Typed from the L.A. Times article appearing in today's Calendar Section
Thank you, Bette, for the heads up! My only other comment is OHMYGOD!!!
Something rotten indeed, forsooth
"Hamlet" at the Tamarind falls into that category of purgatorial theater--a production so dreadful that a poor playgoer will surely receive comp time in the afterlife for merely sitting through it. From beginning to end, it is a royal pain in the arras.
Note to Francesco Vitali, who plays Hamlet (and happens to be the Tamarind's artistic director): Next time you mount such a blatant vanity production, try Neil Simon. It's easier to ad lib in contemporary English.
Speaking of English, the Greek-born Vitali has an accent so thick you can cut it with a rapier, complete with a Schwarzenegger "s" that he adds liberally where it doesn't belong ("Lady, shall I lie in your laps?"). Instead of rectifying that liability through projection and enunciation, Vitali proceeds to gulp his lines like a drowning man. Half his speeches are incoherent, and those that are roughly comprehensible are butchered. ("What a piece of work is the man.")
Unfortunately, the problem isn't confined to the star. Line amnesia and slurred speeches are rampant. A few performers manage to tread water in the vicinity of the shipwreck, but all hands are eventually dragged to muddy death.
Director Aaron Mullen has scads of reputable credits, but he can't stem the tide of disaster. This "Hamlet" is notable for its enormous advertising budget, evidenced by the big glitzy posters seen about town. That money would have been better spent hiring vocal coaches.
--F.K.F.
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"Hamlet," Tamarind Theare, 5919 Franklin Ave., Hollywood. Wednesdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m. Ends May 30. $25-$35. (323) 465-7980. Running time: 2 hours, 45 minutes.[/font]