A New Revenge Noir: Hamlet
CRACKLING WITH INTRIGUE, Ensemble Theatre Company’s production of Hamlet promises an innovative new take on the world’s greatest play by the world’s greatest playwright. Timeless, an iconic tragedy of betrayal, vengeance, and madness, Hamlet remains forever the archetype of a gripping thriller.
Director and adapter Margaret Shigeko Starbuck brings both a passion for and notable experience in Shakespeare’s repertoire, having directed Henry IV Parts I and II, Measure for Measure, and Richard II. “What I love about these plays is that when they’re performed well, it’s completely clear, and the stories and the characters and some of the poetry is so relatable and so prescient and so sort of achingly familiar, I think, to us as a contemporary society, and a contemporary audience,” she shared in a telephone interview.
A collaboration between Starbuck and actor Will Block, who is playing Hamlet, this adaptation will be an ETC premier. The text will remain Shakespearean faithful, but Starbuck views the canon as mutable, and not enshrined above adaptation. “Whenever I direct Shakespeare, I approach it really collaboratively,” she explained. “You know, I hone what story I’m trying to tell with each production, and then I invite the cast and production team to also contribute, to the storytelling, and in the table work. I really approach it as a collaborative-like adaptation process with the cast, creative team, and the text.”
While the drama centers around a family, Hamlet draws from a world where political ambitions prey upon corruptible people—which gives it a relevancy and a sharpness that feels palpable. Set in what Starbuck is calling “Nordic noir,” (icy, dark, brooding, and brutalist) the royal family here is contemporary, very dysfunctional, and wrapped up in very high-stakes royal machinations. Power structures are rapidly changing around Hamlet, which makes grieving the death of his father more complicated—not to mention his father’s ghost, beseeching his son to avenge his murder.
Block, who has played a few other Shakespearean leading men (Romeo, Richard II), has found the appeal needed to bring Hamlet to today’s audience. “While the circumstances that Hamlet finds himself in are not universal, the questions that it sparks in Hamlet really are,” he said. He is excited to step into the Tragic Prince’s shoes.
“What’s really fascinating about Hamlet, even though it is a revenge thriller and a revenge drama, is the character himself, the questions and the conflict of the play have
far less to do with whether or not Hamlet is going to avenge his father’s murder, and far more to do with his own central journey, far more to do with him just coming to terms with himself as as an adult.”
Starbuck concurred, “I think as you age and gain maturity, sometimes that anxiety lessens
a little bit just because you have so much more life experience behind you that you have more reference points to look back on.”
Although a tragedy, she maintained that there is a sense of resolution in this adaptation, intent on reframing Hamlet with a new lens on the young man’s arc: from agony and anxiety to acceptance, from “To be or not to be” to “Let it be.”
When asked about the production at ETC, Starbuck said, “It’s been a wonderful experience. I think it’s been a great combination of feeling supported, but also feeling like I have a lot of creative agency. And the design team for our show is really fantastic, and the cast is, like incredible. So I’m really excited to be working with this team and this theater.”
Block added, “Santa Barbara’s got a really special theater. Artistically, I’m excited. And then also the community that’s at ETC, both in the admin offices and on stage and the backstage crew, they’re just some of the best people that I’ve ever worked with in my life.”
The rest of the cast, as Block put it, are “seven heavy hitters.” Jono Eiland (As You Like It at Santa Cruz Shakespeare) plays “Horatio,” Matt Foyer (The Comedy of Errors at Oregon Shakespeare Festival) plays “Polonius/Captain/Gravedigger,” and Rafael Goldstein (Julius Caesar and Henry V at A Noise Within ) plays “Laertes/First Player/Barnardo.” Sammy Linkowski (The Secret Garden at the Ahmanson) plays “Marcellus/Orsic/Guildenstern/Priest,” Corey Jones (The Book of Mormon on Broadway) plays “Claudius/Ghost,” Paige Lindsey White (Fallen Angels and Christmas at Pemberley at ETC) plays “Gertrude,” and Ana Nicolle Chavez (Under a Baseball Sky at The Old Globe) plays “Ophelia/Francisco.”
The “Nordic noir” production design team includes scenic design by Yuki Izumihara, lighting design by Michael Rathbun, sound design by John Zalewski, costume design by Denitsa Bliznakova, and properties design by Jenna Scordino. The dramaturg is Ward LeHardy and the production stage manager is Kristal Georgopoulos.
“As we bring Hamlet to life on our stage, we’re embracing the timeless power of Shakespeare’s words while exploring the depths of human ambition, betrayal, and resilience in our modern world,” said Scott DeVine, ETC’s executive artistic director. “This production is a bold, intimate journey into the heart of one of the greatest stories ever told.”
Producers for Hamlet are Frederic and Nancy Golden. Associate Producers are Scott and Edie DeVine, with Joan Rutowski and Simon and Euzetta Williams as Supporting Producers. Dana White is ETC’s Visionary Producer for the season.
Hamlet previews on Thursday, February 6th at 7:30pm and Friday, February 7th at 8pm; opens on Saturday, February 8th at 8pm and runs through Sunday, February 23rd, at 2pm at The New Vic.
