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The Antaeus Theatre Company is producing “Hamlet” through Monday, June 20.
Shakespearean expert brings ‘Hamlet’ to Antaeus stage
E
lizabeth Swain knows Shakespeare. So, folks should believe when she says that Hamlet is not indecisive and the “to be or not to be” speech isn’t about suicide. A Shakespearean expert — scholar, director, actor — Swain is no stranger to the Antaeus stage, a place where they are committed to bringing classical theater to life. She last directed “Measure for Measure,” which had to close before the pandemic. Now, from Sunday, May 15, to Monday, June 20, she is directing Shakespeare’s most complex and transcendent play to their stage — “Hamlet.” The doomed prince of Denmark lives in a world where heaven and hell are real, where people believe in ghosts and the state of one’s soul was of prime importance. When he is visited by the ghost of his father — a ghost who comes to him from the depths of hell to tell him he was murdered by Hamlet’s uncle — he must choose between integrity and revenge. Swain said Hamlet wants to learn whether the ghost is telling the truth. If the ghost is lying, Hamlet will doom his own soul to hell. Once he learns through the play-within-a-play that the ghost was being truthful, he knows immediately what he must do. However, his uncle sends him packing to England. “Hamlet,” which Swain has cut down to two and a half hours, continues to be relevant even for those who do not hold the same religious beliefs as the young prince and his contemporaries. “He’s a young man who is facing great moral dilemmas in a totally corrupt world,” Swain said. “And he has to find his way to the truth. That’s a moral journey that he takes, and people can relate to that.”
The play is a serious tragedy of revenge. However, Swain said it’s filled with levity and is highly theatrical. “By (Hamlet) pretending to be mad, he actually produces an enormous amount of comedy,” Swain said. “Also, he has this whole thing with the play and the actors who come in. He tells them how to act. … The play has all of these theatrical elements, which is immensely interesting.” Add to that the 10 “fabulous actors.” “It’s a very collaborative process that we’re going through,” Swain said. “We’re talking a lot about what it means, and I take input from actors. I don’t tell them what to do all the time.” Swain has directed it twice before, once in the mid-’80s with an all-woman cast at Barnard College and again in the ’90s in Harlem with an all-Black cast. This time, she has what she calls a “jumbled up” cast. Playing the titular role is Ramón de Ocampo, who was also in Swain’s “Measure for Measure” and who has worked with her previously. “He is extraordinary,” Swain said. “He’s so constantly inventive. He’s a committed, charismatic actor, which is what you have to have for that role.” Playing his mother, Gertrude, and stepfather/uncle Claudius are the real-life husband-and-wife team of Veralynn Jones and Gregg T. Daniel. Swain met Jones when Swain came to Los Angeles in 2008 and Jones was looking for a director for “Medea.” A few years later, she asked Daniel to perform in “Master Harold and the Boys,” which she was directing in New Jersey. “They are very strong actors,” Swain said. “Gregg also works a lot as a director
Jenny Graham/Submitted
By Bridgette M. Redman Pasadena Weekly Contributing Writer
12 PASADENA WEEKLY | 05.19.22
PW-05.19.22.indd 12
5/17/22 3:58 PM