Anyone who attended high school in Rhode Island is familiar with Hamlet. It's required reading. Legions of schoolkids have toiled with translating "To be, or not to be..." into their own verson of modern English and tried to make sense of a moody ghost-seeing prince set on revenge. But Hamlet, first and foremost, is a play, intended for an audience to experience rather than something to ponder on the page. Through the remainder of February, Trinity Rep provides Providence with that experience with their presenation of Hamlet.

Trinity's never done Hamlet before. Brian McEleny directed this version without velvet capes and tights; instead, it's modernized to the early 20th century in set and costume design. The dialog is so close to the original that with only one exception, I couldn't spot any significant changes without referring to my copy of Hamlet at home. But then, I'm not a Shakespeare scholar. That one exception is that Polonius was changed from an officious male chamberlin to a verbose female housekeeper, forcing changes to other's lines when referring to him... woops... her.

Janice Duclos, who plays Polonius, does an excellent job, pushing her lines well into the realm of comic relief. To do this required her to be careful with her timing, with tiny pauses to put extra attention on the puns and double meanings. This slower, more deliberate delivery wasn't the norm for the rest of the play.

The majority of dialog was delivered quickly, jumping rapidly from one character's lines to the next, even when Polonius complains that Hamlet was taking too long to think up his apparently mad responses to questions, making her think that there might be "method to his madness". The scenes jumped just as quickly, with no indication that time passed between them, often leaving confusion about what might have occurred in that instant.

I fully believe that the director Brian McEleney had the performance run this way on purpose, a very good one, that I just can't figure out. Maybe it's because he wanted to keep things moving fast for a modern audience, maybe he assumed that everyone knew Hamlet inside and out and didn't need extra time to ponder the words, or maybe he believes that a clipped delivery like this was closer to what Shakespeare might have done in the Globe Theater way back when. It bothered me, but not so much that I couldn't keep up.

McEleney did one very remarkable thing... While the dialog is held sacred by Shakespeare purists, there was only minimal stage direction in the original folios. This let McEleney take lines and break them up, change the delivery of each section, and create unexpected meanings to the familiar dialog -- all without breaking the unstated "true to the bard" agreement that Shakespearian productions are held to.

He also added stage direction, like the comic switching of hats between the gravediggers that happened entirely without dialog. Again, not touching the dialog, but still adding an extra layer of humor to the comic relief.

The rest of the production flowed well, with extra credit for an elegantly simple set change from the castle interior to the snowy fields outside using a huge white drape. Rama Marshall, new to the Trinity Reporatory company cast, will probably become a permanent addition based on his effective performance in the dual minor roles of Gildenstern and a gravedigger.

In all, the play was accessable to a modern audience and enjoyable. If you haven't seen Hamlet in a live production, this is your chance to discover Hamlet for yourself.

From this point on down is information provided directly by Trinity Rep and by Wikipedia...

Helming the production is director and company actor Brian McEleney, who was seen as Richard II in last season's Henriad. McEleney's directing credits include The Beauty Queen of Leenane, Stones in His Pockets, and Dinner With Friends and is the head of the Brown/Trinity consortium's MFA program in acting. The cast is led by Trinity Rep Company member Stephen Thorne, recently seen as Prince Hal in The Henriad in the pivotal role of Hamlet. Longtime company member Fred Sullivan, Jr. (The Merry Wives of Windsor; The Henriad) appears as the ghost of his late father; Cynthia Strickland (Suddenly Last Summer; The Beauty Queen of Leenane) as his mother Queen Gertrude; Timothy Crowe (The Henriad; Macbeth) in the role of his stepfather Claudius; Joe Wilson, Jr. (Topdog/Underdog) as Horatio; Janice Duclos (Moon for the Misbegotten) as Polonius; Rachael Warren (The Mystery of Edwin Drood; The Henriad) as Ophelia and William Damkoehler (The Mystery of Edwin Drood, The Henriad) as The Lead Player. Rounding out the cast are three Brown/Trinity Rep consortium students, Justin Blanchard as Laertes, Louis Changchien in the role of Rosencrantz and Rama Marshall as Guildenstern.

