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Imagine an interpretation of Shakespeare's "Hamlet" so contemporary, so of-the-moment, so ripped-from-the-headlines immediate that it transposes the doings within that long-ago dark castle in Denmark upon a certain big white building along today's Pennsylvania Avenue in our nation's capital. Imagine the possibilities. Treachery. Palace intrigue. Low comedy. High dudgeon. A murky, constantly shifting landscape of betrayals and loyalties. A vial of poison dumped in an old man's ear. Just imagine the possiblilities. See Time & Space Limited's multimedia presentation of "H.A.M.L.E.T.", now at La Mama E.T.C., and you'll leave the theater still imagining. Veteran director Linda Mussman of TSL has set up a timely if tricky premise, projecting Hamlet's quandary over his dispatched daddy upon Dubya's present dilemma over his own poppy's failure to topple Saddam Hussein when he had the chance back in '91. As adapted by Mussman and played by Gerald Stoddard (as Hamlet and various other roles) and Claudia Bruce (as Gertrude and various other roles), "H.A.M.L.E.T." centers upon the relationship between mother and son in an often strained, improv-heavy approach (he's good; she's...OK). There are big dollops of vaudeville song and dance tossed in along the way as well (she's very good; he's...OK). Why vaudeville, you may ask? May as well ask, "why a duck?" Because they can, is my guess. When you don't know what else to do, throw in a song and dance number. Or two. Or five. But that's not what's really rotten with the state of the show. The main problem with this "H.A.M.L.E.T." is that it betrays its own premise. What has made it up onstage most closely resembles a grab bag, middleschool-level, "Hey kids! Shakespeare can be FUN!" demystification of the Bard, a pleasant if pointless little pastiche completely devoid of any sustained, focused political commentary or consciousness. Adding to the overall class-project ambiance at work here are video sequences so cheesy Ed Wood, Jr. wouldn't claim them. "By using video monitors to run commentary about the pending war with Iraq, Mussman points to similarities between Hamlet's family and the Bush family..." TSL's expansive production notes promise us. "As a revenge play, (Hamlet's) challenge is not only to defend Denmark from invasion but...to payback his father's death. Mussman hints at similar machinations being played out in the White House today." Well, yeah, but sneeze once and you'll miss them. After an awkward, introductory talking-head video clip, commentary on the present administration's imperialist designs on the Middle East is reduced first to a pair of fleeting references, then disappears completely. Mussman's subsequent video appearances -- she's the talking head, as well -- are consumed by her need to summarize the estimable chunks of Shakespeare's text her abridged romp has lopped off. Following the performance I attended, an audience member asked the director, "why did you make this a comedy?" After a long pause, Mussman offered, "because they're funny?" OK. The brooding prince and his fucked-up mom have never really struck me as a double-punch laugh riot, but humor is by large part subjective, so why not, if the ideas are there to support the approach. Indeed, one of the reasons Shakespeare's work has flourished down through the ages within myriad political and cultural parameters is its unparalleled adaptability to time and place. A strong, sustained idea can take his plays...anywhere. And therein lies the greatest disappointment in this production: somewhere, the ideas just got lost. And they are good ideas: valid, timely, intriguing, and necessary, given the prevailing national climate of arrogant entitlement, treachery and deceit. So here's hoping TSL takes this "H.A.M.L.E.T." back up the Hudson to their shop and retools it, beginning with a re-read of their own production notes. Then perhaps they may fashion a "H.A.M.L.E.T." worthy of its own premise. "H.A.M.L.E.T."
a Time
& Space Limited Production presented by La
Mama E.T.C., 74A E. 4th St., NYC. 212.475.7710. Thu.-Sat., 8PM;
Sun., 2:30PM. Thru December 22.
$15. Copyright © 2002 The Write Word, Inc. All rights reserved. |
