Actor's Renaissance Theatre's Hamlet at the Tempe Performing Arts Center
(out of 
)Mark S.P. Turvin
(home office) (602) 912-0117
I can be reached for comment via e-mail at: mspt@goldfishpublishers.com
Reviewed 9/30/99
(out of )Actor's Renaissance Theatre loves a challenge. This year, they'll be presenting not one, but two repertory festivals featuring William Shakespeare. Their current offerings at the Tempe Performing Arts Center include Hamlet, Tom Stoppard's lofty-but-hefty Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead, and an original creation, Hamlet and Hal: Sons and Princes, by ART's Artistic Director, James K. Barnard. Mr. Barnard and his small, committed group are part of the growing trend of Shakespeare-based theatre companies in the valley offering works by the English language's greatest dramatist.
Director Barnard has taken a novel approach to mounting one of the Bard's most talked-about works; he has kept the costumes period, and the setting as minimal as the original Globe Theatre production back in 1600. It's actually refreshing to see the Bard's work with the original elements intact. Mr. Barnard has also done well in cutting away some of the heft of this Priam's Pause, although its nearly three hour running time is a testament to the need for even more judicious editing. Also, he has made some odd directorial choices in the presentation, including a repetitious dumbshow prior to the players' full performance of the play-within-a-play, naturalistic blocking that occasionally leaves Hamlet speaking to the back wall, and a taped voiceover for the ghost of the slain king that is whispered and mixed with an echo effect, making it difficult to hear his all-important speeches.
Featured in the actor's dream/nightmare role of Hamlet is Scott Campbell, who has been making a name for himself at Phoenix Theatre and Grand Canyon University. Here, he tackles the tragic Danish Prince with a natural vocal rhythm in each of his exchanges and soliloquies, which helps keep an audience able to keep up with Hamlet's musings and machinations. The downside to Mr. Campbell's performance is the problem faced by educated modern actors attempting Shakespeare's iambic verse: finding the right balance between Oratory and Stanislavski's Method. By allowing the audience to see his thought process, he often sacrifices the lilting cadences and rhythms of the Bard's lovely writings. It's a difficult balance, finding the happy medium between the rhythm of the lines, and offering an entrée for modern audiences unaccustomed to the language. While in the long run, it is probably better to err on the side of meaning rather than sounding, Mr. Campbell and his director have erred to a fault.
Unfortunately, the rest of the group's offerings vary greatly. Basically solid performances come from the two women of Hamlet's life, Diane L. Walker's Gertrude, and Ashley J. Barnard's Ophelia. While both of the actresses do not make strong choices, they do work and interact well with Hamlet and the rest of the ensemble. A funnily hesitant, mincing and ingratiating performance comes from Drew Kallen as Polonius, although his secondary casting as the gravedigger does not fare as well, as he mumbles and tosses off some of that character's witty observations. Simple performances are offered by Tim Cox and T. Clent Boudreaux as the interchangeable Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and Larry Grubbs as the avenging Laertes.
The two biggest disappointments are Michael Sherwin's strangely presented Horatio, and Marcus Smith's rushed and uncommitted Claudius. Mr. Sherwin is unbalanced with his emotions, laughing nearly maniacally at some points, and grieving falsely at others. At the other extreme, Mr. Smith has an emotional aloofness which ruins the potentially wonderful moment of his self-betrayal after the play-within-a-play. He also has an annoying speech pattern: Marvin the Martian meets Dudley Do-Right.
Despite all problems and miscues, the action suddenly picks up at the end of the nearly three hours. When the action rises and physical battles begin, the show clicks and works. The final ten minutes become exciting and interesting, nearly making up for all of the prior lapses in the production. While not polished, Mr. Barnard's fight choreography is workable, and the cast becomes a solid unit, which caused this reviewer to perk up and actually sit on the edge of his seat.
Mr. Barnard does well with his very simple set design, which features a raked stage, six handsome chairs from a dark wood dining set, a carpet runner down the middle of the stage, and a large and ominous cross hanging above the court. Save for his problematic choice of the unseen ghost's voice, the sound design is solid, if a bit too filmic at some points.
Problems plague this worthy attempt at a difficult text. For those who enjoy seeing Shakespeare performed in his original setting, and can sift through the lesser performances and choices for the gems contained within, the final scene will be your welcomed prize.
Production Details:
Hamlet
by William Shakespeare
In repertory with Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern
Are Dead and Hamlet and Hal: Sons and Princes, an original
work written and directed by James K. Barnard
Actor's Renaissance Theatre
The Tempe Performing Arts Center
(480) 632-0409
September 30th - October 10th, 1999