances in key roles are consistently good. Michael Mullen’s colonial era costumes are thoughtfully designed and attractive, while Joyce Hutter furnishes a handsome, two-tier castle set piece,
Lightning Rod Theater, McCadden Place Theatre, 1157 McCadden Place, Hollywood. Thurs.-Sat., 8 pm, Sun., 3 pm; through Oct. 31. Runtime: two hours and forty minutes with an intermission. www.lightningrodtheater.ludus.com
