fritzified edits

Last Thursday, I saw Hamlet, my first Shakespeare stage play. Guess what? I didn't fall asleep, YAY! Since it’s my first time to even hear Hamlet’s verses, I did not know what to expect off it. I did not even have the slightest clue that this was a tragedy. What I do know is I’m too old to still not know anything about it so one invite from Lorna Lopez of thebachelorgirl and I’m off to Onstage in Greenbelt 1 on a weeknight after work.

Hamlet, per Gibbs Cadiz, could take 4 long hours if delivered in its entirety. That’s a whole lot of lines to memorize for poor Hamlet who I think does about 70% of the play’s air time. Repertory Philipipnes' Hamlet is about 2 hours, plus-minus, long.

Knowing little to nothing about Hamlet, I have resorted to reading stuff about the play and its interpretations from the 17th century to the present. In summary:Of the many ways possible to render Hamlet, Director Ana Abad Santos-Bitong opted for something that is neither of this time nor plane. It is refreshing to see that stripping the set, props, and costumes down to get the minimalist and desolate vibe still felt edgy but raw in a good way.

Remember Cris Villonco? She plays Ophelia. Niccolo "Nic" Manahan does Hamlet. Usually, I'd hear Shakespeare's words and go ho-hum because I'll seldom understand what it means the first try. For actors to be effective, at least for me to understand their story in prose, they would have to improvise using body movements, gestures, and facial expressions. The way the Nic delivered his lines was so fresh, I can actually picture his prose-speaking character co-mingling with us now in this 21^st century. I mean, he speaks in prose but he says his lines fast enough so it doesn't sound boring and ancient (words fails me at this time but I hope you get what I mean). Lorna said Nic studied his character and lines well and he commanded how he'd act for specific scenes himself and, unsurprisingly, he delivered. That's a plus 1 in my list of talented actors to admire locally.

If you want to at least see a Shakespeare play in this lifetime and want something that won't bore you out of your wits, then this show is for you. I'm not Shakespeare savvy but I totally dug this shiz.

The very talented cast of Hamlet
You can still catch Hamlet at Onstage Greenbelt 1 until February 17, 2008. Show details are as follows:

February 1-17, 2008
8:00 PM on Fridays & Saturday
3:30 PM on Saturdays & Sundays

Venue
OnStage
2/F Greenbelt 1, Ayala Center, Makati City

Tickets
Orchestra Center - P 550.00
Orchestra Side - P 350.00
Balcony - P 250.00

Website
Head over to the Repertory Philippines site for more info about this and upcoming shows through here.

Here are more interesting reads from folks who have something to say about Hamlet:        

• Repertory Philippines’ futuristic ‘Hamlet’ by Gibbs Cadiz
• Repertory Philippines Hamlet Marks Directorial Debut by Lorna Lopez
• Hamlet (I Don’t Have an Imaginative Title. Whatev) by Ade Magnaye
• And my Hamlet-inspired story "Mutt, Me, and Hamlet" (read this after you watched the play)