Condoms and Guns join HamletPark Square Theatre ushers “Hamlet” forward in time.

Rapiers, messengers, and candles are the usual fodder for a Shakespeare era play, yet at Park Square Theatre’s “Hamlet,” video screens flash Hamlet’s monologuing face, Ophelia snatches a sheaf of condoms from Laertes suitcase, and Horatio wields a rifle. The production takes the royal family forward in time, but with the same classic storyline.

 

With an inventively simple stage design, “Hamlet” welcomes theatregoers to stare down at a cube-shaped formation in the center of the stage and wonder what it really was. The only other permanent set piece is a chandelier hanging to the left. It’s a bare stage, but it leaves room for a hearty attempt at a classic that coaxes out the humor sometimes lost in Shakespeare’s words.

 

With perfect measure, the cast of Park Square Theatre dollops emphasis across Shakespeare’s words to bring to life a sassy Ophelia and a sarcastic Hamlet, while Hamlet’s madness sometimes crossed into something melodramatic.

 

Audience members received the humor well, often filling the seating area with guffaws, yet for a tragedy, the laughter may have been disproportionate.

 

For many, the work of the actors in tone, emphasis and delivery brings out clarity from a difficult text, but for an avid fan some artistic choices broke needlessly from the original. In particular, the delivery of “To Be or Not to Be” in the middle of the play scene seems almost blasphemous.

 

Yet, a gut reaction of distaste gave way into one of annotated appreciation as the characters in the cast bring out nuances in the play that it took several passes to pull out from reading it. In particular, Ophelia (Maeve Coleen Moynihan) and Polonia (Tinne Rosenmeier) deliver their lines to elevate the humor within handily.

 

As for the lead, Hamlet (Kory LaQuess Pullam), shines in the moments of biting wit where his act at madness leans towards purposeful, rather than maniacal and the lines are delivered with a calculated punch.

For one who’s never laughed at Shakespeare, Park Square Theatre’s take of Hamlet is their chance to. For those interested, the show runs from October 13 to November 11.

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