When asked about the play's timeless appeal, director McEleney states, "Shakespeare took a popular genre - the revenge drama - and turned it inside out by examining the human questions it poses. What do we do about evil? Hamlet is overwhelmed by a world that operates without justice or reason, in which violent actions have unintended, unimaginable consequences."

McEleney and his design team have created a lush 1930's setting for the production and placed it in the world of a European manor house. "The social context is a glamorous, corrupt world on the edge of extinction," McEleney explains of the choice, "a world of strict class structures, incredible wealth and privilege, designed for elaborate parties with musical, athletic and theatrical entertainments." The artistic team includes Tristan Jeffers (Set Designer), William Lane (Costume Designer), Brian J. Lilienthal (Lighting Designer) and Peter Sasha Hurowitz (Sound Designer).

Hamlet is made possible in part by the generous sponsorship of by The Gould Charitable Trust, The Helen G. Hauben Foundation and The National Endowment for the Arts. Trinity Rep's 42nd season is sponsored by NBC 10, with supporting sponsors Rhode Island Monthly, RIPTA, and RISCA.

Beginning with Hamlet, Trinity Rep audiences are invited to join in twenty-minute discussions after every performance. The talk-backs will be moderated by Curt Columbus, who becomes artistic director in January. Wide-ranging topics include the play and its context; political, social or literary themes; and elements of the production. The talk-backs are one of Curt Columbus' first initiatives as artistic director. "The theater experience doesn't end when the curtain comes down," he says. "The theater is one of the few places where large groups of us can share an experience, and then share a conversation about it."

Regular ticket prices for Trinity Rep's 42nd Season are $25 for previews, $40 weekdays and $50 weekends. A wide range of discounted tickets are available including $15 rush tickets on sale two hours prior to curtain. Also new this year is a $20 discounted admission for all educators, military, firefighters & police (valid ID required) and $15 student tickets (valid ID required). Performances start at 7:00 pm on Sundays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and at 8:00 pm on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays. Preview performances for Hamlet are only $25, January 27 - January 31. The first performance on January 27 at 8:00 pm is Pay What You Can (PWYC) sponsored by The Rhode Island Lottery. PWYC tickets go on sale in the front lobby at 7:00 pm, limit one per person.

DETAILS AT-A-GLANCE

Hamlet by William Shakespeare January 27 - February 26 in the Chace Theater

Director: Brian McEleney Set Design Tristan Jeffers Lighting Design Brian J. Lilienthal Sound Design Peter Sasha Hurowitz Costume Design William Lane Stage Manager Barbara Reo

Cast: Company members Joe Wilson, Jr., Timothy Crowe, William Damkoehler, Janice Duclos, Cynthia Strickland, Fred Sullivan, Jr., Stephen Thorne, Rachael Warren, with Brown /Trinity Rep Consortium students Justin Blanchard, Louis Changchien and Rama Marshall.

Sponsor The Gould Charitable Trust, The Helen G. Hauben Foundation and The National Endowment for the Arts

College Night February 16 at 8pm (6:30pm pre-show reception in lobby)

Humanities Rep Discussion Saturday February 25 post 2pm performance discussion. ASL-interpreted Sunday February 26 at 2PM

Box Office (401) 351-4242 201 Washington Street, Providence, RI 02903 Regular Ticket Prices $25 previews, $40 Weekdays, $50 Weekends Discounted Ticket Prices $15 Rush tickets, 2 hours prior to showtime. $20 educators, military, firefighters & police (valid ID required) $15 Student tickets (valid ID required) $10 Bench Seats - Last row of Chace Theater 10% Senior discount (valid ID required)

Hamlet Performance Schedule

Wednesday February 1 7:00pm Thursday February 2 7:00pm Friday February 3 8:00pm Saturday February 4 2:00pm & 8:00pm Sunday February 5 2:00pm Tuesday February 7 7:00pm Wednesday February 8 7:00pm Thursday February 9 8:00pm Friday February 10 8:00pm Saturday February 11 8:00pm Sunday February 12 2:00pm & 7:00pm Tuesday February 14 7:00pm Wednesday February 15 7:00pm Thursday February 16 8:00pm College Night Friday February 17 8:00pm Saturday February 18 8:00pm Sunday February 19 7:00pm Tuesday February 21 7:00pm Wednesday February 22 2:00pm Thursday February 23 8:00pm Friday February 24 8:00pm Saturday February 25 2:00pm Humanities Rep & 8:00pm Sunday February 26 2:00pm ASL/Trinity101 & 7:00pm

