"Hamlet" has it all.

Friday, February 11, 2000

"Hamlet" has it all.

For the action lovers, there is sword fighting and poison. For mystery lovers, intrigue and murder most foul. There is love and romance, philosophy, a ghost that walks in the night, and insanity – both real and pretend.

By the end of the two-hour Shakespearean tragedy, Hamlet has nothing.

"The whole world ends up dead," director Jerry Girton said of the Riverland Community College production of "Hamlet." "By the end of the play, there’s only a few people left on stage, but not too many. What can I say? It’s a revenge tragedy."

Considered the greatest of all Shakespearean tragedies, "Hamlet" takes place in Denmark, long before many Minnesotan ancestors had heard of the New World. The Danish King Hamlet has died. In less than two months, his brother, Claudius, has married the King’s wife, Gertrude, and seized the throne. The dead King’s son, also named Hamlet, is the central character of the play.

The young prince understandably is upset by his mother’s hasty remarriage and Denmark has become a prison to him. He is increasingly melancholy. Add to this a visit from his dead father’s ghost – is it heaven-sent or a hellish vision? – suspicion of murder and a girlfriend with a meddling father and a tendency toward dramatics and the result is a play that has piqued the interest of every generation since it was written..

Girton is confident the play will be well received.

Not only does he have an excellent cast capable of doing the show justice – "I felt the kids we have here were up to the task," he said – but he also has genuine gravedigger Tom Donnelly playing the second gravedigger.

And, Girton added, Shakespeare traditionally has been a favorite with the Austin audience.

"It’s an amazing piece of work that just keeps growing night after night," he said while two actors practiced their sword fighting on stage before Wednesday’s dress rehearsal. "I wax on, but the play is really accessible … It’s a great story."

The Riverland production is an edited version of the play, running about two hours instead of the four and a half the complete play demands. Girton explained that most productions are edited for length, with the notable exception of Kenneth Brannaugh’s movie version of "Hamlet."

"The story’s all there; the characters are all there," Girton said. "I think it’s a good show. We have some excellent young actors and actresses. … The scene between Ophelia and Hamlet where he tells her he doesn’t love her anymore will knock your socks off."