hat theater company hasn’t done “Hamlet?” None. What university program hasn’t done “Hamlet?” None. What high school hasn’t done “Hamlet?” One (my high school). What movie studio hasn’t done “Hamlet?” A few, including Disney, God be thanked [Editor’s note: not counting “The Lion King.”] What could possibly be next? “Hamlet: The Musical,” starring Crispin Glover as Hamlet, Sean Connery as Claudius and Anthony Michael Hall as Ophelia (in drag of course, without his braces). That would be a show. Too bad it hasn’t left Off-Off-Off Broadway (a.k.a. Hollywood).

Fortunately, you don’t have to wait another year for a production of one of Billy Shakespeare’s most famed plays. “Hamlet” will be the season opener for Salt Lake Shakespeare’s sixth summer season. Comprising of the company’s first equity cast (paid actors…seriously), including Jason Bowcutt (Hamlet), Morgan Lund (Claudius), Anne Cullimore Decker (Gertrude), Jan Knightley (Horatio), Emily Sandack (Ophelia), Joel Richards (Laertes) and Jarvis Anderson (Polonius), this show brings a wealth of experience and training to the Babcock stage.

Craig Rich, director of the production, shared a few words concerning the upcoming production.

The RED Interview
“Whenever I come to directing Shakespeare, I am constantly surprised and amazed by how rich the stories are, how fascinating the characters are and how relevant the message is. ‘Hamlet’ is pretty much a play about revenge and what happens when people become obsessed with revenge. And it just seemed to me that what the play was saying seemed very relevant to what was happening in the world right now,” Rich said.

Relevancy only means so much when there is a connection between the audience and actors on the stage. Often, there is an attitude out there that only the intellectual elite can understand the plays of William Shakespeare. The Elizabethan costuming and customs, combined with the difficult language, tend to be a deterrent to the mass audiences. This misnomer is something of a concern for this particular production.
Rich emphasized, "One of the hopes was that we could present Shakespeare in a way that was more accessible to today’s audience.”

The goal of being accessible was somewhat realized with last summer’s production of “A Midsummer’s Night Dream.” Rich pointed out that those who attended the production were not just college students and the usual Babcock Theater regulars—there were a lot of high school and junior high school kids in attendance.

This goal has become a mantra of sorts for the company. Some of the elements that Rich is using to “modernize” the 400-year-old work include costuming, set design, cuts in the script that further emphasize the action and interesting use of the theater space.

All of these elements combine to create a whole new world that most people won’t be used to. But the timeless message and conflict remains: “To thine own self be true.” But to what degree?

Performances for “Hamlet” are June 5 through 22, Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m. with Sunday matinees at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are available through any ArtTix outlet, including Kingsbury Hall. Phone 355-ARTS or 581-7100 or order online at www.arttix.org.
christian@red-mag.com