Perhaps in order to stand out among Milwaukee's numerous theater companies, relative newcomer Nevermore Theater attempts to make a splash with Shakespeare's most popular play, Hamlet. Thankfully, it succeeds.
The drama is acted out on a bare stage, with as few props as possible. Costumes, too, are suggestive but not linked to a particular historic period. Rather than hinder the audience's imagination, these choices set the audience's imagination free.
Director Michael DiPadova is clearly interested in enunciation -- almost every word comes out clear as a bell. This is of utmost importance when staging a play such as Hamlet, which contains plot elements that are so beautifully intertwined. Joe Faust makes an energetic and handsome Hamlet, the famous brooding Dane. He wears his burden -- as the avenger of his late father's death -- with remarkable aplomb. Foust reminds us that thoughts of his father are never far from Hamlet's mind. They clearly color Hamlet's conversations with his mother, Queen Gertrude (Angela Iannone). She has married her brother-in-law barely two months after her husband's death. Unfortunately, in this version, the Queen is not able to fully vocalize her reasons for doing so.
The script has been trimmed (as it always is; otherwise, Hamlet would run more than six hours). As a result, Iannone is stripped of some of her key lines, so she must speechlessly project her emotions. Iannone is such a lovely, imperious Queen that it's easy to see why a brother-in-law would try to win her affections.
It would be easy to say that the mother-son relationship dominates this production, but that would give short shrift to other notable performers. William Clifford is at his finest as the foolish old Polonius. He strikes exactly the right chord between befuddlement and wisdom. Clifford is particularly engaging as he gives advice to his son and daughter. A successful Polonius manages to elicit sympathy when he is in the wrong place at the wrong time. Clifford pulls this off, although his demise is leavened by a humorous exit.
Actor Drew Brhel makes a fine Claudius. However, Brhel is so jovial and sympathetic at the beginning of the play that his dark transformation in later scenes seems suspect. The only character that fails to meet the mark is Kelley Ristow as Ophelia. The fault here belongs to miscasting and poor costume choices. The ethereal, waifish Ophelia (who is often portrayed as a 1960s "love child") cannot escape the boundaries of her rigid portrayal. Although the production's minimal costumes are not offensive in most cases, it is glaringly wrong in this particular case. Dressed in a simple, narrow-waisted gown and with hair neatly pinned, poor Ophelia seems to have wandered in from a production of "Little Women." Like the rest of the cast, however, Ristow conquers Shakespeare's classical language.
The love between Hamlet and Ophelia is all but lost in this production, which focuses on the scheming nature of those around them. It culminates in a breathtaking duel that begins between Hamlet and Ophelia's brother, Laertes. Actor Nicholas Harazin, as Laertes, tackles a tough role with impressive clarity. Laertes must quickly go through a range of emotions as he returns to Denmark after a long absence to find his father killed and his sister demented. The duel scene is a production highlight. Both Foust and Harazin are convincing during the realistic sword play. In this case, it was exactly right to cast young, athletic actors in these roles.
On a final note, it is refreshing to see Shakespeare's marvelous language spoken with the respect it deserves. This reviewer recalls other productions in which the major speeches, including "To be, or not to be" were basically mumbled, as if the character was speaking only to himself. Although this may be true, it comes at the audience's expense. Never fear: this Nevermore production allows each syllable its due.
