394 Broadway in Tribeca is a far cry from the Globe Theatre. The sound and space theatre company offered a site-specific production of Hamlet on the 5th floor of this mixed-use building in a floor-through office.
I stood at the entrance of the building in the Tribeca section of Manhattan bordering Chinatown puzzling over which buzzer would signal the correct floor for the production of Hamlet I wanted to see. The advertising notice indicated the sixth floor but there were only five buzzers and none of them were well labeled. The first buzzer I tried was obviously the wrong one as the curt response I got let me know in no uncertain terms. Luckily, the second one was correct and I entered a small lobby where immediately before me to my left was a very narrow staircase and to the right, a tiny elevator with only button that said "Deliveries Only." I went ahead and punched it (after all, I was delivering myself to the fifth-not the sixth--floor). After a slow, bumpy ride up, the elevator door opened and I was greeted by a cheerful face who assured me I was in the right place. It was all somewhat clandestine feeling.
The production took place in a floor-through office with typical open work stations and a reception area.
By placing productions in settings for which they were not conceived, the implications of the work can become changed. Here, my mind immediately jumped to modern dramatic events involving a contemporary family dynasty embroiled in intrigue and betrayal. The scenario of Bernard Madoff came to mind the Ponzi schemer and his wife and their sons (one can just imagine an enlarged cast of wives, lovers, confidants, etc.), although of course the storyline is not exactly parallel--close enough for Shakespeare?
The production company, sound and space theatre, is a new theatrical group made up of up-and-coming young professionals. Though not on the level of seasoned thespians, they brought the energy and excitement of budding artists along with abundant evidence of solid training. The actors Nick Ciavarello (Hamlet) and Jared Warner (Claudius/Ghost) got into the skins of their characters quite well. The pacing was very quick and the dramatic architecture of the play was perhaps a little unfocused but the overall impression I took away from the production was quite positive. The play was also shortened, as is I understand almost always the case.
I look forward to seeing another production of Hamlet at The Tank soon.
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