Arts & Entertainment
Hazards of performing ‘Hamlet’ outdoors
Maryland Renaissance Festival offers range of entertainment
By CAROLYN SPEDDEN
Tackling what is arguably Shakespeare’s greatest tragedy would be a daunting task for any director and ensemble of actors. But performing “Hamlet” in an outdoor environment where a hurricane pelts rain on you during your first performance and horrific humidity follows for the next show, might send even the most devoted thespian scurrying back to the comfort of a castle in Denmark.
“Outdoor performance is really about survival as much as it is about being heard. After opening with a hurricane this year, that couldn’t be more apparent,” notes Graham Pilato, a Washington actor playing Horatio in the Festival’s production of “Hamlet.”
While the Renaissance Festival presents edited versions of classic plays each year, this 100-minute edition of Hamlet is the most ambitious so far — not least because the play is so famous.
Jack Powers, who plays Hamlet in the production, had to deal with that from the start. “You try to ignore the renown of the speeches and only try to pick up on the big thoughts in them, not the larger-than-life status of the speeches themselves.”
Director John Sadowsky also had the daunting task of editing Shakespeare’s longest play into two 50-minute acts. “I approached the job as telling the story in as simple, direct and entertaining a way as possible. First and foremost, I wanted to tell the basic story of Hamlet’s conflicts and revenge.”
And how does one approach one of the most iconic roles in theater? For Sadowsky, his view of the role changed at auditions. “I was going to go with the traditional 30-something, who just prefers to stay in and around his college until called back to Elsinore to assume the throne. But I saw something really special in Jack’s audition and decided to go with the 20-year-old Hamlet, a real college student who is genuinely pissed off at not succeeding his father and who could be goaded into action by the ghost of his father, real or imagined. He isn’t any more indecisive than any other 20-something and we can clearly see his vengeance plot take hold. I think our Hamlet is someone that young people in the audience can identify with, even those without uncles who killed their fathers and married their mothers. He has more fun in him and I hope people will see him sympathetically.”
The play is presented in two acts, beginning at 1 p.m. each day at the festival’s Globe Theatre. In addition of their roles in Hamlet, Pilato and Powers also do improvisational work in the pathways, directly connecting with the audience.
“For street work, it’s about gauging the audience to know what sort of bit to perform with them, to really make some quick judgments about what they might prefer to have me say or do, says Pilato. “I’m a huge fan of what we do. Being able to help provide that depth and wonder to audiences makes me really happy. It’s also lovely to have an opportunity to work and play with some really awesome talents — I’ve learned a lot about clowning, classical theater, voice and movement and improvisation in the company of these great folks.”
Director Sadowsky, who also performs at the Festival, agrees. “Audience interaction, the improvisation and sustaining a character for very long periods of time have tremendously helped my acting in more traditional theaters the rest of the year. I can easily handle anything that could go awry in live theater because of my experience in the Renaissance Festival.”
Absolutely. Because after performing in a hurricane, a drafty theater is a piece of cake.
The Maryland Renaissance Festival runs weekends until Oct. 23. For more information visit marylandrenaissancefestival.com.
The 2026 Mr. Mid-Atlantic Leather competition was held at the Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill on Sunday. Seven contestants vied for the title and Gage Ryder was named the winner.
(Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
Theater
Voiceless ‘Antony & Cleopatra’ a spectacle of operatic proportions
Synetic production pulls audience into grips of doomed lovers’ passion
‘Antony & Cleopatra’
Through Jan. 25
Synetic Theater at
Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Klein Theatre
450 7th St., N.W.
Synetictheater.org
A spectacle of operatic proportions, Synetic Theater’s “Antony & Cleopatra” is performed entirely voiceless. An adaptation of the Bard’s original (a play bursting with wordplay, metaphors, and poetic language), the celebrated company’s production doesn’t flinch before the challenge.
