Ok, before I forget, because I’ve been really busy and I haven’t written about Hamlet yet- let me get right to it!
Jesse, Drew and I went on Sunday to see the last night of Gorilla Rep’s production of Hamlet. Let me first say that anything negative that I’ll say really doesn’t matter because of the total awesomeness (wow, I thought surely that word would have come up as NOT A WORD in the spell check) of the whole idea that is Gorilla Rep.
They’re in the park, with the Cloisters as a background for Hamlet- totally cool- and they and just there, living the language of our dear friend Willy Shake! The rawness of it is truly something that everyone should witness… the Actor who played Hamlet, however, is NOT recommended.
Let me note- I am NOT a critic- in fact, any criticisms I have could really be laughed at by the people to whom they are directed, because I really don’t know what I’m talking about at all, but I do know that the language in Shakespeare’s pieces are really difficult and the audience appreciation really all depends on the actors abilities to communicate in a way WE can understand with their other “actor tools”.
Have you ever pressed fast forward on the VCR? Maybe you didn’t like the scene, or you were skipping ahead to show someone something you liked? Have you ever had an actor reach out of a film and press the fast forward button for you? And you were left thinking… “I like that part, I missed something, what’s going on, why is someone leaning out of my TV, pass the acid.” That’s how it felt watching this guys Hamlet. Like he was fast forwarding through the parts he didn’t like and then when he ran out of breath or got to a part he liked he slowed down.
In his defense, which I can’t really argue because I didn’t talk to him or really know anything about him at all, but none the less… In his defense, it was the last night of the show. So many factors could have played into the fact that he was doing a speed-through. (That’s what we actors call it when you say all the lines as fast as you can in order to work on something other than the acting of it, such as memorizing the lines.) Another actor, a female who played many parts, seemed to have lost her voice. It is a really demanding situation for your body to communicate in a space like that.
Anyway, I didn’t like the guy who played Hamlet- also, there was no chemistry between he and Ophelia… are they not supposed to have chemistry? And I don’t really remember the “get thee to a nunnery” scene, so maybe it was good… but I can’t remember either way.
Ok- enough negative for now, let me talk about some things I did like. My favorite characters in order…
1. I think my favorite was the man who played the Player King, maybe the fact that he was a courtroom lawyer- turned actor, it’s inspiring when people go for their dreams.
2. Gravedigger/Ghost- he was good as the ghost, but that wouldn’t have put him so high, and the gravedigger scene is just the best scene in the play, so maybe he had it easy, but he was fantastic.
3. Horatio- mostly because he looked like Jeff Faulkner circa sophomore year, think “Johnny Angel” in Grease years, when I would have probably made out with him accept that I was busy with Aaron… I’m digressing. So, yeah, he was enjoyable to watch.
4. The Player Queen- maybe I liked the players so much because of the style they used to portray that section. It was really fun and she was a grown up being playful, I always like that!
5. Claudius- his jacket was freaking awesome, and I mostly liked him because I noticed him afterward holding a flashlight and I was startled that it was him and I said, “oh, thank you” and he, who had been very loud and big throughout the whole show, said sweetly, “thanks for coming”. It was really sweet.
Anyway, that’s my top 5. And, I was really interested to learn, through my own investigation, that Ophelia was married to the director. I don’t think it’s cool if that’s the reason she’s getting cast in this things because she wasn’t THAT good (the “going crazy” part wasn’t bad though), but it’s nice to see married people running theatre companies because that’s what Jesse and I will be next year 
I know this company is really respected, and what they’re doing is really cool, but some of it was just not enjoyable. Their efforts seem to go along with my belief, that theatre should be for the people. I feel like I would have had to have a degree in the background of this play to have enjoyed it, because it was really fast and not easy to understand. If someone like me, versed in theatre, but without a degree in Shakespeare, felt it was too intense, how would it seem to someone who had no background in this play? Is it meant to keep those sorts of people out? Or, maybe I just came on a bad night? Maybe everyone had had enough and wanted to get to the cast party? That could have been as well.
Small disclaimer:
I do want to say, if anyone googles gorilla rep and finds this: I’m not intending to insult anyone. I’m simply commenting on my experience and learning from it in order to grow as an artist and a human being. Please don’t feel insulted, and take only what you’d like to take and leave the rest.
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