Faults

Yesterday, on the bus to Hamlet, we decided that theater class is where all the freaks are, all the psychos. I'm not sure if that's precisely true, but we do have some of the crazier people.

So we were trying to figure out what each of our psychological faults are.

"I'm hyperactive," said one boy.

"You're a drama queen," someone said to a girl.

"I'm hyperactive, I have concentration problems, and I am dyslexic," said another boy.

"And me?" I asked. "What's my psychological fault?"

"You?" they said. "You're American."

Well then.

Hamlet

 My theater class went to see Hamlet today.

It was at the Cameri Theater, which is one of the most famous theaters in the city. The theater in which the show was performed was really quite an interesting concept: it was not just a crowd and a stage; it was a crowd within a stage. The seats could spin all the way around, to enable you to see what was going on at all times. There was an aisle straight through the middle of the seating area and stages all around the room. They supported this idea with the notion that the audience is comprised of "the silent participants" and that this brings the crowd further into the production. Sometimes the actors would interact with us and even walk between the seats. One girl (incidentally another Shira) was sat on by Hamlet. There were huge fans of his in the crowd, who were all extremely jealous of her.

The production was a more modern rendition of the play; electronics and modern dress were part of the show. In one scene, Hamlet is wearing headphones, supposedly listening to something - but the headphones aren't plugged in to anything (this is just after he begins to go crazy), so he's just dancing to nothing.

I enjoyed it immensely; the acting was phenomenal, the monologues well-done. And there was comic relief. Always important.

You know what? Shakespeare really was quite brilliant.