Hamlet at Geva

Hamlet came to Geva Theatre in Rochester, New York, in the spring of 2005.  What drew me to it was the fact that it was Hamlet.  Add to that the appearance of Kelli Fox (sister of Michael J.)...in the title role...and it made for a memorable night at the theatre.  Fortunately, I wrote a description of the performance later that evening, so I do not have to rely too much on my memory.

The play was fairly true to Shakespeare's original as I recall, with a few obvious changes noted below.  It was edited to make it a more reasonable length, but the editions were not glaring.  The set was well designed, done in faux marble and black and white checkered floor tile.  A portion of the stage had the ability to raise and lower to become a bed or a grave or a stage within a stage, and a steel catwalk above the floor was well used throughout.

The play opened with a scene not in the actual Shakespearean play.  Hamlet and his chums, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, were at Wittenberg, watching the players (whom we will see again) perform A Midsummer Night's Dream.  Hamlet learns of his father's death when Horatio interrupts the performance.  A strange way to begin the play, methought.

There was a peculiarity with the climactic sword fight between Laertes and Hamlet.  The poisoned pearl that Claudius cast into the goblet was his own earring...taken out of his ear.  The poisoned pearl was fatal to Gertrude when touching wine but not to Claudius when lodged in his ear?  Odd.

At the close of the play, the players make their return.  Fortinbras was not cast in this production.  At Hamlet's death, the players returned to the castle at that exact moment (fortuitously so) to hear Horatio tell Hamlet's tale.

Two acting performances stood out.  Kelli Fox's take on Hamlet was noteworthy, primarily because I could never warm up to an actress in that role.  She is a fine performer, but I could not suspend my disbelief long enough to become accustomed to her as Hamlet.  The other memorable performance was Jordan Charney as Polonius and also the gravedigger.  As a longtime fan of Law and Order, in which he played a recurring role, I enjoyed seeing Mr. Charney live and in person.

My summation of the play eight years ago was "a good solid effort, although not earth-shattering."  The passing of time notwithstanding, I still stand by that.  It was a well acted and well directed production, and a worthy addition to the collection.