You might as well call this Bard iteration Twelfth Night: The Musical<\/i>, as cast members often burst into song \u2013 terrific original ones by local composer Veda Hille \u2013 giving credence to a famous line in the play, \u201cIf music be the food of love, play on.\u201d While I found the first act somewhat disjointed and confusing, trying to figure out what was going on when and with whom, the second act saved the day and the enthusiastic cast\/music made up for any shortcomings in this adaptation.<\/p>\n
To that end, kudos to understudy Besworth, who got the call a day before opening night to step into the shoes of Camille Legg and, without the benefit of rehearsal, gave a sublime performance. Hutt is charming as the Countess, Youssef is as good-humoured as you can get and Gallant does able double duty for the musical bits with guitar and drum work. Bard veteran Andrew Wheeler is the Ringmaster and controls the pace of the circus (when he can). Petten is a standout and takes the concept of emoting to new heights in a sparkly yellow cat suit when she is spun around on the \u201cWheel of Misfortune,\u201d while being punished by Belch and his cronies for her kill-joy attitude. Very much an ensemble cast, special mention has to be made of the two Jewish community cast members, Kay and Lipovetsky, whose comedic timing and antics will keep you in stitches.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Costumer Mara Gottler has scored a home run with costumes that can only be described as fabulous \u2013 particularly Hutt\u2019s colourful sequined frock and a flowing, white, asymmetrically hemmed wedding dress (I want this dress!) complemented with black suede stiletto boots. All the costumes are suggestive of a carnival and set designer Pam Johnson gives the audience a multi-hued circus with colourful games, ladders, balls and banners.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Purists may wince at the liberties taken with the original script but this production will be a hit with those in the summer crowd who are looking for a Shakespeare Lite experience.<\/p>\n For something completely different, there\u2019s Hamlet<\/i>. I loved, loved, loved it! I have seen many productions of Hamlet<\/i> but this one is by far the one that gave me the most clarity in understanding the story. This is Shakespeare at his finest.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Stephen Drover, adapter and director, in a brilliant twist of chronology, starts the play off with Hamlet on stage orating the suicide soliloquy (usually in the third act). Right away, we see the angst of the prince as he grapples with life and death (\u201cto be or not to be\u201d). His life is a mess \u2013 his uncle Claudius kills his father, the king of Denmark, and takes the throne; his mother, Queen Gertrude, marries Claudius; his best friends from university, uildenstern and Rosencrantz, betray him; and his girlfriend, Ophelia, kills herself. What\u2019s left to live for? It is the dread of what might come after death that \u201cmakes cowards of us all\u201d and so Hamlet chooses life on this \u201cmortal coil.\u201d<\/p>\n Hamlet is set on his fateful path by an eerie visit from the ghost of his\u00a0<\/span>father, who describes his murder most foul and importunes his son to avenge his death. Feigning madness, Hamlet sets off to right what is rotten in Denmark amid the wealth and power of the royal court.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The action includes a foray into a graveyard where actor Lipovetsky injects some moments of lightness into an otherwise dark tale with his comedic take on the gravedigger. We also are privy to the funeral of Ophelia and, in the finale, an epic fencing duel culminates in multiple deaths, including a poignant farewell for Hamlet. Kudos to fight director Jonathan Hawley Purvis for his choreography of this sequence. Choreographer Lisa Goebels also provides some stunning freeze frame dance moments showcasing some fancy footwork by the older royals.<\/p>\n In another interesting staging twist, the original play-within-a-play device, which mimics the king\u2019s death (poison in his ear), becomes a song from traveling performers, played by Christine Quintana and Lipovetsky.<\/p>\n Pam Johnson\u2019s set is a cavernous library with floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and secret doors that allow the actors to enter and exit the stage seamlessly. A huge crown hangs from the ceiling and plays a critical role in the final scene. Being set in the present time allows for contemporary costumes \u2013 tattered jeans, T-shirts for the young, fitted dresses and pant suits for Gertrude and double-breasted suits for the older gents, courtesy of costume designer Barbara Clayden.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n While this is Hamlet\u2019s story, it really is only made possible through the teamwork of a very skilled cast. Nadeem Phillip Umar Khitab is the quintessential Hamlet, with his physical presence and determination palpable as he undertakes his filial task of revenge. (Starting Sept. 2, Hamlet will be played by Chirag Naik.) Besworth is an ethereal Ophelia who sees no option but to take her life when both her brother, Laertes (Kay), and her father, Polonius (Wheeler), forbid her to have anything to do with Hamlet. Munish Sharma plays Claudius; Jennifer Clement, Gertrude; Ivy Charles and Aidan Correia, Guildenstern and Rosencrantz; and Youssef, the Ghost.<\/p>\n![\"photo](\"https:\/\/www.jewishindependent.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/jul-12-cov.12.Bard-Nadeem-Phillip-Umar-Khitab-as-Hamlet-Photo-by-Tim-Matheson-3-scaled-1.jpg\")
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