Hamlet [Working Title] is making its Melbourne debut following success at Sydney’s Spectrum Now festival in March 2015 and Sydney Fringe Festival 2014. It’s an energetic, irreverent one-man show with equal potential to offend and amuse.
Hamlet [Working Title] is highly self-referential production that assumes a high level of familiarity with the original text. It’s Shakespearean fan fic, but doesn’t treat the source text as sacred or above critique. Drew Wilson’s Hamlet sarcastically points out plot discrepancies. For example, why does Hamlet take his father’s royal seal to England? These clever insights might sail over the heads of audience members who don’t know the play well, this a show for Shakespeare tragics.
The best thing about this production is Drew Wilsons’ performance, which is a great thing, considering it’s a one-man show. Wilson’s Generation-X Hamlet is angry, sarcastic, immature and egotistical. His dark humour is spot-on: he responds to the overwhelming tragedy of his situation by treating it as absurd, but his outrage is palpable.
The writing is also very good. [Working Title], an original slam poem delivered with considerable energy and passion, is the high point of the performance. Wilson’s use of this medium provides a thoughtful insight into how Shakespearean prose may have sounded to Elizabethan audiences. However, some choices are not as worthy: Claudius is described as a ‘motherfucker’, which seems like low-hanging fruit by its third or forth use. Also, some audiences may find other his descriptors (‘cumstain’; ‘wet patch’) sufficiently offensive to eclipse the other merits of the writing.
There are a few awkward moments, in particular reluctant participation from unsuspecting audience members, and a few clunky transitions. After a drawn out (fictional) fight battle in Gertrude’s closet, Wilson elegantly switches to Shakespeare’s prose to finish the scene. However, the return to irreverent 21st century Hamlet is effected by playing fart noises played on his iPhone. It’s puerile humour from a Hamlet who is unafraid to offend, but also an intentional awkwardness that could’ve been avoided. Also, the production relies heavily on the audience knowing what’s coming next in the original play. For the unitiated, the “have I told you about the pirate ship?” is a segue that seems to come out of nowhere.
The stage design is sparse but effective: the stage is empty save for a whiteboard and a chair, which is a nice reference to the classroom, where most people are introduced to Shakespeare. The use of other props is casual and spontaneous under David Burrowes’ direction. Notable is the use of a sock-puppet for Hamlet’s ghost: a sly reference to the theory that the ghost is simply concocted to justify Hamlet’s own ambition and desire for revenge.
Hamlet [Working Title] is a witty 21st interpretation of a classic play. If you love the play and aren’t afraid to see a very unfamiliar but hilarious interpretation, this is a show for you.
Hamlet [Working Title] is playing at Club Voltaire, 14 Raglan Street at 10pm September 17-20 & 7pm September 22. Tickets $20, $15 concession. For tickets visit melbournefringe.com.au or call (03) 9660 9666
