Hamlet, Twelfth Night return Bard to the Beach in compelling ways

If it’s summer, it must be time for Bard on the Beach!

This year, fans are be able to choose from four productions: Twelfth Night, Hamlet, Comedy of Errors, and Measure for Measure. Of course, one’s choice depends on one’s taste and experience. Of the two opening productions, I would recommend Hamlet.

Conventional is not the most appropriate word to apply to Stephen Drover’s take on Hamlet. To a great extent, he has reworked the play so that many will applaud his refreshing and considerably abbreviated adaptation.

An indication of this is clear at the beginning, in that the play opens with the all-too-familiar “to be or not to be” soliloquy, thereby establishing Hamlet’s conflicted persona immediately. What follows is an energetic and frequently compelling reading of the play, with Nadeem Phillip Umar Khitab fully embracing the role of the much-troubled prince.

However, in some ways the performance lacks vital nuance. For example, in this explosive and driven character, we see little of the admirable, refined Renaissance scholar, and very little of his attempts to assume a pretended madness. Instead, we get a very angry, vengeful Hamlet, and it is this anger which urges the action forward.

The same lack of nuanced subtlety is also reflected in other characters. While there is some attempt to show Polonius in the traditional comic light, I found myself wishing that a genuine loving affection between him and his children were more apparent. At the same time, Ophelia is poorly directed, first appearing as a rather tiresome teenager, and later as a stark raving maniac. Almost totally absent is the sweet and gentle persona which is typically part of most productions.

However, despite these negatives, this is a Hamlet well worth viewing. The main setting of a library in the castle is both appropriate and logical; other scenes such as the battlements and the graveyard are equally effectively staged.

One may wish for more subtlety in the presentation of some of the play’s many elements, yet one cannot but be swept up in the main character’s passion and eagerness for just revenge. The cast, following Khitab’s dynamic lead, does full justice to the drama, making it exciting, compelling, and provocative. It may not be a traditional Hamlet, but it is a truly dramatic one and worth a visit!

One can easily understand a director wishing to provide a new slant on a particular play, especially one as frequently performed as Twelfth Night. Thus, Diana Donnelly sets the play in a circus tent rather than in a mythical country called Illyria. Logical as a tent setting may be, the decision does not come without disadvantages. The major one is that the play presents only limited options to make it relevant to a circus. While the inclusion of a somewhat redundant ringmaster, the throwing of beach balls into the audience, and having a couple motor around the stage in a delightful swan boat may be novel, they don’t do much to enhance the play.

In addition, the fact that the Twelfth Night cast is costumed in circus mostly means that there is no difference in appearance between aristocrats and servants – a far cry from Shakespeare’s original costuming.

The production also raises other concerns of a more dramatic nature. This is especially true of the character Malvolio, here changed to Malvolia. While following the fashion of gender swapping, this ultimately makes this ingredient of the play decidedly awkward, raising an unnecessary theme of lesbianism and altogether ignoring the “cross-gartering” trope. The outcome markedly detracts from the depth of the Bard’s dramatic genius. Malvolio was his chance to satirize the Puritans, enemies of theatre, and give pointed depth to the comedy. As with his other rather negative characters, such as Shylock and the melancholy Jacques, in the end, Shakespeare’s humanity triumphed, and he finally made them figures of sympathy and poignancy, as well as comedy.

However, all is not lost. The cast certainly throw themselves into the comedy wholeheartedly; the songs and music are decidedly effective; the characters of the lovers Orsino, Viola, Sebastian, and Olivia are well performed in conventional and effective fashion, so that those looking for romantic comedy will be amply rewarded.

Many viewers may delight in this colourful, energetic, and varied production. It is light-hearted, often amusing, and a bold attempt at a new take on a familiar work.

If this is not enough, we can also look forward to the two further season productions. Long live Bard on the Beach!

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