Page to Stage Theatre Company have taken on the difficult feat of re-contextualising Shakespeare in their performance of Hamlet, set in a reality television age. The result is well worth a look, not due to the reality TV spin which fails to excite, but rather for the stellar performances by the cast, carrying the play through its weaker moments.

Hamlet is the classic Shakespeare tale of the young Prince Hamlet of Denmark spiraling into supposed ‘madness’ as he tries to avenge his father’s death,  murdered at the hands of Hamlet’s uncle, the King’s brother. All the Shakespearean elements are there – sex, murder, intrigue, royalty, and the supernatural.

Directed by Dan Bellis who also acts in the piece, Page to Stage‘s Hamlet features minimal set design, sound production and simple but effective lighting, allowing the play to focus entirely on the action that unfolds. Situated in the intimate Samurai AV space, the language stays true to Elizabethan English but the play is made accessible to all through character portrayal and interactions, as well as a condensed script.

Playing in the title role, Peter Garratt does an admirable job of delivering some of Hamlet’s most famous soliloquies. His opening soliloquy in particular (“Oh, that this too, too sullied flesh would melt…”) stood out for the candour with which he showed his character’s varying emotions of anger, despair and betrayal – and this was before he’d even found out his father was murdered.

Further highlights were his and Ophelia’s (played by Jen Bush) confrontation scene. Despite the easy route of melodrama, both Garratt and Bush give an anguished performance without becoming over the top.

Another stand-out scene was the clever use of puppets in the place of the players, all animated by the ‘mad’ Hamlet replete with funny voices and singing. Although I was sceptical of the directorial choice to use toys in the place of actors, I was happy to be proved wrong as it painted Hamlet as an even more sympathetic character with funny flair.

Brian Edmund is excellent in his role as Polonius. Not only does he provide the much needed comic relief with excellent timing but he is also a loving, though somewhat silly father.

Also worth mentioning is Eleanor Ruth and her portrayal of multiple characters (Marcellus, Rosencrantz, Priest, Orsic) with dexterity and control.

However, the idea of a fly-on-the-wall documentary as a medium is good but tends to fall flat.

For example, Horatio, Prince Hamlet’s close friend, has been commissioned by Queen Gertrude to film a documentary of the royal family to curry public opinion. While the idea is great, Horatio’s position of hanging out left of the stage or in front of the stage makes his character seem quite unfeeling and awkward to the point of being creepy, especially as his position makes him not quite part of the action but still able to react to a small degree all the same. In addition, there seemed to be a distinct lack of consistency – perhaps I was missing something, but I was often confused as to why Horatio would appear camera in hand in one scene then be absent in another.

Nevertheless, the video camera in the corner does work quite well at times, cleverly used to enhance comic elements of the script in character interactions. It also overcomes the difficulty of a modern audience embracing the ‘aside’ as characters have a camera (and cameraman) to address.

Overall the actors involved all present solid character portrayals and do justice to the brilliance of Shakespeare’s script. This is a play to see for any fans of Shakespeare or anyone looking to discover the classic in an understandable, modern context.

Click here for more information about the show and to purchase tickets.