RD-Hamlet

Hamlet Robert Dong Positives Negatives
 * 1) Introduction was very unique and helpful. It was not only entertaining, but it also removed some of the stress associated with understanding the Shakespearean dialogue. Without the introduction, there is a great possibility that the audience would be lost in the monologues begin to lose interest.
 * 2) The action in the fight scenes was very refreshing. The action allows the audience to takes breaks from the gigantic speeches and focus on a more exciting topic. The thought into making the fighting different from the Shakespearean sword play was also refreshing. The fist fights also removed the need for additional props. The fights seemed like a very economical decision made by the director.
 * 3) The area of the stage that was acted upon was very interesting. Instead of just acting on the proscenium, the actors walked upon the aisles. This brought the action to the audience and made the production seem much more interactive.
 * 4) The lighting was great and ever-changing. The lights would follow the action and grab the attention of the audience. The lighting was especially effective in holding the audiences attention to the soliloquies given by the actors.
 * 5) Costumes for Hamlet were very impressive. The strange and different costumes for a modern hamlet brought emphasis to the characteristics of each character in the play. Without dialogue, one would be able to tell the personality of the character from the design of the costume. It was also oddly satisfying seeing the contrast between the costumes in my past viewing of Hamlet and this modern adaptation.
 * 1) I think the sound distracted the audience more than added to the production. The echoing of the ghost distorted his voice to the point that many of his words were indistinguishable and incomprehensible. The Shakespearean language is already hard to understand, the addition of the echo made the task even more difficult. Some of the other sounds seemed unnecessary and added in for the pure act of adding in a sound.
 * 2) The presence of the performance group was distracting. For a large portion of the play they just stood in the background and added nothing to the scene. No mention of them is made in the dialogue, so their presence seemed distracting rather than adding to the scene.
 * 3) The entrances and exits of the characters were interesting at first with the many doors, but later on these entrances distracted from the play. The same could be said of the ladder scene. What began as a humorous way to speak the dialogue ended as a distracting part of the play that lost its humor and gained a distracted from the overall message that his monologues meant to communicate.
 * 4) Hamlet’s costume seemed a bit ridiculous. Even for a modern version for a modern version of hamlet, the wardrobe was unfitting. The punk gloves and outfit seemed too ridiculous for the wardrobe of a mourning prince. One would think that he would dress in a more somber manner to display the dread of losing his father.
 * 5) The interaction between Hamlet and Ophelia was crude. It was a bit strange seeing a man grope and assault a women on the stage. I am not sure whether the actions of the actor that plays hamlet were impromptu, but the actions were irrelevant to the script. At no moment during the dialogue did I think Hamlet needed to sexually assault Ophelia.