Staged by Paata Tsikurishvili and choreographed by Irina Tsikurishvili, this worthy remount is currently playing at Shakespeare Theatre Company’s Klein Theatre, the same venue where it premiered 10 years ago. Much is changed, including players, but the usual inimitable Synectic energy and ingenuity remain intact.
As audiences file into the Klein, they’re met with a monumental pyramid bathed in mist on a dimly lit stage. As the lights rise, the struggle kicks off: Cleopatra (Irina Kavsadze) and brother Ptolemy (Natan-Maël Gray) are each vying for the crown of Egypt. Alas, he wins and she’s banished from Alexandria along with her ethereal black-clad sidekick Mardian (Stella Bunch); but as history tells us, Cleopatra soon makes a triumphant return rolled in a carpet.
Meanwhile, in the increasingly dangerous Rome, Caesar (memorably played by Tony Amante) is assassinated by a group of senators. Here, his legendary Ides of March murder is rather elegantly achieved by silver masked politicians, leaving the epic storytelling to focus on the titular lovers.
The fabled couple is intense. As the Roman general Antony, Vato Tsikurishvili comes across as equal parts warrior, careerist, and beguiled lover. And despite a dose of earthiness, it’s clear that Kavsadze’s Cleopatra was born to be queen.
Phil Charlwood’s scenic design along with Colin K. Bills’ lighting cleverly morph the huge pyramidic structure into the throne of Egypt, the Roman Senate, and most astonishingly as a battle galley crashing across the seas with Tsikurishvili’s Antony ferociously at the helm.
There are some less subtle suggestions of location and empire building in the form of outsized cardboard puzzle pieces depicting the Mediterranean and a royal throne broken into jagged halves, and the back-and-forth of missives.
Of course, going wordless has its challenges. Kindly, Synectic provides a compact synopsis of the story. I’d recommend coming early and studying that page. With changing locations, lots of who’s who, shifting alliances, numerous war skirmishes, and lack of dialogue, it helps to get a jump on plot and characters.
Erik Teague’s terrific costume design is not only inspired but also helpful. Crimson red, silver, and white say Rome; while all things Egyptian have a more exotic look with lots of gold and diaphanous veils, etc.
When Synetic’s voicelessness works, it’s masterful. Many hands create the magic: There’s the direction, choreography, design, and the outrageously committed, sinewy built players who bring it to life through movement, some acrobatics, and the remarkable sword dancing using (actual sparking sabers) while twirling to original music composed by Konstantine Lortkipanidze.
Amid the tumultuous relationships and frequent battling (fight choreography compliments of Ben Cunis), moments of whimsy and humor aren’t unwelcome. Ptolemy has a few clownish bits as Cleopatra’s lesser sibling. And Antony’s powerful rival Octavian (ageless out actor Philip Fletcher) engages in peppy propaganda featuring a faux Cleopatra (played by Maryam Najafzada) as a less than virtuous queen enthusiastically engaged in an all-out sex romp.
When Antony and Cleopatra reach their respective ends with sword and adder, it comes almost as a relief. They’ve been through so much. And from start to finish, without uttering a word, Kavsadze and Tsikurishvili share a chemistry that pulls the audience into the grips of the doomed lovers’ palpable passion.
Out & About
Love board games and looking for love?
Quirk Events will host “Board Game Speed Dating for Gay Men” on Thursday, Jan. 22 at 7 p.m. at KBird DC.
Searching for a partner can be challenging. But board games are always fun. So what if you combined board games and finding a partner?
Picture this: You sit down for a night of games. A gaming concierge walks you through several games over the course of the night. You play classics you love and discover brand new games you’ve never heard of, playing each with a different group of fun singles. All while in a great establishment.
At the end of the night, you give your gaming concierge a list of the folks you met that you’d like to date and a list of those you met that you’d like to just hang out with as friends. If any two people put down the same name as each other in either column, then your gaming concierge will make sure you get each other’s e-mail address and you can coordinate a time to hang out.
Tickets cost $31.80 and can be purchased on Eventbrite.
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