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NY Theater: Michael Cumpsty performs a stunning modern "Hamlet"A controlled, intense prince avenges his father in Shakespeare's thrillerBy Lucy KomisarClaudius (Robert Dorfman) is a dandy in a white suit and tie who could easily be mistaken for a Beverly Hills movie mogul/dealmaker sashaying into a trendy big-bucks, small-bites bistro, pasting on a phony grin for the cameras, and then twisting the shiv in the back of the rival he needs to dispatch. Except that in this case, because it is the Classic Stage production of "Hamlet," it is poison in the ear. Dorfman brings a fascinating take to the grinning, slimy regicide King of Denmark; as the play goes on he seems to morph into a ferret.
Only his insensitive behavior to Ophelia (Kellie Overbey) seems inexplicable and out of character. Then does Hamlet appear erratic, out of control. Overbey, draped in black, performs a haunting mad scene, creating an ethereal mood that suggests she is already not of this world. The costumes by Oana Botez-Ban shift from white when characters are in the exuberance of life to black when they are marked by death, or garish red for the players reenacting the crime. Cumpsty, appropriately, is in black pants and shirt and sometimes an overcoat. The colors are echoed in Mark Wendland's white box set, with a red carpet in the center of the stage – and, later, blood dripped onto white tiles as the murdered Polonius is dragged away. The king and queen sit in chairs of red tapestry and gold leaf. Kulick emphasizes a modern naturalism and shifts into the surreal. Ophelia and brother Laertes (Kenzler) carry on like a teen sister and wise older brother. The King plays croquet as he talks to Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Ophelia slips on her father's blood to the floor. The production slices away the Elizabethan elements that might block understanding and instead draws the audience into a story that could easily be set in the present. In doing so, it makes the events the more vivid and shocking. "Hamlet." Written by William Shakespeare. Directed by Brian Kulick. Starring Michael Cumpsty, Robert Dorfman, Herb Foster, Kellie Overbey, Caroline Lagerfelt, Graham Winton, Jon DeVries, Karl Kenzler, Jason Ma. Classic Stage Company, 136 East 13th St. (Third Ave.) Tue-Sat 8pm; Sat 2pm; Sun 3pm. Through Dec. 11, 2005. Running time: 2:45. $45-$50. 212-279-4200. http://www.classicstage.org/hamlet.html by Joan Marcus |
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TM
Determined
to bring him down, in director Brian Kulick's modern version of an historic
thriller, Michael Cumpsty, gives a brilliant and controlled performance as a
strong, intense, clear-headed Hamlet. There's no chance of anyone thinking him
indecisive, let alone crazy. Maybe, crazy like a fox; when he stretches out on
the white tile floor, or paints graffiti on the white paper backdrop, you know
that inside his head he is plotting every move with precision.
Cumpsty
is the spot of energy on which every eye is riveted. He infuses the production
with a sense of impersonal morality, dispensing generosity when it is merited,
and retribution when that is called for, with no expression that he suffers of a
twinge of pain for the pain he inflicts. Does he send Rosencrantz (Jason Ma) and
Guildenstern (Karl Kenzler) to their deaths? They got what they deserved. Does
he humiliate his mother (Caroline Lagerfelt), even throwing her on top of the
corpse of Polonius? Likewise.
