Angela Gimlin, Madison Boan (seated) and Connor Hall star in Hamlet playing at Murfreesboro Little Theatre
Shakespeare’s Hamlet is by far one of his most popular tragedies, containing some of his most famous lines. It was popular even during his lifetime and has been remade and reinterpreted many, many, many times over and still manages to please. Now it’s come to Murfreesboro Little Theatre, and I have to admit: I enjoyed it. It doesn’t matter how often I’ve seen the play itself (see: many, many, many times over), it’s always a pleasure seeing Hamlet produced by competent hands.
It’s different and difficult. Because it focuses more on internal struggle and self-doubt rather than action and reaction, to play Hamlet requires more than the ability to be directed; it requires self-direction. Hamlet drives the story, rather than the other way around. It’s a daunting notion for any actor, however, Connor Hall, who plays this particular incarnation, performed more than admirably. In truth he was really wonderful. He understood his character and related him with skill (and looked fine doing it).
Casting is incredibly important for a story like Hamlet, and all the choices were adroitly made. Madison Boan’s Ophelia was lovely, especially in her madness. It’s hard to act like a Looney Tune in iambic pentameter, but without reservation or any hint of self-consciousness her performance is riveting and responsive. Polonius (Phil Mote) was simply the most endearingly pedantic windbag and watching Claudius (Robert Wilson) and Gertrude (Angela Gimlin) roll their eyes in exasperation was amusing on more than one occasion.
What action there is to Hamlet was well done and the players seemed to have a firm grasp, not only of the emotion of the language, but of their physical presences as well, which is always excellent to see in a Shakespeare production (and more than a little challenging to pull off). There’s not really room for in-depth literary analysis here, brevity being the soul of wit, after all. However, I will say that it was so well done overall that it actually rekindled a long-lost enthusiasm for the story of the mad, brooding, indecisive, tragic (and maybe a little sexy) Prince of Denmark.
Hamlet continues its run through Nov. 9. Reserve your tickets at mltarts.com.