Character Synopsis

Prince Hamlet, the title character, is the son of the late King of Denmark, who was also named Hamlet. He is a student at a school in Wittenberg. He is charged by the ghost of his father to avenge his murder, which he finally succeeds in doing, but only after the rest of the royal house has been wiped out and he himself has been mortally wounded with a poisoned rapier by Laertes at the end of the play.

Claudius is the current King of Denmark, Hamlet's uncle, who succeeded to the throne upon the death of his brother. The ghost of King Hamlet tells Prince Hamlet that he was murdered by brother Claudius, who poured hebenon in his ear while he was asleep. Claudius is killed with a poisoned rapier by Hamlet who also forces him to drink the wine which Claudius actually had intended to poison Hamlet with at the end of the play.

King Hamlet (referred to in the stage directions as Ghost) was Hamlet's father. At the start of the play, it has not been long since his death. He appears to Hamlet as a ghost and urges him to avenge him and tells him he himself, King Hamlet was killed by Claudius with a poison emptied into one of his ears by Claudius. Hamlet questions the his contention that the spirit really is the ghost of King Hamlet or whether it is a malicious demon in disguise. He cannot find a definitive answer.

Gertrude is Hamlet's mother, now a widow because of King Hamlet's death, remarries shortly after his death the brother of the former King, Claudius, a relationship considered incestuous by Hamlet and in Shakespeare's time. She dies by accidentally drinking poisoned wine intended for Hamlet at the end of the play.

Polonius is Claudius's chief councillor, who is distrustful of Hamlet's relationship with Ophelia, his own daughter, because she is a social inferior to him. He fears Hamlet will only take her viginity and won't marry her, a situation which would compromise his status at court. So he forbids her from having a relationship with him. Daughters in those days had to obey their fathers no matter what the demand. He is a fatuous bore, and Hamlet frequently teases him while pretending to be mentally unbalanced. He is fatally stabbed by Hamlet, who mistakes him for Claudius, when he hid himself behind an arras while trying to eavesdrop on a conversation between Hamlet and his mother.

Laertes is Polonius's son, who deeply cares for Ophelia, his sister, and spends much of the play in France. In the end, appalled by Hamlet's role in his sister's death, he works with Claudius to rig a dueling contest. In this contest, he kills Hamlet with a poisoned rapier to avenge the deaths of Polonius and Ophelia. Hamlet kills him with the same rapier, although at the time Hamlet did not realise it was poisoned.

Ophelia is Polonius' daughter. She and Hamlet have had romantic feelings for each other, although they (at least implicitly) have been warned that it would be politically inexpedient for them to marry. Jilted by Hamlet as part of his insanity ruse, her father's death causes her to go insane, and she drowns in a brook.

Horatio is a friend of Hamlet's from university. He is not directly involved in the intrigue among the royals, which enables the author to use him as a foil or sounding board for Hamlet. Hamlet commissions him to name Fortinbras King of Denmark after the King's, the Queen's and his own's death. He is the most important character alive at the end of the play, as his threats to commit suicide are dismissed by Hamlet before he dies so that he can tell Hamlet's story and that of the court to posterity after his death.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are old school-fellows of Hamlet, who were summoned to the castle by Claudius to keep a watch on Hamlet. Hamlet soon suspects that they are spies. They die off-stage in England, executed by the King's warrant for Hamlet's death which was altered by Hamlet to name them.

Fortinbras is the Norwegian crown prince. He is the son of King Fortinbras, who was killed in battle by Hamlet's father, and thus has vengeance on his mind.

Plot Summary

The play is about the revenge of Prince Hamlet, whose father, the late King of Denmark, victor over the sled-riding Polish army, died suddenly while Hamlet was away from home at Wittenberg university. Prior to the opening of the play, the King's brother Claudius had himself proclaimed king, and cemented his claim to the throne by marrying Hamlet's mother Gertrude, the widowed Queen.

