The Rubber City Theater’s production of Shakespeare’s Hamlet opens on a modern-day university campus in the group’s new Black Box theater, signaling a modern telling of the story, with its portrayal of a youthful Hamlet whose anxiety and agitated state propel a relatable and complex protagonist.
The story’s familiar trajectory is portrayed with a modern-day edginess that engenders suspense and uncertainty as well as a bit of grittiness and restlessness. This Hamlet’s depiction by Alex Funk is akin to a James Dean or young Sean Penn. Director Dane Leisure conceives Hamlet as a cultural icon of teenage disillusionment and social estrangement.
The play opens with a weary and cynical Hamlet still mourning his father’s death. His disillusion transforms to rage and madness as he is visited by his father’s ghost and learns of his uncle/step-father’s treachery. Funk’s performance is complex and compelling, but his lines are sometimes rushed. When his speed is reduced, particularly in scenes with Horatio (a commanding and memorable performance by Joseph Kenderes), Hamlet’s disquietude and recklessness become intrepid and he really shines. When Hamlet’s famous lines are read at a less hurried state the audience can really listen to his maddening outcry and he becomes an audacious protagonist.
Rosencrantz (Joseph Soriano) and Guildenstern (Chennelle Bryant-Harris) and Polonius (Scott Crim) were directed a bit broadly and the tone of the farce seemed to jar the audience. Bryant-Harris’s turn as Laertes was simultaneously bold and tender, and Elizabeth Allard (Queen Gertrude) and Cait McNeal (Ophelia) turned in complex and noteworthy performances. Sean Taylor, Mathew Taft, and Helen Casebolt were scene-stealers in small but distinct roles and Alex J. Nine’s performance as Claudius was commendable and grounded Hamlet’s darker themes.
Dane Leisure has made an impressive vocation following in the Joseph Papp tradition of making Shakespeare relevant and current in wildly creative and controversial stagings. Last year’s productions of King Lear and Julius Caesar were laudable and consequential. Michele McNeal as Queen Lear and Eric Mansfield as the Earl of Gloucester were exemplary and the more modern settings left an impression of distinguished drama.
Hamlet is one of William Shakespeare’s most loved and most performed plays. This production deserves praise and will galvanize audiences to want to see more of Shakespeare’s work. This new theater is spacious, comfortable and easily accommodates larger audiences. The sound quality is superior to the company’s former space.
Hamlet ran from 10/6-22.
Akron, OH 44320