Hamlet

Sarah Frankcom’s 2014 staging at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester, England, offered a bare-bones, modern dress, multicultural interpretation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet that included gender reassignment in a few key roles. This experiment works brilliantly when Polonius becomes Polonia, creating a remarkably uncomfortable tension between Katie West’s unstrung Ophelia and Gillian Bevan as her scheming parent since the now-mother-daughter duel further enflames the already strained relationship. And the updating features an imaginative sight gag, as Polonia grants her departing son Laertes (played by black actor Ashley Zhangazha) a credit card to cover the expenses of his schooling. Still, the key element to this interpretation is the casting of Maxine Peake as Hamlet, who is visually fetching with her androgynous haircut and wardrobe but tends to look about her surroundings with a Popeye-style scowl and spits out text in shrill line readings. Her poor command of the role is especially obvious when confronted with John Shrapnel’s full-throttle fury as the Ghost—his gut-punch take on the character is a true highlight (Shrapnel does double-duty as Claudius, where he is equally innovative, in an often-thankless part). Still, if this Hamlet doesn’t always hit the mark, it surely deserves credit for daring to be different. A strong optional purchase. Aud: H, C, P. (P. Hall)