Gertrude (Lydia West) and Hamlet (Adanya Koger-Hobson). Photo by EG Photography.
The reputation of “Hamlet,” no matter where, how, or in what style it is presented, precedes it. If you haven’t acted in it yourself, seen a production, or read it in school, you’ve probably seen “The Lion King,” quoted “To be or not to be,” or seen the film with the title “What Dreams May Come.” Producing “Hamlet” is its own challenge. It is likely that an average audience member will probably know at least one line, or that some may even have large portions of the play memorized. For Shakespeare aficionados, a production of “Hamlet” is expected to be sharp and polished, yet careful and introspective, to understand what has come before, but bring something new to the table. This is a heavy burden to carry, particularly for smaller productions such as Baltimore Shakespeare Factory’s (BSF) current version, directed by Lauren Romagnano.
…built by some clearly passionate people with some intriguing ideas…an interesting theatrical experience…
BSF places the Danish prince and his quest to avenge his father in a small auditorium of a North Baltimore church. It is staged semi-in-the-round with universal lighting, heavy audience interaction, and, according to their website, genderless casting (although, the vast majority of the most prominent roles are cast in a typically gendered fashion).
The play’s costume design is somewhat confusingly mixed. For instance, Ophelia (Autumn Koehnlein) is dressed in generally historical dress with elements from the 16th-18th centuries, while Horatio (William Darden Jr.), in a plaid button-down over a t-shirt, looks like he could have just walked in from the street outside. The costuming choices reflect the larger, confused tone of the production. As one of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedies, it is well-known for its melancholy mood, but numerous comedic bits scattered throughout each scene (even the final scene) distract from the stakes of madness, death, and grief. There is certainly room for comedy, and Steven Day, in the particularly comic roles of Rosencrantz and the Player Queen, is quite appropriately adept at creating laughs. But there are times the comedy in this production felt misplaced and antithetical to the text.
As individuals, several of the actors display compelling characterizations. ReginaGinaG is a refreshing Polonius, striking a sympathetic balance between disaffected, bumbling old man and overbearing, loving father. Fight choreography by Melissa Freilich is well-executed by Adanya Koger-Hobson as Hamlet and Derick J. King as Laertes, with rapiers and all. Fiona Nealis brings an unrivaled energy to the stage in several smaller roles, each of which she takes on an entirely new demeanor. Nealis’ conquering of the text is the most complete in the cast.
The performance as a whole contained some line mishaps and confusing textual choices which obscured the meaning of some scenes. Unfortunatley, none of the relationships between these characters came across as well-defined. Some of Romagnano’s cuts to the script also made the relationships harder to pin down. This caused the individual performances to exist in a vacuum at times, without any reception from the other actors.
BSF’s “Hamlet” is built by some clearly passionate people with some intriguing ideas (more than once, an actor made a choice which I had never seen in any version of the play). However, it suffers from a lack of cohesion and production identity, seemingly in an attempt to be Elizabethan and modern at the same time (Ophelia’s “Bonny Sweet Robin” song is replaced with several, contemporary pop songs).
There are many more fun moments than a typical production and more opportunities to laugh, which does make for an interesting theatrical experience, if one sets aside the productions they might have seen before. It is also entertaining to be able to see audience members on the other side of the stage. It was fun to view the play as a joint experience with other audience members and find joy in their reactions to the play.
Running time: Two hours 30 minutes with one 15-minute intermission. Arrive early to catch musical performances from the cast before the show.
Advisory: Depictions of violence and death.
“Hamlet” runs through August 17, 2025 presented by Baltimore Shakespeare Factory at The Church of the Nativity and Holy Comforter, 6112 York Rd., Baltimore, MD 21212. For more information and to purchase tickets, please go online.
