One of the cool things about classic works, particularly Shakespeare, is they are old enough and have been interpreted so many different ways over the years that they give a lot of freedom for a theatre company to experiment with. For example, on Saturday I saw the 4th version of Hamlet I’ve seen on stage and film this year, and they all have been very different (Lion King Jr, at Utah Shakes, and a film version with Riz Ahmed are the other 3.) The latest Hamlet is being put on by the new-to-me Co-Lab Theater Company and its unique spin is they perform without a director.

That’s not to say that the play feels direction-less because it doesn’t. Basically the idea behind the company is the entire ensemble works together to direct the show- a true collaboration hence the name of the company. One might assume this will make the show feel fractured with confused ideas but that’s not the case. It felt like there was a singular vision and if they hadn’t told me there was no director I wouldn’t have known.

For some reason I always think of Hamlet as a younger character (maybe because a lot of his choices seem immature) but that’s actually not true to the text. The Gravedigger even says that the day of Hamlet’s birth was 30 years ago. And if you think about it 30 makes a lot of sense. Even today that’s the age when most of the promises of adulthood have been sanded down and we are all more of realists than we might have been at say 20. David Thulin captures this disenchantment of Hamlet quite well. It almost feels like a mid-life crisis version of the character, which as a truly middle-aged woman I appreciate. My favorite part of his performance was his connection with the audience. One of the benefits of being in a black box style space is the intimacy the performer can have with the audience and Thulin seems to understand this. There are multiple times he makes direct eye contact with the audience, which is very effective- especially when delivering these famous monologues and soliloquies.

I also appreciate how Hannah Hacking-Brown started her Ophelia with a little bit of a snark and cynicism to her line readings which made her transformation to manic pixie dream flower girl all the more shocking. I didn’t like when Utah Shakes cast a woman in the role of Horatio but here Anna Owens gives an androgynous nature to her performance so it was never distracting as a potential love interest for Hamlet like I felt at Utah Shakes.

They have modernized the setting for Hamlet moving it to turn-of-the-century Denmark This gives a little bit of a steampunk feel to the goings-on, and I’d be curious to see someone go full scale with a steampunk Hamlet. Somebody should try that some time. I do wish they could get the room darker because often the screens and projections are murky and hard to decipher due to the glare of the lighting. They can also keep working on transitions as some feel a little stretched out. I also felt the Polonius wig and beard was over-the-top and felt more like Dumbledore cosplay than Polonius.

This performance of Hamlet is free to the public at the Hive Collaborative and donations are requested for the efforts. Much like the recent Romeo and Juliet in the park, I love when a community has a chance to experience theatre at minimal costs. This is a great opportunity to introduce young people to great shows like Hamlet, and the performance by Co-Lab is well worthy of your time. I’m certainly glad I saw it and look forward to what they do next. There is one more chance to see it tomorrow night and reservations can be made here.

Hamlet is Shakespeare’s 22nd play written in between 2 comedies Twelfth Night and The Merry Wives of Windsor around 1600 although there is some debate amongst scholars about the actual date of the first production. It is widely considered to be the greatest play ever written in the English language.

I need your help!  If you enjoy my writing and would like me to review your production I’d love to. I also have a patreon which is a great way to support my shorter logs for shows I don’t get to review. I have some really fun perks like bonus episodes, patron polls and monthly Q&As with actors, directors and writers. Please take a look  here.