Wednesday, March 16, 2005

Hamlet, thy name is madness


By DANA DUGAN
Express Staff Writer

Claudius (Connor Wade), and Gertrude (Carina Covella) listen to (Kevin Wade) Hamlet's woes. Photo by David N. Seelig

"Alas, poor Yorick. I knew him, Horatio," "Get thee to a nunnery," "something is rotten in the state of Denmark," and, of course, "To be or not to be..."

It's hard to imagine William Shakespeare without "Hamlet" and equally hard to imagine the English language without "Hamlet." At the time it was written in the early 1600s, the play was a departure from the normal drama of the day. It presented that a dilemma of the mind rather than the actions could produced such a crisis. It also concerned a young man with a frightening choice: whether to maintain moral integrity or avenge a father's murder.

"Hamlet" is every actor's dream, every director's challenge and a part of all Shakespeare curriculums. Directed by Fritz Brun, the musical director is Dick Brown, with choreography by Hilarie Neely, and fencing scenes by Michelle Schwartz and Tyner Pesch, who plays Laertes.

The story of Hamlet is a very complex soap opera, and as such is well suited to the contemporary setting Brun has chosen.

"Wars still take place, politicians are still corrupt," Brun said. "If it changes by Thursday, the play will be dated."

Hamlet (Kevin Wade) is a prince of Denmark. His father has been dead two months when the play opens. His father's brother Claudius (Connor Wade), who inherited the kingdom, has married Hamlet's mother Gertrude (Carina Covella), something he's not very happy about. A provoking ghost fills Hamlet's head with suppositions, and he proceeds to brood. Is he insane? Did his uncle kill his father? How will he get revenge if, indeed, he follows through? And what is he to do with Ophelia (Alice Bynum)?

Put on a play, of course.

During the climactic play within the play, the actors will be costumed in traditional garb.

"I love Hamlet, it's a dream role," Wade said. "It's everything an actor could ask for. I'm having fun exploring the character."

So is Hamlet insane or just playing insanity?

"Hamlet's a little too good for his own purposes. (As a college age kid) he thinks way too much," Wade said. "He has real psychological problems with his parents."

Now, that is timeless. Brun has the cast in very contemporary costumes, including camouflage wear for guards, Queen Gertrude in a First Lady type suit, Hamlet and his buddies in classic college duds, and two other women, Rosencrantz (Teddy Minford) and Guildenstern (Anja Sundali), in no-nonsense pant suits.

"To do the whole play would take approximately five hours," Burn said. He said they cut about two fifths of the play. "It's not unusual."

Expect to see some daring images of soldiers with guns and people who should know better behaving very badly.

Brun is gleeful. "It's amazingly topical in my opinion."

"Hamlet"

The Community School Players present "Hamlet" at The Community School Theater in Sun Valley, 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 17, through Saturday, March 19.

On Saturday, March 19, and Sunday, March 20, the play will also be presented at 2 p.m. Tickets are available at both Iconoclast Books and Chapter One Bookstore in Ketchum or at the door. For more information, call 622-3960 ext. 118. For information on Fritz Brun's talk on "Hamlet" 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 23, with The Great Books Book Club at The Community Library in Ketchum, call 726-3493.




 Local Weather 
Search archives:


Copyright © 2024 Express Publishing Inc.   Terms of Use   Privacy Policy
All Rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Express Publishing Inc. is prohibited. 

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.