BWW Reviews: Trebuchet Players' HAMLET is Appealingly Eclectic

I can only imagine that one would be hard pressed to find someone who is not familiar with William Shakespeare's HAMLET. It is often produced in theatres and taught in many classrooms; however, this familiarity with the show doesn't make it any easier to being to life on stage. It is an ambitious undertaking, and not one that most companies would schedule as their second production. Yet, Houston's up and coming Trebuchet Players gleefully took the challenge head on and created a satisfying and eclectic production that springs to life with their unique brand of theatre magic.

Helming the production is Director Kathy Drum and Assistant Director SuzAnne King. First and foremost, I would like to congratulate them on the best and most consistent steam punk visual aesthetic I have seen put on a stage in Houston. Secondly, I would like to thank them for making the bold choice, incorporating a circus-like vibe, and making these design elements successful in their production. As a team, they made choices throughout the entire production that are fabulously interesting; for example, their Queen Gertrude is the most autonomous and strong I've ever seen, the way they played up the voyeurism and surveillance in the production, and their inclusion of music from the wailing of the specters that ushered the ghost to the singing during Ophelia's madness was poignant and stirring. Conversely, I was not pleased with how they rushed Hamlet's descent into madness. He seemingly went from sanity to raving lunatic in the span of one or two scenes.

Serving as Dramaturg, John HawThorne Smith is who I assume is responsible for decisions regarding cuts to the production. The Trebuchet Players are doing a slightly condensed version of the play, and most cuts go unnoticed. The most noticeable omitted scene is Act IV, Scene IV because the audience never sees Hamlet depart Denmark. Likewise, Fortinbras is also removed from the plot. In my opinion, while not essential to the central plot, these cuts simply make the ending feel rushed along in the production.

Inline with the circus-like vibe, one of the most appealing aspects of this production is the cast's almost uniform consistency in the way they approach the characters and how they allow them to materialize on stage. In this production of HAMLET, the staging and acting choices add a layer of performance to the production. As an audience, we feel like we are watching a troupe of players perform HAMLET for us. This idea is first introduced at the top of the show, as a character barks "So shall you hear/Of carnal, bloody, and unnatural acts,/Of accidental judgments, casual slaughters/Of deaths put on by cunning and forced cause." This same line is repeated at the conclusion, bringing the show full circle.

Performing as a true ensemble, the cast worked well together and several standouts were surprising. I greatly appreciated Cheryl Tanner's unconventional approach to Gertrude. Here, Gertrude is unafraid to speak up and raise her voice in defiance, making her a strong willed queen. Furthermore, Clarity Welch's Ophelia is more privy to what's happening all around her than what I am used to seeing. Without the early air of confusion, her madness and suicide take a different toll on the audience as we see the destruction of a woman who was both intelligent and loving, not just a stereotyped damsel figure. Lastly, Sarah Heddins' Laertes is played with a forceful vigor that is simply spellbinding. Even with the more masculine clothing, her Laertes is still obviously played by a woman, but the script is not altered. With masculine pronouns in place and a vibrant female in the role, Sarah Heddins adds a thought-provoking gender confusion to her Laertes that makes her performance all the more enjoyable and memorable.

Additionally, this production of HAMLET titillates audiences by being the most violent I have ever seen, and I mean this in the most positive way possible. Fight Choreography by John Patterson and Parke Andrew Fech is intense and riveting throughout the entirety of the production. From Ophelia being slapped by Hamlet to the climatic sword fight between Laertes and Hamlet, this production is filled with gasp inducing and realistic looking acts of violence that prove powerful in the intimate setting of Obsidian Art Space.

Set Design by Leighza Walker and Kathy Drum and Costume Design by Deborah Blake meld the circus and steam punk aesthetics together well, giving the production a cohesive and unified visual landscape. Nothing looks or feels out of place. This is also reflected in the Properties Design that successfully incorporates foils with muskets and other pieces of antique weaponry.

Walking into Obsidian Art Space and seeing the circus tent curtains and the central ring, I had my doubts about this production of HAMLET. In all honesty, I simply did not see how this aesthetic would work in a production of HAMLET, yet the dizzying madness of a circus tent is made into the perfect home for Hamlet's spiraling insanity in the Trebuchet Player's accomplished production. This HAMLET is one that audiences will remember fondly.

Running Time: Approximately 2 hours and 10 minutes with one intermission.

HAMLET, produced by Trebuchet Players, runs at Obsidian Art Space, 3522 White Oak Drive, Houston, 77007 now through December 14, 2013. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. and Sunday, December 8 at 3:00 p.m. For tickets and more information, please visit http://www.trebuchetplayers.org or call (318) 423-0281.

Photos courtesy of Trebuchet Players.

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