The play opens on the battlements of Elsinore Castle, seat of the Danish monarchy, where a group of sentries is terrified by the sight of the ghost of the recently deceased King Hamlet. Hamlet's friend Horatio joins the soldiers on their watch and when the ghost appears, bids it to speak. They are aware it has some message to deliver, but it vanishes without saying anything to them.

The next day, the Danish court meets to celebrate the wedding of Claudius and Gertrude. The new King urges Hamlet not to persist in his grief. When he is alone again, Hamlet expresses his anger at the accession of his uncle Claudius to the throne and his mother's hasty remarriage. Horatio and the guards come to the scene and tell him of the appearance of the ghost of his father. Hamlet is determined to investigate this.

Joining Horatio on the watch on the battlements that night, just when Hamlet is delivering a speech censuring the Danes for their drunkenness on certain occasions, the ghost appears again. It beckons him to come along with him so they can enjoy a bit privacy and reveals to him a fearful secret: his father was indeed murdered. He was poisoned through the ear by Claudius, and the Ghost commands Hamlet to avenge him. Shocked by this discovery, Hamlet returns to Horatio and the sentries, and made them swear an oath not to reveal details of the night's events to anyone.

Hamlet is unsure whether the ghost he has seen is really his father, and suspects that it might be the devil taking his father's appearance in order to take his soul to hell. He therefore sets out to test the king's conscience through putting on an "antic disposition" (acting insane), in the hope that his behavior might tell the truth, or otherwise acquire the opportunity to put an end to Claudius.

Hamlet now feigns insanity to be able to convict Claudius of murder and treason, and takes a special delight in making a fool of Polonius, the king's Polish-born councillor. Polonius, convinced of Hamlet's act, is certain that Hamlet's madness stems from his unrequited love to his daughter Ophelia. He forbade his daughter any kind of relationship with Hamlet. So he now fears for his status at court and offers his services to the King in this matter in an attempt to redeem himself before the King of any guilt. Namely, he wants to find out the reason of Hamlet's mad behavior for the King by staging a meeting between Hamlet and Ophelia on which Polonius and Claudius will spy upon. Claudius, perhaps suspecting Hamlet's ruse, also asks Hamlet's schoolmates Rosencrantz and Guildenstern to monitor him, but Hamlet does not let his guard down and sees the intention behind his schoolmate's sudden visit. He enlists a company of travelling performers to stage an existing play which he has modified to re-enact the circumstances of his father's murder.

"The play's the thing Wherein I'll catch the conscience of the King." [Act II, scene II]

Midway of the play, Claudius cannot bear to watch, rises and asks for lights. The king's anguished reaction to the performance (which Horatio also notices) convinces Hamlet of his guilt. Shortly afterwards, Claudius arranges for Hamlet to be deported to the Danish territories of England along with Rosencratz and Guildenstern, where he is to be killed upon arrival. Alone, Claudius privately expresses his disgust at what he has done, and offers a prayer of repentance. Hamlet discovers Claudius at prayer and prepares to kill him, but then stops, reasoning that he does not want his revenge to have the result of sending the repentant Claudius to Heaven. Ironically, after Hamlet slips away, Claudius concludes that he is unable to repent in his current state of mind; thus, if Hamlet had not attempted to arrogate to himself the destiny of Claudius's soul, rather than just his life, he would have gotten the ultimate justice he sought. By trying to go beyond the ghost's orders, he has doomed his efforts to failure.

Hamlet confronts his mother about the murder of his father and her sexual relations with her new husband, and during their conversation, he stabs Polonius, who has been hiding behind a tapestry eavesdropping on their conversation, thinking it may have been Claudius. Unrepentant of his crime, he continues to admonish his mother. King Hamlet's ghost makes a reappearance to rebuke Hamlet. Hamlet's mother cannot see the ghost, and sees him conversing with it, she is convinced that her son has really gone mad.

