AMERICAN THEATRE: On the first night of previews, Megan Trout was nervous. That’s understandable, of course, for any lead actor in a play, especially when the role is Hamlet. Trout found the moments before the show started at Shotgun Players in Berkeley, Calif., especially “terrifying and exhilarating” because, she says, “I did not feel 100 percent prepared for the part, which felt really abnormal.”
4 comments:
Producing Hamlet this way and not only presenting but encouraging the range of possibilities within a given character is a very valuable lens through which to examine this play. Shakespeare played night after night can start to feel rote, and possibly a little contrived, but this ping ponging between roles is a novel way to keep things feeling fresh, and the sense of theatrical risk real and tangible. The gamble the producers took in betting that the audience would accept a less than pristine version of a show in exchange for a novel, and singular experience was tremendous. It is this kind of exploratory and pondering spirit that theater must strive to preserve, in order to avoid complacency. Though the claim that there is no wrong actor to play the part of Hamlet comes across as overly sentimental and rather cliche, its highlights both the necessity and validity of a variety of different perspectives on the prince.
Having seen a variety of productions of hamlet, each with their own pitfalls and mannerisms, I have come to the conclusion that any way of casting/ producing Hamlet has the same (high) chance of generally sucking. Call me a pessimist, a cynic, whatever. I'm just saying that if you've had had the same lackluster Hamlet experience that I have, with production after production lethargically oozing to a close. Actually, it's rant time. The amount of one-dimensional Hamlets dragging themselves across the stage and downright obnoxious Rosencrantzes and Guildensterns prancing about like prosaic chipmunks on speed alone is astonishing. Add in the same tired scenic concepts, and you've got a sure-fire recipe for nausea.
All of this being said, I enjoyed this article. Ant way at all to inject a bit of life into this production, any way at all to get a bit of urgency into the whole shebang, is something I'm on board. Add in the fact that this theater company is one of my favorites back home, and you have a recipe for relative success. After reading this, I may ask my parents to go see this show, and tell me if there is hope for the most tragically performed Shakespeare.
I admit, when I first saw this article title I inwardly rolled my eyes. How many times are people going to pull out Hamlet, put some kind of weird spin on it, and act like it's the most revolutionary piece of theater the world has even seen? However, the author made me fall in love with the idea and now I can see why this method would make sense in the context of Hamlet. One of the reasons the play is so popular is because the characters' struggles are universal, and making that theme a reality by showing that anyone can play anything doesn't come off as kitschy or gimmicky. Another important takeaway from this article was the rehearsal process and the performance process. Something that stuck out to me in particular was how one of the actresses commented on how repetition is a luxury in theater. We take for granted the idea of being able to practice one's part over and over, and this kind of spontaneous taking-the-stage action makes the stakes just a little higher for everyone.
This is such an interesting idea for a show, and something which really showcases an actor’s ability to handle whatever is thrown at them. It must be so intimidating to not know what track you’re going on as that night. I imagine these feelings also carry over to swings, who can get told up to half way through a performance that they are going into a different track. It was also really interesting to hear how the different actors learned the show in different ways. I know there are different techniques to learning a script, and some would work better in this situation. I would be worried that I would mix up characters or start saying other character’s lines, but that’s probably why I’m not an actor. Also, I really enjoy the reason behind this production; the fact that ‘everyone has a bit of Hamlet in them’, because I think it’s true. We can all identify with character’s in one form or another, so why deny the whole cast the chance to try it out. I think I would really enjoy watching this production.
Post a Comment