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Orange County Register
Hamlet as Shakespeare intended it
by Anne-Margret Bellavoine
'Brevity is the soul of wit,' pontificates Polonius in Shakespeare's 'Hamlet.' Director Nick McGee followed this advice as do most modern stagings of the classic tragedy which would otherwise stand at a rushed four hours of 1000 lines per hour.
Lean and trimmed may the production be, but this staging is lush and sensuous. Maverick's Brian Newell continues in an unparalleled tradition of bringing classics to life in stunning period sets and costuming, the latter owed to Laura Orlow. The rendition of Elsinore as a multilevel medieval castle with crenelated watch route and rich costume palette in crimsons, gold and black set the mood, from eerie with Hamlet's father's ghost to his uncle and mother's incestuous remarriage.
Christopher Goss is soulful as Hamlet, against a wistful Ophelia (Brenda Hobson), the unobtainable object of his love. John Brennan and Laura Orlow regally rule over the Danish court as King Claudius and Queen Gertrude.
Nate Makaryk is a sensitive Laertes, Ophelia's brother, with Don Van Horn as their knavish father Polonius.
All the immortal lines shine in their original brilliance in this sober and simple staging leading to the culminating scene of doom and death after a spectacular sword fight between Hamlet and Laertes.
This Hamlet is Maverick's gift to local high school and college students, with a special pricing of just $10 to entice them to experience Shakespeare's eternal magic.
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