“A little more than kin, and less than kind.”

There’s only a short time left to check out The Lantern Theater Company’s production of Hamlet (its run has been extended through May 17), but I highly recommend you do, even if you aren’t that into Shakespeare. In fact, especially if you aren’t, because this production may just change your mind.

This interpretation of Hamlet is a very witty take on the Bard, taking many opportunities to turn the play into a comedy. (I for one loved the inappropriate Gertrude and Claudius make out sessions.) This works seamlessly, not distracting from the otherwise depressing aspects of the show (I would argue that, knowing Shakespeare’s audience and the fact that he left us little to no stage directions in his works, the reason this works so well is because he probably intended that there be more funny moments in his plays then modern critics believe . Pull out your copy of Macbeth, for example, and read it as a comedy. It works, doesn’t it?)

The acting is pretty superb. Every single cast member completely blew me away. Ophelia’s (Melissa Dunphy) performance nearly moved me to tears. And Hamlet (Geoff Sobelle) – wow. Not only is he capable of doing acrobatics I have never seen outside of Cirque du Soleil, but his performance was stunning.

Yes, I said acrobatics up there. It was a high energy Hamlet, with a lot of climbing and jumping and throwing women to the floor and mounting them (true story). I loved the action. It brought a new life to the show that has been done to death over the past few centuries.

My only complaints about this Hamlet are minor. It’s setting was listed in the playbill as “in the past,” which allowed some characters to walk around in Medieval dresses, some in WWII uniforms, and let Hamlet dress like Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It didn’t really take anything away from the show, but it  didn’t add anything either – it just left the audience a little confused. I also disagreed with some of the interpretations, but I can’t fault anyone for thinking differently than me (again, Shakespeare left little stage directions. Whose to say for sure that Gertrude drinks to save her son or merely because she’s thirsty?)

In short, go see Hamlet. I promise it won’t feel like high school.