The terms realism and expressionism dominated theatrical design in the 19th and 20th centuries, but in Shakespeare’s time they didn’t exist, and nowadays they seem like something of a false dilemma. In an age where most blockbuster films are conceived simultaneously to deliver hyper-real CGI and totally unrealistic stories and characters, there’s no easy bellwether…
I’ve been thinking about skulls. My three-year-old son is into anatomy books and puzzles, so there are more skeletons hanging around the house right now than there were last Halloween. Each time I see one, it reminds me of Hamlet (not that I need reminding). And each time I think about Hamlet, I think about…
I’ve performed in one-man plays. I’ve seen a one-man Hamlet. I’ve… enjoyed?… the film work of character actor Gary Busey. I just never thought these sentences would all make sense appearing in the same paragraph. Today’s “Wonderous Strange” spin on the Big H is the brainchild of David Carl, a New York actor who impersonates…
MARCELLUS: Horatio says ’tis but our fantasy, And will not let belief take hold of him Touching this dreaded sight, twice seen of us: These are the first three lines of a seven-line verse speech — the longest single bit of dialogue thus far in Hamlet. Go, Marcellus! It’s also the point at which Shakespeare…
