Hamlet on the Common
July 27th, 2005
Tuesday night my brother, his lovely girlfriend Erica, Casey and I went to see Hamlet on Boston Common.
It was a modern adaptation and Casey and I really liked it. I think Erica and Kyle had more of a lukewarm reaction…
It is one of my favorite things about Boston, the annual Shakespeare performances in the Common. It was hot and sticky but there was something nice about sitting in the dark, on the grass, under the lights of the city, surrounded by hundreds of other Bostonians…
July 27th, 2005 at 10:37 pm
Did anyone else think that the crossbars on the stage were intentionally designed so that the set looked like the flag of Denmark (http://www.countryreports.org/flag/gifs/Denmark.gif) when the bars were lit in white?
The ghost scene was my favorite. My second favorite was the scene where Hamlet was putting on his best crazy act for Polonius - running around in beach gear, paddling in the water, and toting a green floatie.
July 28th, 2005 at 8:29 am
Hi - thanks for posting this. This is my first real summer “in Boston”, and I am glad to see that I haven’t missed the last performance. It sounds like a lot of fun. One of my favorite things in DC were summer movies on the Mall - this can just be the Yankee equivelent.
July 28th, 2005 at 8:51 am
Shakespeare in the park?? awesome!!! I think our Shakespeare in the park is this weekend - I definitely want to try to go. We went last year and it was so fun. Glad you liked it!
I saw Hamlet in London (I think it was an RSC production) several years ago and there was a bathtub IN the stage. They used it as part of the act when Hamlet starts to go a little nuts. Hamlet got buck naked! Now that was an expereince…
July 28th, 2005 at 8:58 am
That sounds SO fun!! I wish we had that in Athens.
July 28th, 2005 at 10:55 am
How nice… there is a HUGE Shakespeare festival in Montgomery AL every year– I missed it this year but plan on going next year– with a 5 month old in tow!! We have Shakespeare in the Park at a neighboring town, but its put on by highschoolers, the park is a mosquito infested swamp hole and it pretty much sucks. So, I guess I’ll just have to wait for next year in Montgomery.
Glad you had a nice night. Old married lady.
July 28th, 2005 at 2:28 pm
Yeah, maybe BellaBelly will take Auntie Sam with her - because I think I need some Shakespeare in my life! Your night sounds like FUN!
July 28th, 2005 at 4:31 pm
We actually enjoyed it quite a bit. I’m at times overly skeptical about modernizing Shakespeare, mainly if I haven’t seen the play performed at in its orginal period or context. Particularly with Hamlet having a important bend to international politics.
I thought it was well done and enjoyable. Casey, was astute to notice the flag. I saw the cross and was trying to figure out the purpose, but the flag theory makes perfect sense, otherwise why all of the red on a castle.
July 29th, 2005 at 10:30 am
That sounds like a great evening! I’m envious that it wasn’t too hot for ya’ll to be outside