Hamlet Crossing the Delaware (Park)

The first version to be described is the most recent version that I have seen live:  this summer's Shakespeare in Delaware Park production.  Delaware Park is located in Buffalo, NY.  Hamlet is one of the two productions this year.  (The other is Measure For Measure.)  Its run began on June 20 and will conclude on July 14.  I saw the performance on June 26.  The scenery, lighting and sound are all top-notch.  Major plus--IT'S FREE!!  (Donations are accepted.)

The production was a traditional version of the play.  The costuming was elegant period dress.  The set was minimal but well done, and it works for this production.  There were multiple levels, including an in-stage level for the gravedigger scene.  The rousing sword fight between Laertes and Hamlet used much of the set, including the levels and the stairs.

I thought that the performance was well acted.  As with most versions that I have seen, the actor playing Hamlet is older than one would expect of a college student.  This is fairly common, though; in fact, having an actual college student act the part is atypical to my experience.  The cast did an excellent job, playing it safe and traditional and carrying their roles well.  Tim Newell, in the role of Claudius, was particularly notable.

The running time was approximately 2.5 hours, long enough without seeming overly so.  The play was shortened in order to fit the time slot.  This did not cause continuity issues, although there was one minor exception.  The conversation between Hamlet and Horatio describing Hamlet's escape from pirates was edited.  The demise of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern was mentioned only briefly, leaving it a bit vague as to what happened to them until the final scene.  Horatio drawing his finger across his throat--that was the sign that the two went "to't."

One other modification was in the final scene.  Horatio's parting line to Hamlet--"Good night sweet prince..."--was taken from its usual place and put at the very end, after Fortinbras' appearance.  Horatio and Hamlet are left on stage as the lights fade to black.  It's effective, allowing the play to end focused on the relationship of the two and not on Fortinbras' pronouncements.

All in all, this was a well-done production and a great way to spend an evening out in Buffalo.  (One note to the prospective visitor:  arrive early in order to find a parking space!)

(For further information on the troupe, go to shakespeareindelawarepark.org.)

What Is To Come

My hope is to share with readers thoughts on various versions of Hamlet that I have encountered over the years.  That may mean live performances, film versions and print versions.

As I come across new additions to the collection, I hope to share those as well.  New posts will appear periodically.  This entire enterprise is a work in progress.  Comments, including versions of the play you might have seen, will be welcome.

Why?

So why a(nother) blog about Hamlet?  Ultimately I blame one of my college English professors.

I read the play for the first time in high school twenty years ago.  Strangely enough, I had read Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead two years earlier.  It made much more sense once I had read Hamlet.  I came across both again in college.  A few years after graduation, I found out that a former professor was teaching a course on Hamlet.  That was it.  An entire semester-long course on one play.  Well, I was already a fan of the play.  I had already begun collecting different versions of it.  This cemented things, though.

That was a few years back.  Since then, I figure that I have seen the work live no fewer than a half dozen times and in film presentations at least the same.  That doesn't begin to describe the various adaptations and offshoots I have come across.

In a recent discussion with that same professor about Hamlet (what else?), he suggested that a blog could be a good idea.  Other fans of the play might be interested in my experiences and research.  I got to thinking that he might be right. I took a look and found several blogs dedicated to Hamlet.  Undeterred, though, I decided to forge ahead.  We'll see how it goes.