Claudius, who has figured out Hamlet's real motivation, sends Hamlet to England, supposedly for his safety, but accompanied by a sealed letter to the English ordering his death. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are sent along to ensure the orders are carried out. On the way to England, Hamlet's ship is attacked by pirates, who take Hamlet prisoner but then return him to Denmark.

Meanwhile, Ophelia loses her sanity, being gravely disturbed by Hamlet's rejection and the death of Polonius. She sings a number of rustic melodies that Shakespeare may have pilfered from the English folk tradition. In what may have been a suicide attempt, she falls into a brook and drowns. Laertes, her brother, returns from overseas, and is hungry to avenge his father's and sister's death.

Hamlet, returning from his voyage, meets Horatio at a graveyard outside Elsinore castle just as Ophelia's funeral cortege arrives there, where a gravedigger (jester/clown) is digging. Hamlet finds the skull of Yorick (see skull as a symbol), an old jester to the court who has carried him on his back during his childhood days, and proclaims, "Here hung those lips that I have kissed I know not how oft." As Hamlet broods on mortality, the cortege arrives with the King, Queen and Laertes. Hamlet becomes so distraught to learn of Ophelia's death that he leaps into the open grave and grapples with Laertes.

When Laertes and Claudius learn of the fact of Hamlet not being dead and having returned, they scheme to kill Hamlet with the intention of making the death look like an accident. To this end, Claudius instructs Laertes to challenge Hamlet to a fencing match. In order to encourage Hamlet to accept, Claudius lays stakes on the match which are very disfavorable to himself. Unknownst to Hamlet, Laertes will be fighting with a sharpened and poisoned foil, instead of the customary bated blade. In addition, Claudius prepares some poisoned wine for Hamlet to drink as a toast, just in case Laertes is unable to hit him.

While waiting for the match to begin, Hamlet and Horatio jest with the diffirent fop Osric. At the match Hamlet wins the first two rounds, and Gertrude drinks some of the wine to have a toast on him, unaware that it is poisoned. Hamlet is hit with the sword and fatally injured and poisoned, but in the ensuing brawl, he swaps blades with Laertes, and deals a deep wound to Laertes with the poisoned sword as well. The Queen dies from the wine, and warns Hamlet that the drink is poisoned. With his dying breath, Leartes also confesses the whole plot to Hamlet. Enraged, Hamlet kills Claudius with the poisoned weapon, forcing him also to drink the poisoned wine, at last avenging his father's death.

Horatio, horrified at the turn of events, seizes the poisoned wine and proposes to join his friend in death, but Hamlet wrests the cup away from him. He orders him to tell his story to the world to restore Hamlet's good name. Hamlet also recommends that the Norwegian prince, Fortinbras, be chosen as the successor to the Danish throne. Hamlet dies, and Horatio mourns his passing:

"Now cracks a noble heart: Good night sweet prince: And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest!" [Act V, scene II]

Fortinbras enters with English ambassadors. Shocked by the carnage, he orders a military funeral for Hamlet, whilst Horatio offers to relate the whole tale to him and the public.

Since its founding in 1964, Trinity Repertory Company has been one of the most respected regional theaters in the country. Led by executive director Edgar Dobie and acting artistic director Amanda Dehnert, featuring an acclaimed resident acting company, Trinity Rep presents a balance of world premiere, contemporary, and classic works, including seven subscription productions, an annual production of A Christmas Carol, and the Trinity Summer Shakespeare Project, for an estimated annual audience of nearly 160,000. In its 41-year history, the theater has presented nearly 50 world premieres, mounted national and international tours, and, through its graduate-level theater arts conservatory, trained hundreds of new actors and directors. Trinity Rep's 42nd season continues with Indoor/Outdoor by Kenny Finkle; Rhode Island: Untitled; and Cyrano by Edmund Rostand. For more information, call the box office at (401) 351-4242 or visit Trinity Rep's website at www.trinityrep.com.

About the author, Paul Pence: Not a life-long Rhode Islander, Paul got to Rhode Island as fast as he could. He has 25 years of writing experience and numerous publication credits including the Providence Journal, the East Greenwich Magazine, Weissmann Travel Reports, Travel Lady Magazine, Jackhammer, Your Skin and Sun, TravelNotes, TexWoman, and many others.

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