While the opening night performance was anchored by a committed ensemble, the production is challenged at times by sightline and audibility issues.
The company’s name, Unchained Theatre, suggests an interest in approaching familiar material without undue restraint, and its opening night production of Hamlet reflects that ambition.
The company took on one of Shakespeare’s most demanding plays in the intimate Assembly Theatre. The evening was affected by the heat in the room, though the venue kept the air conditioning running and the Assembly provided audience members with complimentary water, pop, and popsicles. A class act.
Hamlet can benefit from an intimate setting, particularly in scenes of private grief, surveillance, and confrontation. At the same time, the play requires a sense of political scale and ceremonial consequence.
Following the death of King Hamlet (Brody Burrill), Claudius (Jack Burrill) assumes the throne and marries Gertrude (Bethany Hoy-Radford), the widow of his brother and mother of Hamlet (Sam Cranston). When the ghost of Hamlet’s father appears, he tells Hamlet that Claudius murdered him and urges his son to seek revenge. Hamlet’s response draws in Ophelia (Tate Cook), Polonius (Reuben Stewart), and Laertes (Tom Lute), whose lives are increasingly shaped by the court’s secrecy, grief, and violence.
The play’s themes of corruption, murder, deceit, revenge, and forgiveness remain central here, with the production emphasizing the personal cost of political wrongdoing.
Under the co-creative direction of Jack Burrill and Brody Burrill, the youthful ensemble brings clear energy and commitment to the material.
The contemporary setting and modern dress help keep the staging accessible and often brisk. Entrances and exits are managed with little pause, an important consideration for a production running approximately three hours and ten minutes with intermission. Kafka Roposa carries significant design responsibilities, including the suggestive regal set, lighting, sound operation, costumes, and props.
The co-direction generally sustains the production’s momentum. The grave-digger scene lands with comic clarity, the confrontation between Hamlet and Gertrude has force, and Julius Cho’s fight choreography gives the final sequence shape and intensity.
Some staging choices, however, create sightline problems. Hamlet’s early entrance to pray at a kneeler is a strong visual idea, but from some seats the moment is difficult to see. A similar issue arises during “The Murder of Gonzago,” when Hamlet asks Ophelia to let him place his head in her lap; depending on seating, the audience’s view of this important exchange may be blocked.
Audibility is also a concern. The air-conditioning unit, necessary on a very warm evening, occasionally competes with the actors’ voices. Early dialogue about the ghost at Elsinore is especially difficult to hear, and the opening scene at times feels rushed. Clearer enunciation and stronger projection would help the text reach the full house without requiring the actors to shout.
Among the performances, Jack Burrill brings a commanding presence to Claudius, while Brody Burrill gives weight to the wronged King Hamlet. Bethany Hoy-Radford’s Gertrude registers as a figure caught in circumstances she does not fully understand. Tate Cook’s Ophelia has a gentle stage presence, though some of her dialogue is affected by the audibility challenges. Reuben Stewart presents Polonius as kindly, and Tom Lute gives Laertes a volatile edge as the tragedy closes in.
In the title role, Sam Cranston carries the production’s central burden with focus and conviction. Cranston’s Hamlet moves convincingly through uncertainty, anger, grief, and moral inquiry, and the “to be or not to be” soliloquy is delivered with seriousness and clarity.
Unchained Theatre’s Hamlet continues through August 30 at the Assembly Theatre, 1479 Queen Street West. According to the company’s website, the August 30 performance is sold out, with tickets listed for August 29 at 1:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. For ticket availability: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/hamlet-tickets-1988863648712?fbclid=IwY2xjawT-aiJwZG9mAWV4dG4DYWVtAjEwAGJyaWQRMWV5MUU2N3IyTkxYamNGVVFzcnRjBmFwcF9pZBAyMjIwMzkxNzg4MjAwODkyAAEefjOhOqL4CmQLTrbKQYnE6OoTV_FPvJtg-d61iif4U7qg1WMesXHW7gmcSvc_aem_iCpPhInneSLncEvK9m9N1A
The performances take place at the Assembly Theatre, 1479 Queen Street West.
Running time: approximately three hours and ten minutes with one intermission.
UNCHAINED THEATRE presents
Hamlet by William Shakespeare
Production Team:
Lead Creative / Dramaturge: Jack Burrill
Assistant Lead Creative / Lead Marketer: Brody Burrill
Producer / Production Manager / Stage Manager: Reuben Stewart
Set / Prop / Costume Designer / Lighting and sound Technician: Kafka Roposa
Fight Choreographer: Julius Cho
Sound Design: Alec Sumners
Performers:
Hamlet: Sam Cranston
Claudius: Jack Burrill
Gertrude: Bethany Hoy-Radford
Ghost / Grave Digger / First Player: Brody Burrill
Ophelia: Tate Cook
Laertes: Tom Lute
Polonius: Reuben Stewart
Horatio: Micah Stevens
Rosencrantz / Bernardo/Grave Digger: Cobourn Sands
Guildenstern / Francisco: Yixuan Chen
Marcellus / Rodrigo / Player Queen / Osric: Andrew Wright
