“So that’s where that came from.” Such words surely pop into the mind of audience members at a performance of William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” which could merit its own lengthy chapter in “Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations.” It’s probably the most widely quoted work of literature ever written in the English language.
When was the last time you referred to your mind’s eye? Or that something caused your hair to stand on end? How about “woe is me”? Those terms all originated in “Hamlet,” but, brevity being the soul of wit, I’ll stop there.
I’ll move on to saying that I’ve never experienced a production of “Hamlet” that so clearly conveyed what meaning lies in the words of Shakespeare’s wordiest play than the one currently being offered at Minneapolis’ Guthrie Theater.
Presented in honor of the 60th anniversary of the Guthrie’s founding — its first production was a modern-dress “Hamlet,” as is this one — it’s a passionate staging that never shortchanges the play’s ample intellect. You’re unlikely to find an interpretation of this masterpiece that more skillfully balances the head and heart. Yes, it asks all the important questions about the nature of life and death, but never lets you forget that it’s a ghost story, a tale of murder, revenge, doomed love and a betrayal that backfires.
Helmed by the Guthrie’s artistic director, Joseph Haj, with a focus on pace, clarity and character development, it’s tremendously entertaining, scary, touching, thought-provoking and ultimately thrilling. I think it is my favorite “Hamlet” among the many I’ve seen. And I’ve seen some good ones.
At its center is Michael Braugher as the titular prince of Denmark, who’s charged by his father’s ghost to avenge his murder. Said murderer is his uncle, who has married Hamlet’s mother, helping compound the depression of a young man who’s already questioning the purpose of life. Braugher is miles from the sulking defeatist found in some productions, instead instilling the character with urgent energy and a churlish delight in the wordplay the Bard provides.
While that’s certainly the dominant role, the Guthrie’s production feels much more like an ensemble piece than you customarily find. As his conniving but conflicted uncle, John Catron cuts a fascinating figure, a slick politician whose thirst for control proves his undoing. And, rather than the tiresome blowhard that Polonius can be, Ray Dooley makes him a lovable eccentric clearly devoted to his children’s welfare.
Among those children is Hamlet’s romantic interest, Ophelia, and you will seldom encounter an interpretation of the role with such believable fragility and anguish as offered by Anya Whelan-Smith.
But there are strong portrayals throughout the cast, each character lent complexity, from Regina Marie Williams’ Gertrude to Grayson DeJesus’ obsessive Laertes to Daniel Petzold as a Horatio with much more going on than merely being the hero’s sidekick.
The cast uses every inch of Jan Chambers’ brutalist set and is aided greatly by the clever costume designs of Trevor Bowen and the lighting of Robert Wierzel, which is often as haunting as the soundscape that Jack Herrick creates while seated in the corner of the Guthrie’s thrust stage. Rather than just musical interludes at scene changes, Herrick enhances the mood of many a scene with his imaginative use of percussion, woodwinds, strings and keyboard. His contributions are key to a production that succeeds in all its elements. What a piece of work it is.
Hamlet
- When: Through May 21
- Where: Guthrie Theater, 818 Second St. S., Mpls.
- Tickets: $79-$15.50, available at 612-377-2224 or guthrietheater.org
- Capsule: A “Hamlet” of passion and clarity.
