CHENNAI: Hamlet — one of the most popular tragedies that William Shakespeare has ever written. There is not one reader who would not go either depressed or heart-broken reading the story of Hamlet. But what if the entire story of Hamlet turns to be funny instead? Evam, the five-year-old theatre company, based in the city made the audience laugh their guts out with the play, The Spoof of Hamlet at the Chinmaya Heritage Centre on Sunday.
Actors, Karthik Kumar, TMK (Karthik Srinivasan) and Susham (Sunil) got into different roles, characters, costumes and performed what is called a T20 version of Hamlet. Portraying eight characters in just about an hour, it was a laugh riot. Introducing William Shakespeare as a man married to Anne Hathway, a man who invaded Poland and was into poaching, to giving out punch dialogues like Ellam Pugazhum Iraivanuke (ARR acceptance speech during the Oscars) by Hamlet, it was a humourous play that no one but Michael Muthu could have directed and none but Evam could have performed best on stage.
With dramatic lighting and music, the play also saw audience involvement, with one of the girls in the crowd being chosen as Ophelia, Hamlet's ladylove. Involving the rest of the audience to shout out dialogues was just more than memorable for all present for the evening.
Enacting the characters, Hamlet, Gertrude, Polonius, Ophelia and Laertes, who all got a whacky new look, made even those without much knowledge about the original Hamlet tragedy, have a hearty laugh.
The scene of Ophelia drowning, is something one can't forget. Holding a small cup of water and pouring it on his head, to show as if Hamlet is drowning, TMK's antics were hilarious to watch. He also played the role of Hamlet's mother Gertrude, who dies drinking poison. Hamlet finally dies in the play and all the three actors re-enacted the play faster with the main scenes alone and again with more swiftness and finally showed the audience how it is to watch the play in the reverse order. Just when they thought they would stage the play sideways, they concluded their show. The play will be staged again for the next six months.
tejonmayam@epmltd.com