The play's the thing

Last night, Brooke, Alina, and I went to see Hamlet as performed by the Actors From The London Stage (AFTLS). It was a terrific show. The entire play is performed by a cast of five actors who each play many different parts. Characters are generally distinguished from each other by a slight change in costume - usually the addition of a hat or scarf. Occassionally this leads to some interesting and entertaining scenes where one actor is playing multiple roles in the same scene. By far the funniest example of this was the actor who played both Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (who always appear onstage together), though a scene featuring Queen Gertrude talking to a scarf representing Ophelia was also amusing. (Although the humor level would increase even more if the programs had contained inserts stating: "In tonight's performance, the part of Ophelia will be played by a white silk scarf.")

There's no scenery and, aside from the small changes in wardrobe, almost no props. Although I have no problem with minimalism, it'd have been nice to have a skull for the graveyard scene and foils for the fencing match at the end of the play. (Incidently, the use of different colored gloves in place of foils was a clever touch.) But the acting was very good. I probably wouldn't recommend this production for anyone looking to see Hamlet for the first time; the minimalism combined with Shakespeare's dialogue might make it difficult for some to follow. But anyone who's already familiar with the play would appreciate and enjoy this rendition. On a related note, I also highly recommend Kenneth Branagh's movie adaptation to anyone who enjoys good plays and good movies.