A Review of "Hamlet," the 'First' Version

I had a chance last night to watch a staging of William Shakespeare's "Hamlet" at the American Shakespeare Center (formerly Shenandoah Shakespeare- a title I liked a lot more) in Staunton, Va. The unusual thing about this version is that it was the rarely staged 'first quarto.' The play, along with other productions at the theatre, run through March 24. The troupe is also performing Shakespeare's "Pericles," which takes place in Antioch (modern day Antakya, Turkey).
In an explanation in the program for "Hamlet," the theatre's executive director Ralph Alan Cohen said that playwrights in Elizabethian England wrote plays for performance as opposed to publication. When it seemed that a play might sell in print, someone from the theatre would take the play to a printer in a single edition called a 'quarto.'
"Hamlet" was originally written in 1603, but the 'newer' version of the play, which is the one usually performed, was published in 1623 after Shakespeare's death.
I found the performance to be typical Shenandoah Shakespeare fare, and perhaps just slightly better than productions I had previously seen with them. Formerly a touring-only company, Shenandoah Shakespeare performs plays with 'the lights on,' no direction or set and surprisinly lots of modern costumes.
Benjamin Curns gave a good performance as the lead Hamlet. Curns was particularly good at the end during the play's fencing sequence, and his performance showed a full range of depth and emotion. James Keegan was also impressive as the King of Denmark. Keegan is a published poet and has taught English at the University of Delaware. He had a commanding presence throughout the play. There were two African-American actors in the cast who also gave outstanding performances (sadly, not something you see every day in theatre outside major metro areas), including Rene Thorton Jr. (Horatio), who played the title role in "Othello" for the company last fall, and Susan Heyward who was delightful as the tragic figure Ofeila.
Among the alumni of Shenandoah Shakespeare is Uzay Tumer, a fellow Turkish-American, who has become a 'celebrity waiter' in New York since appearing as a regular waiter in the reality tv-show "The Restaurant."

For more info on "Hamlet" and the other plays in Staunton, one can go to:

http://www.americanshakespearecenter.com