Hamlet

One of Shakespeare’s most performed plays, Hamlet tells the harrowing story of the young prince of Denmark as he is surrounded on all sides by torment and tragedy, struggling with melancholy and madness. His noble father, a mighty King and a great warrior, has passed away quite suddenly, and his mother Gertrude has quickly remarried – to her late husband’s brother Claudius. After an eerie visitation from a spirit claiming to be the ghost of his late father, HAMLET becomes convinced that his father’s death was foul and unnatural, and that Claudius was the architect in a plot to murder his brother, usurp the throne, and win the love of Gertrude, taking her in marriage as his queen.

In his determination to expose the truth, and Claudius’ guilt, Hamlet finds himself alone in a world of shadows and doubts, betrayed by those he once trusted, forced to shut out those he once loved. Finally, when his own life is threatened, he realizes there might not be enough time to set things right.

Hamlet marks Trial By Fire’s tenth production, as well as their one-year anniversary as a mainstay company in the Eugene Theatre Community. The timing could not be better for their first foray into Shakespeare, allowing for a fine ensemble and a passionate artistic team to dig deep into Shakespeare’s revenge tragedy, exploring a world of panic, suspicion, fear, and paranoia. In a daring two and a half hour cut of the script, the play has lost several supporting characters and subplots, yet the heart of Hamlet remains intact. The setting and style has strayed from the usual pomp and pageantry of Shakespeare to a more minimalist approach, allowing for more focus on character development and the beauty of the language. The stakes are high, and the blood pumps fast and furious throughout this exciting new take on Shakespeare’s classic tale of murder most foul.