Too Much Theater: "Hamlet" at Shotgun Players (Again!)

This is kind of an update to my earlier post on Shotgun's "Hamlet." We went again last night, which was the start of the second tranche of "Hamlet" in repertory, and my seventh time seeing this production.

Two things stand out about this performance:

I finally enticed some old friends who live over on the peninsula to venture back to Berkeley (not that hard, as we met when we were all students at Cal; it's just been tricky coordinating schedules). We'd long-since established that we all like theater a lot, and the same sorts of theater, so it was just a joy getting caught up, comparing notes on shows, and of course, seeing "Hamlet" with some first-timers. Favorite observation: El was a "bratty" Hamlet last night.
In my seventh viewing, I got to see my seventh different actor playing Hamlet. That is a truly unlikely occurrence, but it happened. Another friend was there for her seventeenth time, also seeking to complete her set of seven Hamlets. Lucky for her, we both lacked the same final actor, and the casting draw worked out for us: El Beh was Hamlet opposite David Sinaiko's Ophelia, Cathleen Riddley's Claudius, and Nick Medina's Gertrude.

Interesting Contrasts

It was fun sitting again with people seeing this production for the first time. I'm always a little nervous about it, because this is a different version of "Hamlet," for reasons I've gone into before. Suffice it to say my friends got what the play was doing, and really appreciated it. To the point that they plan to come back with their teen daughters.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, my friend on viewing seventeen mentioned that she had noticed something in the script that she'd missed entirely before. There are really no surprises in the text, but it's possible that a slightly different emphasis or intonation caused her to hear one of Horatio's lines a bit differently in an early scene, which colored her view of later events.

These to me represent two of the real strengths of this "Hamlet": on one hand, the stripped-down script and staging really bring into focus some key interactions of the main characters. And the ever-shifting casting means that not only will you often see different actors in different roles each time, but even when you see an actor repeat a role, it will be different because they will likely be playing opposite someone quite different than before.

And finally, because the production invites (and for some of us, obviously, demands) repeated viewing, we are rewarded for returning with a new play, new insights, and a really terrific experience.

The Full Set

I've been feeling a little like I'm collecting trading cards this season, trying to get my full set of Hamlets. And now I've seen them all, once each. It really is quite remarkable how each Hamlet, being a little different, sets a different tone, perhaps a different pace, and sometimes they are just a different personality. Witness my friend's observation that El Beh's Hamlet was a brat at times. I'm thinking it would be an interesting exercise to try to sum up each of the actor's portrayals in a single word. And then see whether that is consistent across multiple performances by the same actor.

The Repertory Effect

Somewhere I'm sure I have mentioned that Shotgun is doing this season, their 25th, in repertory. So in addition to these seven actors having to know and perform all seven parts in this version of "Hamlet," they are also learning, rehearsing, and performing at least one or two other shows as the season goes on. Eventually, five shows will be running in repertory for the last couple of months of the season.

I think I'm starting to see the repertory season take its toll on some of the actors. The season's third show, "Grand Concourse" (which I haven't yet seen) has opened already, and the fourth, "Caught," is in rehearsals now. So for example, Kevin Clarke (last night's excellent Ghost/Gravedigger) also has large roles in both "Village Bike" and "Grand Concourse," so he has a lot to do, every night of the week. And Cathleen has the lead role in "Grand Concourse," which I think might have tapped some of her energy from playing Claudius last night.

None of this is dire, but when you see these folks fairly often, you can sometimes see where reality is impacting. I am in awe of actors in general for all they can do, and the seven who have undertaken this roulette-cast "Hamlet" have my undying admiration. The fact that they are also successfully managing other roles and switching among plays as well as roles...it just boggles my mind.