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Regional Reviews: Washington, D.C. Eddie Izzard in the Tragedy of Hamlet Also see Susan's review of As You Like It
Hamlet is among the best-known plays in the English language, but the full text runs about four hours and traditionally is staged with an enormous cast and elaborate scenic design. Izzard (who identifies as genderfluid and prefers she/her pronouns) has said that she created this streamlined performance to establish a direct link between herself and each member of the audience, the way the actors did in Shakespeare's own company, as opposed to relying on stagecraft and spectacle. Director Selina Cadell seems to have served more as a guide, letting Izzard find her own way rather than dictating the actions of the characters. The action takes place on Tom Piper's blank canvas of a set: a couple of walls, a door, and Tyler Elich's subtly shifting lighting design. Izzard uses few props to set the scenes, using her physical posture and elements such as mime to inhabit each role, incorporating both the familiar soliloquies and one-person "conversations" among the characters. Similarly, she never changes out of the single costume designed by Piper and Lily Da Costa: a flared jacket over a V-neck shirt, leggings, and knee-length boots. In addition to her shape-shifting ability in playing, for example, the traveling actors who visit Elsinore, Izzard brings a fresh awareness to some of the roles. With seeming ease, she takes on the authority of Claudius, who killed Hamlet's father and stole his throne and his queen, and the earnestness of Polonius, the sometimes long-winded court counselor and father of both distraught Ophelia and resolute Laertes, along with smaller impactful roles such as the Gravedigger. Eddie Izzard in the Tragedy of Hamlet runs through April 11, 2026, at the Shakespeare Theatre Company, Klein Theatre, 450 Seventh St. NW, Washington DC. For tickets and information, please call 202-547-1122 or 877-487-8849 or visit www.shakespearetheatre.org. By William Shakespeare Performer: Eddie Izzard |
