Following an intensely spirited presidential election, community theatre in Madison is producing a play that entertains with a drama and poignancy that is all too familiar in this political climate.
Director Jeff Knupp and producer Karen Saari have teamed up with Strollers Theatre at the Bartell Theatre to create a performance of William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.” Knupp deems it a purposeful project meant to inspire and entertain the audience while attempting to avoid overly complicating or psychoanalyzing the plot of one of Shakespeare’s most important tragedies.
“I would rather people come and just enjoy it rather than enter into a specific journey into psychology,” Knupp said. “It’s a play that people can come and see the panorama of the set, costumes and sound design.”
By choosing not to modernize the play but instead create a dazzling array of period costumes and beautiful Shakespearean language, “Hamlet” is intended to provide viewers with a production true to the original Elizabethan production.
“We wanted to do it the way the people might have seen it the first time that people would have seen it,” Knupp said.
Along with this notion of making the play true to a Shakespearean experience, Knupp emphasized that Shakespeare is not something to be afraid of: “The great thing about Shakespeare is that it’s meant to be seen and heard at the same time.”
He also cautioned against the English or theater major’s tendency to scrutinize every detail, and he advised theatergoers to simply enjoy the powerful effect of the epic text performed in real life. Highlights of the show are sure to include judicious, intelligent cuts to make the play shorter but still cohesive, very physical acting performances effectively engaging the most ambivalent audience member, and action-packed choreography culminating in a monumental, thoughtfully staged sword fight between the brooding Hamlet and Ophelia’s brother, Laertes.
If the skeptical theatergoer is concerned about this tragedy being too tall a project for community theater, producer Saari said, “We’re very fortunate to have an amazing pool of local talent in Madison. This truly is a local all-star cast. Strollers has a number of incredibly talented participants both on and off stage who are also incredibly giving. From Jeff as a director, to the designers, to the stage manager and in between, everyone has given so much that it’s hard to feel like we’re missing anything by being a community theater. I like to think that as long as we’re professional in conduct and attitude, that’s most important. And the end result is an amazing production.”
Saari further developed this necessity to see the production.
“We sometimes forget just why it’s a classic. It’s a riveting tale of the pursuit of justice … or vengeance, depending on your point of view. It’s also a ghost story, a heartbreaking love story, and the ultimate tragedy,” she said.
What keeps audience members returning to this tragedy is the mystery of how a director will portray Ophelia’s insanity, Hamlet’s potential inactivity, Gertrude’s despicable affair with her husband’s murderer and brother, and the overall exploration of Shakespearean drama at its finest. According to Knupp, however, even people unfamiliar with the play will enjoy themselves at a production designed to be physical and powerful.
“This is not a static show. Certain scenes build to a lot of physicality,” he said, emphasizing an enjoyable theater experience is available to everyone in the Madison area interested in this performance.
While everyone is getting over the craziness of a heated election day, it is important Madisonians and university students recognize the importance of a community production of such magnitude and they venture out to see Strollers Theatre’s “Hamlet.”
“Hamlet” runs Nov. 6 through Nov. 28 at the Bartell Theatre. It is performed Thursday at 7:30 p.m., Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 4 and 8 p.m. General seating tickets are $15.
