Hamlet in One Hour AND This Distracted Globe, Oct 4, 2000

Hamlet in One Hour by Short Attention Span

at Trades Hall until October 21, 2000

This Distracted Globe  

at La Mama until October 15, 2000

Reviewer: Kate Herbert

The Fringe Festival is sporting two Hamlets. Neither is Shakespeare's version although both drawn on his text. But one performs it in red clown noses and the other adds electric music and both are comic.

The first is a fine and funny clown show, Hamlet in One Hour written and performed by Krisztian Bagin and Alice Carter. Bagin and Carter play about ten roles between them and all in red noses and often in the same scenes.

They change hats, breeches, crowns, swords, ghostly robes, curtains, horses and boats until the hilarious chaotic ending in which everybody dies at once with only two actors on stage.

Hamlet is directed by our consummate clown director and performer, John Bolton, who finds the comic detail in both actors so they may charm the audience.

There are some superb moments including the violent and sexy Punch and Judy show featuring Gertrude and Claudius, Hamlet's mother and uncle. The murder of Polonius by Hamlet while both are played by Bagin is a riot.

There is a series of hilarious clown characters from Bagin. His leggy peculiar Polonius, a Latin lover Laertes, a stuffy Fortinbras and his moon-eyed Hamlet. Carter's romantic dolly, Ophelia and her quick-change Gertrude and Claudius are effective.

The other Hamlet, directed wittily by Suzanne Kersten, is called This Distracted Globe.  It is entertaining but is more a mediaeval strolling players version from the streets of village England.

It is written in a peculiarly inaccurate mediaeval language which is at times funny. Three scruffy village players introduce scenes as if they are touring the countryside and have happened upon us in a village.

They force a poor unsuspecting Hamlet into the action and propel him to his unhappy end. Their TV screen puppet theatre is clever and funny and there is a clan of quirky little characters who are fun to watch.

The serious scenes slip into melodrama here and there though and the piece needs a savage edit to cut its time. The music is very special and the band should be commended.

By Kate Herbert