S76 - Women Playing Hamlet by William Missouri Downs - 4w, flexible cast
Hamlet's a challenge for any actor, but when Jessica is cast as the titular character in a New York production, it sends her into an existential tailspin. It doesn't help that her acting coach is borderline abusive, or that every Starbucks barista with an MFA tells her she's too young for the role. Or that she's somehow managed to make Sir Patrick Stewart her nemesis. Not to mention the fact that she's a woman. How can Jessica figure out "to be or not to be," when she can't even figure out herself? Featuring an all-female cast performing multiple roles, Woman Playing Hamlet is rip-roaring fun for Shakespeare fans and haters alike.
Labels: comedy, flexible cast
posted by Larisa at 2:43 PM
8 Comments:
I thought this play was great! Very funny with a unique format and style allowing for 4th wall breaking, improvisation, and interesting visual effects. I think many theatregoers would get a kick out of all the Shakespearean jokes and references, but the play is still hilarious even without understanding those references. I think we should definitely consider this for our one of contemporary comedies next season.
Very funny! Quite an ambitious role for Jessica but she makes the show flow. I would definitely consider it for the Minnesota Connection season.
I loved this script. What a delightful and moving romp! And it's an all-female cast playing a bunch of guys in a clever and meaningful way; not merely a gimmick, as these things so often are. (Ironically, John and I just finished watching all three seasons of "Slings and Arrows," the first season of which dealt with Hamlet, so reading this while watching that was especially poignant.)
As usual, when we contemplate any play that assumes some familiarity with another play, there will be questions as to whether this one relies too much on familiarity with Hamlet. I think we can easily overcome that by providing a summary of Hamlet in the playbill, a lobby display about the story and featuring past productions and actors/actresses who have played the role, and the BMOD speech could even include a Cliff Notes summary of the plot points that are key to this play. But I am highly in favor of it. We can certainly earmark it for our "Minnesota Season," but we should snap this one up before another theater in the Cities does it.
Very funny. I don't think any help in understanding Hamlet is needed as the script itself describes those things as part of each punchline. Possible MN connection but I agree we might need to grab it before some other theatre does.
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Sounds like I am in the minority here, but I did not like this play at all. I feel like the jokes too obvious or too forced, the arc of the lead is so flat. Maybe it is because it feels too much like the "mumble core" comedy of the early 2000s, with angsty white young people (like me) that just can't move forward in their lives. She does eventually move forward, but it doesn't feel like it has real stakes. I skimmed the last third. So maybe I am missing something really important, but it just didn't do it for me.
I will also admit that I am not a broad comedy director, so I couldn't see or hear things that the actors would bring to this to make it work better.
Finally, I don't know that this fits in the same season as Endometriosis. Both very broad, sketchy kind of comedies (obviously, I like Endo more because it raises awareness in a fun way of health inequities, and I have seen it staged, so i know how the humor can work).
From Howard: I read "Women Playing Hamlet". I was hopeful when I read the summary, but was disappointed with the play. To me it felt like a standup comedy routine with interspersed comedy sketches. There is no significant set. It uses anywhere from four to nineteen women. There is considerable interaction with the audience, often adlib and expecting a response. It uses multiple powerpoint projections. Many of the characters are over the top. Most of the characters, no matter what their profession (priest, psychiatrist, messenger) hold MFAs in theater. The main character comes from Minnesota with an MFA from Minnesota State. There are some bad Minnesota accents. It would be a no for me.
If we were to do it, the title would likely cause confusion. It may turn off those who don't like Shakespeare. Some might suspect it is a "straight" production of Hamlet with a woman in the lead.
I recommended it (so obviously I am a fan). I agree that it should not be done in the same season as Endometriosis because of a similar feel. That being said, I think that we have a few directors in the pool that I would love to see proposals from on this one.
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