Eddie Izzard's breakneck solo 'Hamlet' opts for cracking good storytelling over subtlety

To beryllium oregon not to be, that is the question for a solo mentation of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.”

Eddie Izzard, the wry, gender-fluid British comedian who came to attraction with a watercourse of observational drollery that picked distant astatine communal sense, takes connected the full teeming tragedy. This Shakespearean traveling show, present astatine the Montalbán Theatre successful Hollywood done Saturday, is simply a daredevil feat of memory, theatrical bravado and cardio fitness.

As a spectacle, it’s arsenic exhilarating arsenic it is exhausting. The thrill of seeing a fearless, indefatigable performer single-handedly populate the signifier with the myriad figures of this masterwork ne'er lets up. But fatigue can’t assistance mounting successful erstwhile it becomes wide that this marathon play volition beryllium delivered successful the broadest of strokes.

The plot’s the happening for Izzard, who brought a solo mentation of Charles Dickens’ likewise sprawling “Great Expectations” to the stage. Izzard has won praise arsenic a melodramatic actor, excelling successful plays by David Mamet and Peter Nichols, but present seems contented to instrumentality to story-time mode.

The striking facet of this “Hamlet,” directed by Selina Cadell connected a bare stage, is conscionable however straightforward it is. There are fewer scenic accouterments different than immoderate fabulously eerie lighting, suspenseful dependable effects and heavy-handed underscoring. Izzard’s costume, evening deterioration built for battle, had maine imagining Margaret Thatcher astatine Studio 54 successful the aboriginal 1980s.

The adaptation by Mark Izzard (Izzard’s member who besides adapted “Great Expectations”) strives to cram successful arsenic overmuch of the play arsenic possible, adjacent if it means that for agelong stretches Izzard indispensable present Shakespeare’s lines astatine breakneck speed. A structurally remodeled “Hamlet” with a minimalist bent would person made much sense. But that would necessitate an interpretive imaginativeness that the cuts, rearrangements and distracting instances of rewording neglect to supply.

Greeting theatergoers astatine the commencement of the performance, Izzard advises that if anyone has travel nether the mistaken content that this is simply a caller drama act, the clip to flight is now. No 1 seemed to heed the charming warning.

Izzard, who has a inheritance arsenic a thoroughfare performer, feels a kinship with Elizabethan players, who similar stand-up comics, maintained a lively rapport with their audience. This “Hamlet” isn’t a dainty matter but a colorful onslaught meant to reanimate a cracking bully tale.

But a plot, nary substance however engrossing, can’t enarthrosis the load alone. A well-known communicative needs a caller constituent of view. The novelty present is simply a performer investigating physical, intelligence and logistical limits. But arsenic “Hamlet” revivals go, there’s not overmuch penetration to beryllium gained from this Herculean undertaking.

The drama bits enactment best. Izzard treats Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Hamlet’s aged buddies sent to spy connected him, arsenic sock pockets (minus the socks). The banter betwixt Hamlet and the gravedigger allows for the benignant of witty wordplay that is Izzard’s stand-up stock-in-trade.

Claudius comes crossed arsenic a sinister puffed-up phony. Polonius isn’t truthful overmuch a pompous aged fart arsenic a preeminent courtier anxious not to suffer his privileged status. Horatio, who tin admittedly get mislaid successful the woodwork, hardly registers.

But Izzard has a mode of making the movers and shakers astatine Elsinore look arsenic acquainted arsenic workplace colleagues. The ghost, connected the different hand, who speaks successful a creepy monotone, is similar a relic of a agelong defunct amateur troupe.

Gender is nary obstruction for Izzard, who uses she/her pronouns and has added the sanction Suzy (though for this “Hamlet,” the billing is simply Eddie Izzard). Gertrude ne'er rather comes into focus, but the pathos of Ophelia, maddened by grief, is enhanced by the elemental yet forceful mode Izzard helplessly pounds her chest.

Hamlet, unsocial connected stage, is what astir of america retrieve from our outings with the tragedy. Izzard is truthful verbally adept that possibly I expected excessively overmuch from the soliloquies. The “To be, oregon not to be” monologue came crossed arsenic a rhetorical acceptable portion that Hamlet has been polishing for ages. There’s a small excessively overmuch manus jive successful different speeches. The affectional meaning of Shakespeare doesn’t request to beryllium manually conducted.

But it’s not casual to prolong an interior strength erstwhile acting successful isolation. Izzard indispensable surge and replenish her show connected her own. The self-generating powers connected show are awesome to witness. Even successful a bulky genu brace, Izzard goes each retired successful the last enactment duel betwixt Hamlet and Laertes.

By this constituent audiences mightiness beryllium tapping into their ain reserves. Izzard deserves a medal for diversion effort, but what I’ll retrieve astir are a fewer passing moments successful which the melodramatic poesy was illuminated with an mundane realism that made the much than 400 years separating our satellite from Shakespeare’s look similar nary region astatine all.