Well, IT WAS INCREDIBLE! Seriously...the best theater I have seen since I was in London. After the first scene, I wanted to truly rate Jude Law's acting ability and not get swept away by his overall aura.
And I just take a quick second to say how awesome my seat was...I was on the Orchestra Left side 2nd row...(I know!)...AND, lucky for me...Jude Law played most of his scenes Stage Right anyway! So...I go to be up close to him a lot!!! Ok, ok...brag time is over...
Truly, truly though the production was amazing!
I will go over all elements:
Scenic Design - Stunning! It was this immense concrete-building-like structure that provided moving door ways, dark crevices, and alley ways for the lights to shine in...
Lighting - Wow! The lighting provided the perfect means to highlight each character and moment exquisitely. The scenic design was a perfect match with the lighting design. When the massive doorways were parted, the lighting then established the mood of each scene.
Sound - The underscoring of this production, was brilliant! Also, there were moments when fabric came flying down in sync with a beautiful rolling of music.
Costumes - I loved that for the most part it was modern dress. The pieces were simple in design and all had a color scheme of dark grays, purples and black. This helps make moments more important when light-colored clothes were used.
As far as the cast...I could not take my eyes off everyone. All the actors were brilliant and fully developed. Not only did Jude Law capture the audience with his persona and stage presence, but he also showed us how he works on stage. Through the course of the play, he developed into the Hamlet that slowly becomes insane. Also, I was thrilled that there was so much humor in this production! It is important to laugh amongst all the drama involved with a son avenging his father's death. Plus, the cast was beautiful! All the key players and the side characters were great! I believed in the relationships, love, deceit, revenge, friendship, etc. Everyone was truly stunning to watch. From Claudius to Polonius, from Gertrude to Guildenstern, from Hamlet to Ophelia, from Horatio to the Players. I give this performance a big A+!
And the best part...I got to get a picture of Jude after the show! :)
