Fringe Show Reviews

Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION

Hamlet

Written by: Written by William Shakespeare. Adapted by Frances Koncan. Music & Lyrics by Frances Koncan & Heather Thomas. Additional Lyrics by Devon Barker, Kristen Einarson, Rhys Harrison & Eddie Jeong Min Lee.

Presented by: Bananafish Theatre / Winnipeg, MB

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Our Rating: Your Average Rating:

07/17/2011 2:40 PM | Comments: 0

MTC Mainstage (Venue 1), to Sunday

Does the world need a musical version of Hamlet? The answer may not be a resounding yes, but there’s enough in Bananafish Theatre’s take on the matter to elicit a vigorous nod of the head.

Clocking in at under 80 minutes, we’re getting a bare-bones version of the melancholy Dane’s tale. But enough is left to keep the story intact and clipping along.

Thankfully, Winnipeg-born composer/director Frances Koncan has not chosen to set the play to music, but has instead written songs to punctuate the emotional arc of the story. They start off strong, with some intriguing chamber pop, but do lose a bit of steam along the way. And the university-age cast performs admirably, although not all have the vocal chops a musical requires.

This Hamlet is an ambitious work that bodes well for Koncan and cast’s future endeavours.

— Barb Stewart

Free Press review to come.

From the official Fringe Festival program:

A new musical inspired by the resurgence and evolution of the modern rock musical.

Featuring a young ensemble cast of performers who interweave an eclectic variety of vocal, instrumental and dance styles with an adaptation of Shakespeare's original text and propel it into the 21st century.

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Recommended For: General Audience

Length: 90 MIN

Tickets: $10

Warnings: Subject Matter, Language, Strobe Lights

History

Updated on Sunday, July 17, 2011 at 2:40 PM CDT:
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