Hartford Stage, Hartford, CT
through November 16, 2014
by Phil O’Donoghue
In the Hartford Stage production of Hamlet there is a moment
in Act III when Hamlet is giving the Players advice before their Court
performance. He beseeches the troupe to, “…suit the action to the word, the
word to the action.” One cannot help but think, while watching Zach Appleman’s
superbly controlled performance in the title role, that that was precisely
director Darko Tresnjak’s advice for his leading man, and the production as a
whole.
Appleman is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama, and his
standout performance reflects the rigorous discipline that school of acting
promotes. Many actors choose to convey Hamlet’s descent into madness – or fake
madness - with manic displays of energy, stressing huge gestures, and
physicality. Not so Appleman; his performance is so well thought-out, so
disciplined, that when he does choose a gesture - a turn of the head, a feint
to the center, a finger slashing across his throat – the audience reacts as if
he has just screamed.
Darko Tresnjak’s mark on this Hamlet starts with his own
scenic vision for the show: a runway with a short stage at each end, like a
large letter I. The runway is lit from below, which allows the texture of the
scenes to change with each location. It is brilliantly spare, and the lighting
design by Matthew Richards only adds to the vision of the play.
Andrew Long’s performance as Claudius, Hamlet’s scheming
uncle, is appropriately evil, yet also rough around the edges. He manages to
find empathy in a decidedly unsympathetic character. Kate Forbes’ performance
as Gertrude is seamless. In the role of Polonius, Edward James Hyland provides
the audience with some wonderfully comedic moments that break up the almost
unrelenting tension of the show.
Two performers stand out in particular: James Seoul,
portraying Horatio, is a charismatic and riveting actor who also makes his
debut at the Hartford Stage. One hopes it won’t be his last. And Brittany
Vicars as Ophelia is a true find. Her character’s own descent into madness is
spellbinding, as Vicars sings her lines in high, trilling voice, foreshadowing
her own tragic end.
