Show: 16
Title: Hamluke
Category: Comedy / Drama / Puppetry / Kid friendly / Literary adaptation / Shakespearian elements
By: Nightfall Productions
Written by: Brad Erickson
Location: Rarig Thrust
Summary: The story of Shakespeare's Hamlet as told with the characters from Star Wars.
Highlights: Like The Book of Morder, this is a mashup that really makes sense and is cleverly done (written and directed by Brad Erickson, who also plays a few minor roles). But unlike The Book of Mordor, I'm really only familiar with half of this mashup. I've definitely seen Hamlet on stage more often than I've seen Star Wars movies or shows. I may have missed some of the references (there were several times when everyone laughed and I didn't know why), but I still enjoyed it and could appreciate the thoughtfulness that went into the character pairings (Darthius = Darth Vader + Claudius, Opheleia = Ophelia + Leia, Landocrantz = Lando + Rosencrantz, etc.) and coalescing of plot points. The lines feel like Shakespeare, including all the Hamlet greatest hits, but with Star Wars words and references thrown in. The cast is fantastic, with lots of familiar faces including but not limited to: Dylan Rugh, so beautifully earnest as Hamluke that I'd love to see him play Hamlet, except I'm afraid some of the Star Wars words would slip in, so similar, yet different, are the lines; Duck Washington as Darthius with the iconic breathing; Jay Melchior as the cocky Laersolo (casting Han Solo as Leia's brother making the flirting a bit weird); and Clarence Wethern as multiple characters include Polyodius with the cutest Yoda puppet in an Elizabethan costume. A soundscape of live music played by two musicians on various stringed and other instruments really adds to the storytelling and make it feel more special. The whole thing is so thoughtfully and cleverly created, including props and set pieces, much of which I probably didn't even catch. But even if you're not a Star Wars (or Shakespeare) person, it's a really fun and well done show.
