Recently, The Travelling Toe enjoyed an exciting performance of "Hamlet" presented by National Theatre Live. A local theater group Amphibian Stage Productions sponsors National Theatre Live programs at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth in the Magnolia Theater. We have seen several of them and have never been disappointed in the quality and acting of the productions. This is an inexpensive way to see English theater right in your own home town. It is way cheaper than purchasing a plane ticket to London (thought that would be fun..right???). Additionally sometimes they are shown at the local movie theaters so check the listings online.
The production we saw recently was "Hamlet" and stared Benedict Cumberbatch. Before the play started, the "host" interviewed Benedict who shared that he had to eat a lot each day in preparation for the role as he lost about 10 pounds during each performance . We found out later why.
 |
| Benedict Cumberbatch |
As you must know Dear Readers, "Hamlet" was written by Williams Shakespeare. Scholars think it was written sometime between 1599 and 1602. There are different versions of the play, but each one follows the main story line of a son in distress over the sudden death of this father, the King. Additionally within a very short time, (a month) his mother has married his uncle who is now the new King. Ah, the plot does thicken from there. Is revenge best served cold? Hamlet might not agree with that!
One of American's most famous early Shakespearean actors was Edwin Booth.
 |
| Edwin Booth as Hamlet |
The production was so intense and emotional. Benedict was excellent in this role as were all the other actors. The staging was inventive and often the actors on stage had to move tables and other things around to set up for the next scene. Benedict was part of the stage crew along with everyone else.
If National Theatre Live comes your way, do go see a production, you just might like it.
Amphibian Stage
The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth
No comments:
Post a Comment