Read this review with the actor playing Hamlet at the Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey.
True to himself: Gareth Saxe tackles Shakespeare's most difficult role
by Peter Filichia/For The Star-Ledger
I posted what I wrote below in the comments section of the Star-Ledger.com and also under the link to the article that The Shakespeare Theatre of New Jersey posted on their Facebook site.
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It is offensive that this actor plays Hamlet like he is feigning madness. How is the Tragedy of Hamlet not a tragedy of inaction?
Hamlet was the lawful heir to his throne. That was the action that should have been taken before the play started. It was interfered with by Hamlet's incestuous mother and his incestuous uncle. Then it was interfered with by the wretched rash intruding fool Lord Polonius who told his mother that he is mad because he is mad. They are the ones who decided he is mad. Madness is not a medical disease. It is a social position. It allows the one who is labeled mad to be marginalized and removed from his or her proper role in society. In Hamlet's case, his proper role in society was to be King. The few characters who did not interfere directly were Polonius, Marcellus, Rosencrants and Guildenstern, but they took no action. This play is certainly a tragedy of inaction.
I highly recommend that Gareth Saxe read Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin and The Politics of Experience by R.D. Laing before he goes onstage again and gets more reviews like the one like the one on CentralJersey.com that says he looked like he was poring over his notes and then got interrupted by the "obligatory" to be or not to be speech, in which he is questioning whether to kill himself or to take action to end a sea of troubles.
Get mad, sir! Get mad! Get really mad! Remember the old rule, acting is not pretending. Acting is taking action. I'm not sure, but I think Sandy Meisner said that.
I say again. Get fuming mad! Froth at the mouth if you have to! You're playing Hamlet, for God's sake!
Warm Regards,
Erik B. Anderson
The King of Funny Faces
Independence Township, New Jersey
Established 1782
More about Erik:
http://thetragedyoferik.blogspot.com/
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIR2nUcsiRw
This is not Erik's best performance, but it will have to do for now.
This blog is cross-posted on MySpace.
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