| Hamlet | State Theatre Company |
| Written by Ursula Beaumont |
| Tuesday, 10 April 2007 05:03 |
Adam Cook
directs Hamlet as a co-production with Queensland Theatre Company and as
part of his Excess All Areas 2007 season for the State Theatre Company of South Australia. A few
decades ago a Shakespeare play as part of the company’s annual program wasn’t
seen as an excess at all but now it seems it is with Hamlet as the third
Shakespeare play for the company in almost a decade.
As Shakespeare’s longest play, Hamlet is a tragic tale about difficult times. Prince Hamlet struggles to keep a sense of clear thinking and integrity in a world taken over by a murdering uncle, fratricide no less, and corruption. The actors bring out the struggle, portraying the ignorant or numb, the foolish or meddling, devious, conniving or of course, the vexed. Prince Hamlet, played by Cameron Goodall, stands firmly at the helm, playing the seriousness of his dilemma with touches of inspired lightness. He builds a tantalizing rapport with Polonius, the poor meddling fool, bleeds the snakiness from his uncle/father Claudius and tears at his mother’s heart, as well as the besotted Ophelia’s. The audience is reeled into the grips of the story, where, still feeling secure in the safety of the auditorium, they empathize or point the finger depending. By the end of the first half, the audience is totally entangled and ready to be raced to the end of the play, which ends with a genteel kind of butchery, with death all over the stage. This production of Hamlet can satisfy a whole range of audiences. From the newly initiated to the well seasoned, there is something for those fond and familiar with Shakespeare and for those perhaps still needing to exorcise their unfortunate high school experiences. The pictures painted for the audience could be now or in the past, giving the rich text a sense of presence. The set, a massive memorial to those who have died, stands as an imposing cenotaph to death. Whether inside or outside the castle walls, it presents a forte from which there is no escape, a fitting place for the death and darkness of the play. The costumes support this image with an eclectic mix of royalty and war, while the lights enhance and heighten the stony cold mood and the sound creeps in and out or announces to give a start.
Hamlet is a great story. This version is
clearly told and the performances make the Shakespearian language a pleasure to
listen to and watch. Stand by Brisbane, here is a masterful play well told, as
well as a fine night of entertainment.
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