By Eric George Tauber
SAN DIEGO — Elsinore Castle, Denmark: A giant suit of armor fit for Goliath stands in silent sentry when a dashing Hamlet slips a note into the gauntlet like a prayer at the Western Wall. I’d seen Hamlet before, but Grantham Coleman’s portrayal is now my favorite. He charms with his smile and captivates with his intensity. Is he really losing his wits or playing to throw people off? It’s hard to say, but Coleman seemed like a man poised on the edge, genuinely contemplating both suicide and homicide, lucidly cognizant of how far he can fall and yet unable to walk away.
There are many ways to do Hamlet and every theatre-goer knows the story. So methinks I need not extrapolate on the plot nor explain the characters. Some interpretations have political overtones and others have a Freudian field day. For Director Barry Edelstein, this Hamlet was deeply personal. Last year, as he sat beside his father’s hospice bed –may his memory be a blessing- lines from Hamlet flooded into his mind. (Performances Magazine P7)
“God has given you one face and you make yourself another.”
A consummate politician, Cornell Womack’s King Claudius is all charm and smiles in court. Likewise, Opal Alladin carried herself with stately poise and eloquence as Queen Gertrude. They know just how to put his court at ease, the better to bend them to their will. Then, we were held in rapt attention as Claudius confessed to his brother’s murder. He’s not proud of what he has done and is haunted by his demons.
Kevin Hafso-Koppman is adorable as Rosencrantz. With expressive face and eyes, he speaks volumes when he says not a word. An interesting choice was to cast a woman, Nora Carroll, as Guildenstern, adding a little friction and implied history to the threesome.
In a clever bit of foreshadowing, Ophelia’s blue gown was printed with water bubbles. But the chemistry betwixt her and Hamlet was tepid, seeming more like an eHarmony match that never got past the first coffee date than lovers who go mad for want of each other. But then, when Ophelia suffers from a nervous breakdown, Talley Beth Gale had us chilled to our souls.
Costumes at the Globe are always a pageant, but this array of colors and patterns by Cait O’Connor seemed WAY over-the-top and for the ladies, cumbersome. The Ghost, in his full suit of armor, lit up at the joints, could hardly walk in his gear and bore the very likeness of Voltron.
Michael Genet made a very melodramatic Ghost, but his humor and swag won us over with his portrayals of the Player King and the Gravedigger.
Fight choreography is always a tricky business and the Bard made matters trickier by making Hamlet and Laertes exchange swords mid-duel. This sword fight, choreographed by Jacob Grigolia-Rosenbaum, ROCKED THE HOUSE. Violent yet graceful, a cunning dance of vengeance and survival, it takes no prisoners and few are left standing.
A few curious choices aside, the Old Globe’s Hamlet is a night of beautiful eloquence, burning intensity, humor, intrigue and heartbreak. “Words without thoughts never to Heaven go.” Well, these words go past the pearly gates without a pause and take us with them.
Hamlet plays at the Old Globe’s outdoor stage through Sept 10. It runs three hours long, so bring a wrap and a comfy sit-upon.
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Tauber is a freelance writer specializing in coverage of the arts. He may be contacted via eric.tauber@sdjewishworld.com