Friday, October 8, 2010

Hamlet on the Rocks





Hamlet on the rocks sounds like it would make for a good drink but it is actually a Hamlet play that takes place on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco.  I went recently and the only thing I have to say is that there is not a single word in the American dictionary that can describe how spectacular this play was.  It is one thing to watch Hamlet as a movie, it is another thing to watch it in the theater with live actors, But when the actors are five feet way from you acting their heart out with real settings, it is the best way and the only way to watch a Shakespeare play.

I was very unfamiliar with Hamlet going into the play so I did not know what to expect from it.  But as soon as the play started, I was immediately hooked.  The play begins on the Ferry and immediately continues as soon as the audience gets off of it and onto Alcatraz.  The play takes place all over the island; it starts on one side of the island, work its way into the inside of the jail cell and use-to-be sewing room, and ends on the other side of the island.  The audience practically run around with the actors and actresses all over the island.

Everything about this play is phenomenal.  the costumes my friend Julia designed was awesome, the night time and the San Francisco fog with the lighting that was set up created the perfect effects, the acting is top notched, and the fact that the audience was part of the play is just the sprinkles on top of it all.  

No matter how much I write about this show I can never do it enough justice.  I recommend anyone and everyone who loves Shakespeare or plays or good story to go to this. Go and watch it for yourself.  Support theater art and its artists.

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