Theater Review by Marilyn Lester . . . .
Over the course of Shakespearean theater, Hamlet has been a plum part for an actor, a test of thespian skill and ability. Sir Laurence Olivier, Mark Rylance, John Gielgud, Jonathan Pryce and others have been titans of the role. Hamlet has been played by women and men, and sometimes as a solo tour-de-force. In this production, Eddie Izzard (now the transgender Suzy Eddie, suitably attired in leather tights and doublet by Libby da Costa), plays all the parts in a very smart adaptation by her brother, Mark Izzard. It’s an ambitious endeavor, but Izzard has traveled this road before with a successful presentation of Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations in which she played 19 roles. To describe her endeavor as a coup de maître would be beyond accurate. For more than two hours of play time, Izzard is a whirling dervish of head-spinning performance. Izzard’s Hamlet is a rare opportunity to see a charismatic artist in a mesmerizing and unique staging of a classic. It’s not to be missed.
Smarts? This production of Hamlet is loaded with them. The intimate venue of the Greenwich House Theater is key. As a stand-up comedian, actor, activist and probable genius, Izzard has always been audience-aware, having roots as a street performer in her youth. There’s no breaking of the fourth wall here, but there is an abundance of interactivity—playing at the edge of the stage as well as among the audience in the orchestra and balcony. This choice brings in the intelligence of director Selina Cadell who has Izzard in near constant motion and utilizing every patch of stage—so much so that the audience is kept raptly at attention. Add to this a choreography of motion, with Izzard walking, pacing, running, jumping, twirling and otherwise moving at a pace swift enough to help her differentiate the 23 characters of the play, including many minor roles and principals Gertrude, Ophelia, Claudius, Polonius, Horatio, Laertes and, of course, Hamlet.
What of the play itself? Although the characters are listed in the slight program, there’s no plot summary, which is a deficit. Even though Izzard does a bang-up job of giving each character an identity and mines the text for explanation, the pace is so fast that a refresher for even the most seasoned of Shakespeareans would be immensely helpful. Dramatic incidental music and lighting cues (by Eliza Thompson and Tyler Elich, respectively) are also a great help in that process. Plot-wise, at its core, old Hamlet, the King of Denmark is dead; learning through a visitation of the King’s ghost that he’s been murdered, Prince Hamlet is compelled to take revenge, initiating a stream of events that lead to tragic consequences and the ultimate destruction of friends, family and state. All of this is played on a spare set by Tom Piper, evoking Elsinore Castle. Without props or any distractions, the stage environment cleanly puts a focus on Izzard and the intensity of his performance in spooling out the action.
What’s striking about Shakespeare’s text is just how many catchphrases and aphorisms originate in Hamlet: “brevity is the soul of wit,” “to thine own self be true,” “listen to many, speak to a few,” “the lady doth protest too much,” and very many more. And then there are the soliloquies, of which “To be, or not to be” is the most famous. Izzard’s delivery is natural and so, as she “speaks the speech,” the narrative has the weight of authenticity versus being “acted.” Audiences at the Old Globe didn’t have the problem of Shakespeare reverence. Izzard’s approach returns to that dynamic, bringing the iconic and worshiped from the stratosphere to the common ground of actions driven by the motivated characters being portrayed. Hamlet’s madness, as a ruse, for example, is thus thoroughly understandable and accessible.
Comic relief was a staple of Shakespearean drama. In Hamlet, it’s provided by a couple of Cockney gravediggers. The comedian in Izzard has a field day with these two, a scene that segues into the famous discovery of the skull of the long-dead court jester, Yorick, and the oft-misquoted line, “Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio: A fellow of infinite jest.” Threading throughout are Hamlet’s brief interactions with his childhood friends and allies, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. They’re portrayed by Izzard’s right and left hands. The exchanges and gestures are priceless. But so is this entire superlative production of Hamlet.
Eddie Izzard in Hamlet. Extended Through March 16 at the Greenwich House Theater, (27 Barrow Street, at Seventh Avenue South). Running time is 2 hours and 30 minutes, including an intermission. www.eddieizzard.com
Photos: Amanda Searle
