Fools for Tragedy's Dynamic Take on 'Hamlet'

Fools for Tragedy opened its debut production over the weekend with In My Mind's Eye, a postmodern reconstruction of Shakespeare's Hamlet. The production design seemed like a cross between emo and goth punk, as the talented ensemble crafted the classic story into an explosive, dynamic experience at the Alchemist Theatre. It comes as no surprise that this one-weekend-only performance sold out all three shows.

The character of Hamlet played out over a range of six actors, with each portraying a different part of the tragic hero's personality. Internal struggles manifested as cleverly realized dialogues between individual actors. At the center of it all was Jordan Gwiazdowski as the central anchor Hamlet. Andrew Parchman, with overwhelming gravity, performed as Hamlet the Masque, the one instrumental in playing on the conscience of the man who killed his father. Four very talented women, in stylish, dark costume and makeup, stepped in for the other portrayals of Hamlet. Jennifer Gaul was a brilliantly disjointed Hamlet the Fool and Amber Smith played the vengeful Hamlet the Blade. It was refreshing to see dynamic women give life to different psychological components of Hamlet.

Abbreviated from the traditional script, In My Mind's Eye still managed a great deal of intensity. The physical aspect of the story was better than that of most big-budget productions of Shakespeare. Moments that don't normally play out on a physical level gave rise to brutal physicality. The result was extreme drama that could have been too much had it not been handled with such stylish moodiness.