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| ABOUT TRaC |
MultiTRaC Fall 2003
Victory at the New Victory Theater If a person had been slouching as the lights dimmed in the New Victory Theater, he was sitting straight up as Shakespeare's famed Hamlet began. The performance immediately set the bar very high for itself as to its ability to keep the audience involved at all times. While the actors danced around the stage frantically discussing the prospect of a ghost, the audience had the opportunity to be haunted along with them. And so began the weaving of the thread that tied the audience to the actors until the very end of Hamlet's heart-wrenching journey. Steven Epp (Hamlet) put on a stunning performance. He portrayed Hamlet's internal agony in such a way that the audience could feel their insides churn when he whimpered a piece of truth or hit himself in rage or pain. Epps was missed during the scenes in which Hamlet was not onstage. His interaction with the character of Horatio, played by Jason Lambert, was especially impressive. These two actors made the tight bond between the two young men seem believable and natural. Horatio's protective nature emerged throughout Lambert's performance, and his display of loyalty towards Hamlet was heart-warming amidst the coldness of the tragedy. Luverne Seifert (Polonius) was so nagging and loud at times that the audience was able to relate to the feelings of his children. Stephen Cartmell (Laertes) was undoubtedly more effective when while experiencing grief and similarly, Sarah Agnew (Ophelia) became more effective when she was meant to be insane. Vincent Gracieux (Claudius) showed the audience his evil side before the audience knew that he had one. Barbara Berlovitz (Gertrude) played the role of the newly remarried queen effectively, although her interaction with Hamlet left something to be desired. This desire, however, had nothing to do with the actress's good skill; it was all about the bad after-taste that the audience is supposed to have as they are forced to chew on the motherly role that Gertrude didn't play to Hamlet's satisfaction. Visually, the play was a success. Subtle stage tricks caused the audience to feel things without being completely aware of them. When the ghost was speaking intensely, even the curtains were moving back and forth. The masked figures used red and black pieces of cloth to hold Claudius and Gertrude away from each other, and Hamlet was draped in cloth of the same color at different times in the play. Having the masked figures themselves aiding the process of unraveling the plot was a powerful and logical choice. When Claudius was off-stage or removed from the action, the actors wore white, symbolizing the lack of evil in the vicinity. The bell that was constantly used by Polonius came to be his icon, and the bell that was once annoying came to make the audience feel sad after Polonius "took his leave." The use of drums during the fight scene added to the suspense, even more so because Hamlet himself was banging the drums onstage. Certain words or phrases were emphasized with clapping, and the word SWEAR was repeated by a deep, haunting voice from somewhere off-stage each time it was employed. The director, Paddy Hayter, obviously wasted no opportunity to have his cast infuse the Bard's words with emotion. Every aspect of Theatre De La Jeune Lune's production of Hamlet at the New Victory Theater was impressive; even those with no background on Shakespeare can appreciate his words coming from the mouths of actors with such skill. The audience was right there writhing on the ground with Hamlet as he drowned in his "sea of troubles" and floated on his dilemma. The explosive ending to this powerful performance will undoubtedly leave you feeling complete, but the impact it has may also haunt you. You were warned!
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