WM+-+Critique+4+Hamlet

William Morrison // Hamlet //Review Good:  1. Ghost’s Costume- When I first saw the ghost costume, I thought it looked like an actor wrapped in aluminum foil and almost laughed, but then I thought that the costume was indeed very creative. Not only had I never seen anything similar before in plays, but it completely separated the ghost from the other characters through the contrast of light and darkness.  2. Hamlet’s Soliloquy- As one of the most famous soliloquies in literature, I wondered if the play would develop this scene the same way as I had seen with previous performances. But, to my delight, the soliloquy was given in such a unique way, perched on a moveable ladder. This provided a sense of uniqueness and freshness to the scene and forced me to reanalyze the words that I had heard many times before.  3. Polonius- Josh Hingle did a phenomenal job acting as Polonius. His character really shined through when acting as the father figure for Laertes and Ophelia. It seemed truly heartfelt and personal when he was giving his final words of advice to Laertes before he left for France. And, I saw the compassion he had for Ophelia in his eyes when he cradled her after her encounter with Hamlet.  4. Ophelia- Shelli Delgado did a wonderful job acting as Ophelia. She presented the different emotions required for the different scenes with such preciseness that it seemed as if she were actually experiencing them. The happiness shined through her eyes in the beginning with Laertes, but the sadness in her face after encountering Hamlet was like a vacuum sucking away all happiness in the room.  5. Spacing for the final scene- I thought that the spacing for the final scene was very well done. The deaths for the characters occupied all the different areas of the stage allowing the action to remain uncluttered. Bad:  1. Hamlet’s Costume- I did not like the look of Hamlet’s costume. It seemed completely of out place compared the other characters of the play. I did not like the fingerless gloves, the jeans, the necklace, or the unbuttoned long-sleeve shirt. I thought it was completely out of character for a mourning prince, even if the play was modernized.  2. Ghost’s Speech- Although I understand the concept for the Ghost’s speech, it was not executed well. The extra echoing muffled the words and made it difficult to understand. If the affect had been a little cleaner, then I would have thought this a great addition to the play.  3. Flashlights- I did not like the idea of pointing the flashlights directly at the audience. I thought it was a nice touch to have the flashlights spanning the theater until the light was pointed directly into my eyes. It was uncomfortable at first, and I figured it for a simple mistake. Unfortunately it happened several times throughout the course of the play. It left me uncomfortable each time I noticed the actors pointing the flashlights on the audience.  4. Random Spectators- I was completely confused by the addition of the players throughout the play. I did not understand the significance of having them “discretely” climb the set to watch the play unfold. They were more of a distraction then an addition to the play, in my opinion.  5. Hamlet and Ophelia- I did not enjoy the interaction between Hamlet and Ophelia. I thought it was completely over the top to have him assault her in such a fashion during that scene. In my opinion, the violent, aggressive actions of Hamlet did not coincide with the text or feeling of that scene, which I perceived as more cold and withdrawn.