Len Fonte, The Post-Standard (Syracuse)

March 22, 2014

Here’s the thing about “Hamlet.” No matter what interpretation enterprising companies impose on it, the play seems to wrap itself around the outlandishness and shine through in a new and usually interesting way. A case in point is the current Redhouse production of Shakespeare’s tragedy which sets the action in 1980s America. Here the story of the melancholy prince of Denmark moves to the beat of 80’s pop music and wallows in the comforts of in pop culture. Despite the stylistic flourishes, director Stephen Svoboda quickly finds the narrative strength of the play and propels the action forward with clarity. The Redhouse “Hamlet” moves with a confidence that’s hard to ignore.

To be sure, this is an entertaining “Hamlet.” Svoboda and his cast find the laughs that Shakespeare wrote into the play and a few the Bard never dreamed of. Occasionally, the jokes break the carefully constructed tension, but strangely enough, all the laughter pushes the play’s melodramatic line. It also flattens out some of the psychological nuances. Hamlet’s indecision becomes a footnote rather than a tragic force. […continued]

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