10 -The Michigan Daily- Wednesday, August 3, 1994 2 Stripped-down 'Hamlet' looks like it cot By Melissa Rose Bernardo "Hamlet" is a director's dream. It also is a lifetime goal for an actor, and a field day for a has also, thankfully, whittled it down to under three hours. Monette has cut the character of Fortinbras, eliminating all of the affairs of state that surround thestateofDenmark. Denmarkis not acountry in strife, and it is not taken over in the end; Hamlet is the focus, and his conflict provides the thrust of the production. Monette's trimming, while controversial, is not necessarily a mistake. It is in fact a wise choice, considering the capabilities of Stephen Ouimette as Hamlet. Under Monette's guidance, Ouimette carries the weight of the production without a single stumble, and handles the de- mands of Shakespeare's longest role (especially the soliloquies) admirably well. He plays Hamlet pretty close to 20-some years old, and infuses the soliloquies with some wonderful innovations. Keep an eye on Ouimette in this and future Stratford seasons. The elimination of the affairs-of-state busi- ness has visible positive and negative repercus- sions on the other characters. Peter Donaldson is deprived ofthe meat of Claudius' character-his political agility - resulting in an overall incon- sistency. However, the focus on Hamlet makes way for a more intriguing Horatio, manifested here in TomMcCamus. Hamlet and Horatio's closeness is reflected in Hamlet's artfully arranged death- standing, supported by Horatio, evocative of Michelangelo's "Pieta." A big disappointment is Sabrina Grdevich, who confuses Ophelia with Alice of Wonderland. Whilehermadscenes are well-executed, she(and Monette)made the choice of weakening Ophelia. Compensating is Janet Wright, who empowers Gertrude by rejecting Claudius after a chilling (and suggestive) closet scene with Ouimette's Hamlet. The other characters steadily ride back seat to Ouimette's Hamlet. Antoni Cimolino has some nice moments as Laertes; William Hutt adds his comic touch as Gravedigger#1. Kevin Bundy and Jonathan Crombie are appropriately paired as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (or is it the other way around?). Monette has also done some effective rear- ild be king ranging -note the placement of "To be or not be" - but his cutting still remains a point of debate.Theprogram's summary claims thatHam- let is bitter that Claudius, not he, occupies the throne, yet Claudius is stripped of all outward appearances as the King. And as long as Monette was cutting, he might have considered cutting "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark," a line now devoid of its double meaning, whose familiarity only inspi giggles. The contemporary look of the production is appropriate, thoughcrushedvelvetisn'tflattering foreveryone,and Horatio'sleatherjacketisanice touch. Still, Monette should be proud of his accomplishment, and even prouderof Ouimette's Hamlet, the truly "definitive" aspect of this pro- duction. HAMLET runs in repertory through Sept. 17 at the Tom Patterson Theatre in Stratford, Ontario. Fortickets, accommodationsorinformationabor this or any other production, call the Stratford Festival Box Office at (519) 273-1600. ally endless. The aim, then, is to make one's particular production of "Hamlet" the definitive "Hamlet." While it would be a stretch to call the Stratford Festival's production "definitive," it can easily be called entrancing, creative and pro- voking. Artistic directorRichard Monette(whoplayed the title role in the festival's 1976 production) obviously has a great affinity for the role of Hamlet. 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