Hamlet Streaming

During an Internet search before starting this blog I came across Hamlet Live.  I was intrigued enough to take a look to discover what exactly it meant.  It was a 2012 production out of Toronto that, in addition to being staged, was also streamed on demand on the Internet.  The actors were not paid for the performance; rather it was a labor of love for them.  Although the production (and VOD) had ended well before I took up this blogging mantle, I was able to view the performance through the good graces of the cast and producers.  (Thanks, Kyle!)

The version of Hamlet presented here is a much different take from any I have seen.  The story takes place in the year 2080.  The set, as much as I could see from the VOD production, is minimal, although not nearly as minimalist as other versions.  There is certainly a futuristic feel to it.  The costumes are of a modern persuasion as well, with Hamlet often in a sleeveless garment and Claudius in a military-esque suit.

As is typical, the script is edited to fit in a shorter running time, here roughly two hours.  The editing did not feel obvious or overdone.  Fortinbras does not appear.  The first scene with the players is reduced.  The gravedigger's scene is shorter, as is Osric's scene with Hamlet and Horatio.  Some of Hamlet's speeches were shortened.  That aside, though, there is still plenty of material left for the cast to perform.

There were many novelties with this production that caused it to stand out.  Hamlet refers to "our philosophy" when speaking with Horatio (I, v), a subtlety which emphasizes their relationship.  Rosencrantz and Guildenstern appear in an entirely new and grotesque conception--as a horribly mutated set of conjoined twins with a Germanic accent.  The ghost appears wearing a gas mask.  As in the NY Classical Theatre production that I described in a previous post, the ghost has the ability to control Hamlet's movements, causing jerky physical maneuvering reminiscent of a demonic possession.  The "players" are actually puppets, and The Murder of Gonzago is played as a twisted puppet play on a video screen.  The letters that Hamlet sends to Horatio and Claudius are actually video messages a la Skype.  Hamlet's confrontation with Gertrude nearly results in her death at his hands.  A confrontation between Gertrude and Ophelia does result in the latter's death, after Ophelia is stabbed by Gertrude.  Rosencrantz and Guildenstern need not wait for England to kill them; Hamlet takes care of that with a hunting knife on the boat ride.  The gravedigger, upon un-boxing (no digging here) Yorick's skull, removes a nail from the skull's nasal cavity and inserts it into his own.  Instead of interring Ophelia's body, she had been cremated (perhaps to conceal Gertrude's crime?).  Her ashes become a major issue as they are spilled on the stage and subsequently smeared by Hamlet on his own face instead of climbing into her grave.

The climax of the play represented a completely new take on the duel between Hamlet and Laertes.  This is no ordinary sword fight, but rather a new sport that the producers and cast call "Blood Falls."  It's an aerial version of a sword fight that takes place above the stage.  This required what had to be the most athletic Hamlet and Laertes that I have seen, as the scene demanded actual hanging above the stage while fighting and reciting lines.  It was an impressive sight.  Hamlet's final confrontation with Claudius was a much longer sword fight than the typical quick stabbing.

All in all, this was a very interesting adaptation of Hamlet.  Although the production has ended, the website is still active (as of this typing), and the Blog section presents some insight into the production.  It is worth checking out if the post above intrigues you at all.