“It’s as if Hamlet were taken out of the context of the play, dropped into the 20th century and his mind exploded,” said Heather Denyer, the show’s director. “What’s onstage is what’s going on in his mind.”
The play uses William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” as a medium to examine issues in today’s society like feminism and technology. It also takes on timeless questions such as the insignificance of the individual and suicide.
“This play makes you take a step back and say, ‘Where’s the moral being of society?'” said Denyer, a Speech senior. “‘Where’s the moral being of man?'” This postmodern play takes a very abstract, radical look at troubling issues, rather than exploring a singular theme through one plot line.
The main characters are Hamlet, Ophelia, Gertrude, Claudius, Horatio and Fortinbras – all part of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.” The only character who does not appear in the traditional “Hamlet” is the very sexual Electra, a character of Greek mythology and drama.
“She is the embodiment of the strong female spirit,” said Speech freshman Aaron Smyth, who performs the role of Hamlet. Electra is one of the characters who personifies the current of feminism that runs through the play.
“I think Hamlet sees himself as inherently weak,” Smyth said. “The women are the strong ones.” He said that his character spends much of the play actually being afraid of the women because of their violent revolutionary feminism. In fact, Hamlet actually arrives at the point where he says, “I want to be a woman.”
Feminism is just one of the issues that the play examines. The layers and themes are so numerous that people may come away with different impressions, from Marxism to brainwashing to the role of activists versus intellectuals in the 20th century.
“The more and more you dissect it, the more things you get out of it,” said Medill freshman Hadley Bentgen, who plays Electra.
Denyer has managed to create such depth in “Hamlet Machine” because she has been studying it for a year. She has traveled to Berlin and New York researching the play and will write her senior thesis on it. But she said that directing the play is a very different experience from reading it. The members of her cast find performing the play to be a constantly evolving process
Denyer hopes that though the audience may not digest all aspects of the play, it will spark ideas and conversation. “It’s a very explosive play in every way.”
But audiences should look beyond the plot and the script when searching for meaning. The set and costumes also contribute significantly to the symbolism in the play. Denyer said that these fluid, solid-colored costumes represent water, wind and fire.
The natural look of the costumes contrasts with the extremely industrial appearance of the set. Slide projectors are used as luminary effects, projecting disjointed parts of the Shakespearean “Hamlet” text on the stage, backdrop and characters. The sound effects in the play also enhance the themes. In the background during much of the play will be musical snippets, such as jazz during playful parts and industrial sounds during more serious parts.
“It’s such a surreal soundtrack, it completely fits this show,” Smyth said. nyou
