The Murfreesboro Little Theatre began its run of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet on Friday evening.
The production was wonderfully adapted to fit the needs of a modern audience, while still staying remarkably true to the original story and dialogue. The actors seamlessly blended classic soliloquies and speeches with hilarious delivery of Shakespeare’s original humor.
The entire performance represented the tragic tale of hurt, betrayal and madness. Even the set, which included a dramatic painting of a crumbling Danish flag across the floor, depicted the tone of Hamlet in a creative yet accurate way.
The entire cast truly committed to their roles, but three of them stood out among the rest.
Though it’s a little on-the-nose to call out the main character, Connor Hall was exceptional as Hamlet. He weaved in and out of jokes, never skipping a beat. He performed the tragic scene at Ophelia’s grave flawlessly. His nostalgic portrayal of finding Yorick’s skull was almost as captivating as his subsequent rage towards Laretes.
Another impressive actor was Madison Boan as Ophelia. Much like Hall, Boan smoothly went through every emotion from grief to utter madness.
This epic tragedy would be a little lost without some comedic relief. Fortunately, Phil Mote as Polonius and a grave digger brought a whimsical performance to the stage to lighten-up the atmosphere. His drunken and flippant adaptation of the grave digger was only rivaled by his clumsy and decrepit portrayal of Polonius.
These wonderful actors were led by Andrew Ford, who directed, produced and designed the show.
Hats off to the Little Theatre for their incredible representation of Hamlet.
Hamlet will be showing October 24-26, 31, November 1-2, 7-9.
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