 |
| Jens Rasmussen in Hamlet |
Almost every high school student in the United States has to read “Hamlet.”
As these students grow up, many resist going to see Shakespearean plays.
“A lot of people will say, ‘Shakespeare is not my favorite.’ But I ask, ‘Have you seen it?’ ” said Chris Graham, who plays the title role of Hamlet in the latest Springer Opera House production.
“Shakespeare has to be seen, not just read to truly understand the plays. I hope this will attract people to see a Shakespearean play.”
John Ammerman, is a theater professor at Emory University and is an associate artist at the Georgia Shakespeare Festival. He’s done “Hamlet” twice at Georgia Shakespeare Festival, where he played Hamlet and the ghost of Hamlet’s father. Now, he’s directing the play.
“This is a fabulous cast,” Ammerman said. “Everybody has their own personal strengths. It’s truly an ensemble group.”
Ammerman set the play in the Victorian era of the 1890s, rather than the Elizabethan. There’s no one wearing tights, he said with a laugh.
“Paul (Pierce, the Springer’s artistic director) and Ron (Anderson, the Springer’s associate artistic director) wanted to do something different,” Ammerman said. “I think the Victorian era really complemented the sense of repression in the play and how etiquette made people function under their public facades.”
The costumes are form-fitting, which also makes the characters stand up straight.
The cast had two weeks to get ready for opening the show tonight. “This cast hit the floor running,” Ammerman said. He’s had to drive back and forth from Atlanta to oversee rehearsals.
Playing Hamlet
Graham, a transplant from Atlanta, did back-to-back Springer shows, “Picasso at the Lapin Agile” and “The Glass Menagerie,” in 2001-02.
It’s been even longer for Bruce Evers. Evers last was at the Springer 15 years ago in “Inherit the Wind.” Before that, he was in “A Doll’s House.”
Since he was last here in Columbus, Evers has done “Hamlet” twice with the Georgia Shakespeare Festival in Atlanta. It’s the first time he’s had a large role. He’s playing Claudius, Hamlet’s uncle, who killed Hamlet’s father, then married his mother.
For Graham, now married with two children and a demanding job at Aflac, the timing hasn’t been right to get back on stage. But for “Hamlet,” he’s taking vacation days for rehearsals and the daytime performances for school groups.
“This is the greatest play ever written,” Graham said. “I didn’t think I’d ever have the chance to play this role.”
Graham is thrilled to play Hamlet for the first time on the Springer stage since Edwin Booth played the role in 1876.
“It’s quite a legacy to be part of,” agreed Jens Rasmussen, who is playing Laertes. Laertes is the brother of Ophelia, whom Hamlet loves.
“I just want to be somewhere between Burt Reynolds and Oscar Wilde,” referring to the stars whose names are on a plaque outside the Springer, Graham joked.
Rebecca McGraw, who plays Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother, is also happy to be acting in “Hamlet.”
“This is a life-long dream come true,” she said.
The new kid
Cynthia D. Barker is new to the Springer. Last summer, she received her master’s degree from the Hilberry Classical Repertory Co. in Detroit. In September, she packed her belongings and moved to Atlanta, where she’s found a welcoming theater community. She moved to Atlanta on a Tuesday and went to audition for “Hamlet” on Saturday. A few weeks later, she got the job, playing Ophelia.
“This is a like an actor’s spa,” she said of the accommodations at the Springer. She can get out of bed, get dressed, go down one floor to rehearse and then hit the ground floor to the theater. “This is an actor’s dream,” she said.
Unlike some actors who do not watch movie versions of the plays they’re in, Barker rented every movie version she could find.
Barker likes the 1996 Kenneth Branaugh version the best, featuring a very young Kate Winslet as Ophelia.
And there’s sword-fighting
Jason Armit is the fight choreographer, returning to Columbus after having choreographed the fights in “Romeo and Juliet.” The big fight is between Hamlet and Laertes and Pierce jokes that there are body parts all over stage.
Armit, though, makes sure that the actors are safe. It helps, he said that both men are athletic.
“Some people (like Graham and Rasmussen), I can choreograph in a day and a half,” Armit said. “They retain all the steps. With two other people, it may have taken more time.”
Rasmussen loves the fight scene.
“And I get in a sword fight,” he said. “It’s the best final scenes ever.”
BY SANDRA OKAMOTO
from an original article appearing in the Ledger-Inquirer
