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Royalty, servants, gravediggers, guardsmen, diplomats, thespians and conquerors alike flitted about the aisles of the Martel Theater on early Monday evening. The cast of the spring’s penultimate Drama Department production, William Shakespeare’s First Quarto of “Hamlet,” waited for their first dress rehearsal to begin as last-minute adjustments were made by the crew onstage and in the tech booth. One girl, dressed in a purple dress and sitting in a foldout chair, held a nervous looking white puppy. “That dog’s going to have a heart attack during the first show,” joked someone sitting behind her. Then Stage Manager Marya Bernosky’s ’12 voice floats out from the intercom: “Okay everybody, places for the start of the show!”
Five minutes later, a gentle but ominous prelude echoed out of the pits from the 10-piece musical ensemble. and the curtain rose on a pitch-black stage. Smoke wafts from the wings as a silhouetted figure emerges onto the performance space. His flashlight beam flits about the foggy darkness before he gets startled by another guardsmen and utters the first words: “Stand: who is that?”
Those familiar with “Hamlet” would already be surprised; the better-known First Folio of the play begins with the words “Who is there?” as uttered by Barnardo. From the get-go, it is evident that the First Quarto is not the “Hamlet” that so many have come to know and love.
“We were forced to go about treating ‘Hamlet’ as an undiscovered play,” said director Nate Silver ’10. “Lots of people know ‘Hamlet.’ This production allows some of the newness to come back to it.”
This version of “Hamlet” was discovered by scholars in 1823, long after what is known as the First Folio had achieved universal popularity. Where the First Quarto comes from is a controversial issue, but popular consensus is that the play is a transcript of a live performance. After learning about the First Quarto in one of his drama classes, Silver was attracted to a version of “Hamlet” that had been derived from the performance of actors: “I thought it was amazing that there was a performance-based interpretation,” said Silver. Silver also liked that the First Quarto would present a “Hamlet” that was unfamiliar to audiences, and that it was about half the length of the extensive First Folio.
“Last spring, Nate and I sat down to talk about project ideas,” said Mark Van Hare ’10, who composed the original score for the performance. “I had a few, but when Nate brought up ‘Hamlet’ I threw all of those out. I instantly knew it was what I wanted to do.”
The play became the Drama Department senior project for both Silver and Van Hare, as well as three members of the cast: Seth Biberstein ’10 as the King, Baize Buzan ’10 as the Queen and Jamie Watkins ’10 as the titular Prince of Denmark. As the ensemble began developing the project, they realized that they would have to let go of their perceptions about “Hamlet.” The play alters the backgrounds of the characters—Hamlet is about 10 years younger in this version—and includes a brand new scene between the Queen and Horatio, but the most salient difference is the dialogue itself.
“For the First Quarto, you have to do a lot of active forgetting,” said Silver. “The first thing people know about ‘Hamlet’ is the line, ‘To be, or not to be: that is the question.’ When that’s gone, they dislike it; they’re losing something they know.” Much of Hamlet’s first soliloquy is altered, other well-known lines such as “Never a lender nor a borrower be,” are missing altogether, and even others, like “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark,” appear in unexpected scenes.
Back in the dress rehearsal, the supernatural first scene draws to a close and the stage lights reveal the magnificent set designed by Charlie O’Malley ’11. Grandiose portraits of the royal family festoon the wall on top of a landing, which opens up to a grand staircase centered on the stage. The ornate staircase leads down to the stage floor, furnished with red carpeting, a platter with a half-eaten seven-tiered wedding cake and an elegant pushcart laden with liquor bottles.
“The question we asked with set design was: How do you create something that reads as a castle, royal and opulent, that can also be a watchtower or a graveyard?” said Silver of the magnificent set.
The costumes are as lavish and detailed as the set, and establish both the royalty of Hamlet’s family while also establishing the youth of the prince. “We chose costumes as a way to highlight generations,” said Silver. “What does our generation dress in, and what does their generation dress in?”
The answer is astounding, as is evident when the royal family and court descends the staircase (the Queen with the puppy in tow). Royalty and noblemen dress in sharp suits and dashing uniforms, while Hamlet’s friends dress in jeans, sweaters and sneakers. The prince himself alternates between the two; in one scene he is in a petticoat garnished with brass buttons and epaulettes, in another he wears a plain button-down shirt and Wittenberg University sweatpants.
Another key element of the performance is the music that plays off of the action onstage. The music was atmospheric and cinematic at times in the dress rehearsal, complementing the story and dialogue perfectly. For example, the pit ensemble holds a dissonant chord during a climactic fight scene that adds a delicious element of suspense.
“Music for theater shouldn’t stand on its own,” said Van Hare. “Nate and I agreed on this. It can be played in concert and be enjoyable, but it really shouldn’t be contained.”
Van Hare began formally composing the score to the production over Winter Break and has been working on it throughout this semester. “I do what professional composers do: get up, have some morning coffee and then just write,” said Van Hare.
The ensemble that plays from the pits features woodwind, string and brass instruments. “I got the best musicians in the school, and I have no hesitation in saying that,” said Van Hare. “It meant that the music developed from the musicians. Since they were the best, they could prepare more quickly and perform more difficult material.”
The project carries heavy significance for the seniors involved, since it not only marks their last full-scale production at Vassar, but also the last time they’ll be able to be involved in a project like it for a while.
“Knowing that this is the last time in a while that I’ll be able to do something on this scale, it’s a privilege,” said Silver, who plans on pursuing a career in direction after graduation. “It’s a great capstone, and it’s something I’ll be able to use in the future.”
As the curtain fell on the final scene of the dress rehearsal, there was applause, followed by giggling: The curtain couldn’t fall all the way because one of the dead bodies was directly under it. The actor was quickly flipped out of the way, and the play officially drew to a close. The rehearsal had seen other similar minor hiccups, but it’s nothing Silver and company are worried about: “It’s going to be a great show, no question,” said Silver.
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