Hamlet is the Shakespeare play that all of my friends seem to have studied at some point, so it gets referenced a good deal within my friend group. I have never seen or studied it, so I feel like I spend a lot of conversations nodding along politely, when really, all I know is that it’s set in Denmark. And Hamlet’s father is a ghost. I think.
So, I’m glad to hear that Creation Theatre is doing an outdoor production of Hamlet this summer – finally, an opportunity to stop simply nodding agreement. Now I can participate. I can find out for sure if Hamlet’s father is a ghost and casually drop that into one of these chats. So I stroll through University Parks to where the play is taking place, right at the back, on the riverbank. It’s a beautiful setting for outdoor theatre (if a little exposed; bring something to protect yourself from the wind).
Creation always takes an unconventional spin on Shakespeare, and their Hamlet is no different. This production begins with a vanload of players arriving in a beat-up transit van and setting up the stage together in front of the audience. The aesthetic of the props and costumes is shabby chic meets steampunk, but other than this, the setting of the play isn’t especially modernised.
The tale is a tragic one: Hamlet hears of the death of his father, the king, and the swift remarriage of his mother to his uncle Claudius, who claims the crown. Hamlet is visited by his father’s ghost, who calls for revenge on Claudius, who orchestrated the king’s murder. The remainder of the play consists of Hamlet’s descent into madness as he becomes single-minded in his pursuit of revenge, causing him to murder an old family friend, Polonius, and drive Polonius’s daughter – Hamlet’s beloved Ophelia – to suicide. Ophelia’s brother, Laertes, seeks revenge on Hamlet, and succeeds in dealing Hamlet a fatal blow with a poisoned blade, but only after mortally wounding himself. The queen drinks poison intended for Hamlet, and Hamlet, learning that he will soon be dead too, forces Claudius to drink the same poison. In the end, only Hamlet’s friend Horatio is left to mourn his ‘sweet prince’.
Turning a big production like this round in three weeks is pretty impressive, considering that the run is going to be longer than that! Things are a little rough around the edges, but I imagine a couple of nights will take care of that. I really hope that Creation rethinks the use of music, which jars throughout, particularly the track that completely detracts from the queen’s heart-breaking speech over the death of Ophelia. That being said, there are some wonderful moments in this performance – Hamlet’s struggles with his own mind – both in the famous ‘To be or not to be’ scene and the scene in which he tries to distance himself from Ophelia – are deeply moving.
When Shakespearian tragedy feels like a re-enactment of this week’s news, it’s a very odd thing to review, but, in this anniversary year, perhaps we can understand, more than ever, that Shakespeare had a unique view on mankind, and that’s how this 400-year-old play still resonates with us today.
O, and I was right! Hamlet’s father IS a ghost! ★★★☆☆ @BookingAround 16th July 2016
Hamlet continues until 13th August.
