Reviews

Hamlet, the End of Childhood

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31 August 2010

The Zoo
4-30 August, 15.10

Performed entirely in French with English supertitles Thomas Marceul‘s one man show, Hamlet, The Loss of Childhood, was a more engaging and moving 80 minutes of theatre than I could ever have expected.

Lecoq trained, Marceul delivers a stunning performance using the words of Shakespeare to explore the emotions of a teenage boy trapped alone in his room whilst his family falls apart around him; his father dead, his mother already living with another man.

Interacting with the forgotten childhood toys he find in the room around him, with only the occasional interjection from the voice of his off stage mother, the playful nature of a teddy bear Horatio and a bright yellow clown mask as the skull of Yorick, was beautifully contrasted with the raw emotion displayed throughout the piece. The childish surroundings in which the piece was constructed gave this Hamlet a special vulnerability.

Marceul’s interaction with the toys around him proved that in the hands of the right actor, even the most unlikely of props can channel theatrical magic. This interpretation of Hamlet clearly demonstrated that some times, simplicity and spotless technique are all that is needed to deliver a mesmerising performance.