By William Shakespeare

Produced by Shakespeare Theatre

Directed by Michael Kahn

Reviewed by Tim Treanor

This lush, gorgeous, thrilling, lucid, hilarious, moving, profound production of Hamlet succeeds because it is illuminated by an observation which is brilliant in its simplicity.

Hamlet is a kid.

Jeffrey Carlson plays theater’s toughest role as if he was a fish on a line, jerking, fighting, gasping for air, flopping back until he is finally landed, exhausted and mortally wounded, in the play’s final scene.  That is to say, he plays it as a twenty year old, suddenly commissioned by the shade of his dead father to avenge the father’s death at the hands of his own brother – who is now Hamlet’s stepfather.  Hamlet is rageful.  Agonized.  Clueless. [Read more...]