Due to complex plots, characters and language, Shakespeare’s works can be off-putting. There’s a reason why studying them in high school is looked upon as a daunting task.
However, Shakespeare’s plays don’t have to be intimidating. Such is proven in local youth theatre group The Company of Adventurers’s all-girls production of Hamlet, which played at The Gladstone Theatre from May 16–18, and embraced a modern refresh of the timeless tragedy.
Photo by Natascha Sekerinski.
In Elsinore, Denmark, the play follows Prince Hamlet in the wake of his father’s death. Upon encountering his father’s ghost, Hamlet swears revenge upon his uncle, Claudius, who married Hamlet’s widowed mother and took over as king.
In embedding its modern silliness, The Company of Adventurers’ Hamlet took its liberties, especially with energetic Nora Labonté and Islie Pringle as Hamlet’s former schoolfellows, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. The duo played with a Ouija board—which spelled out “The King,” revealing the deceased King Hamlet’s ghostly presence—and a cootie catcher which warned them of an authority figure’s suspicious motives (applicable to both Hamlet and Claudius).
Nora Labonté and Islie Pringle as Rosencratz and Guildenstern. Photo by Natascha Sekerinski.
These sprinkles of newer references eased the events of the story and provided moments of humorous levity. You also couldn’t help but chuckle during the sillier modernizations, like Frank Sinatra’s “Strangers in the Night” setting the tone during an early dance scene.
Also providing a fresh twist to the source material, Morgan Sugars-Keen was a tortured Hamlet, both distraught and lively when need be. As Hamlet sets the scene for the staged play to reveal Claudius’s involvement in the king’s murder, Sugars-Keen was a jaunty emcee with a piercing layer of cunningness, willing her character’s plan to work. Sugars-Keen navigated Hamlet’s descent into madness with increasing hasty gestures and laboured breaths.
Morgan Sugars-Keen as Hamlet. Photo by Natascha Sekerinski.
Elizabeth Kile’s Polonius, a misguided courtier but loyal father to Laertes (a swaggering Colleen Sanders) and Ophelia (a tender Neila Pringle) was a welcome bit of comic relief. He humorously pulled large dice and multiple decks of cards out of his son’s school bag, and Polonius’s use of walkie-talkies and codewords whilst spying on Hamlet with Claudius (a rightfully suspicious Abigail McGhie) added a layer of comedy to the conniving scene.
Ultimately, the Company of Adventurers’ attention to detail is what makes Hamlet a more interesting production of Shakespearian work.
The sets, particularly an elevated cemetery tucked in the back corner, backdropped by dead trees with a hole in the ground for a coffin, were meticulously crafted. Sound effects — an eerie woosh for the late king’s spirit — were also intelligently queued. Even more so enthralling, many actors expertly played instruments throughout the show: a violin, guitar, trumpet and even a recorder sung splendid tunes whenever the scene required.
Scene from A Company of Adventurers’ Hamlet. Photo by Natascha Sekerinski.
In staging Hamlet, the Company of Adventurers was loyal to the themes and events of their source material, while also making room for creative liberties to appeal to a modern crowd. What emerges is a dutiful production with contemporary flair, breathing youthful energy into the centuries-old play.
Founded in 2011 by English professors Cynthia Sugars and Paul Keen, The Company of Adventurers is based in Old Ottawa South. Every year, the youth theatre group stages a production of a Shakespeare play, with actors between the ages of 11 and 22. Hamlet performed at the Gladstone Theatre from May 16–18. Upcoming performances of Hamlet will be performing at 57 Glen Avenue the following days:
- Saturday, June 1, 6:00 pm
- Sunday, June 2, 2:00 pm
- Friday, June 7, 6:00 pm
- Saturday, June 8, 2:00 pm
- Sunday, June 9, 2:00 pm
These performances are outdoors and weather dependent.
