Shakespeare’s longest play has also inspired countless re-tellings and starting next week in Vancouver, another version of Hamlet will be brought to the stage starting next week by Bowen-raised directors, Sam and Kailey Spear.
This production will include the usual slate of killing and other “unnatural acts,” but also include a dose of gender-bending, with Libby Osler, who recently returned to Vancouver after attending acting school in New York City, playing the handsome Prince Hamlet. Sam Spear says that the decision to cast a female-Hamlet was driven by the experience she and her sister have had since entering into the world of professional acting.
“We’ve found there’s a real lack of dynamic female roles,” she says, adding that the play is one of the sisters’ favourites. “The characters are so recognizable in today’s world. In our interpretation, we highlight the idea that the characters are constantly being watched. Prince Hamlet suffers from this because she is something of a celebrity, but in our world, everyone suffers from a heightened sense of being image-concious, to some degree – because of social media.”
During the play, a screen above the stage will display a “Twitter feed” that coincides with the play’s action.
“In our version, Hamlet needs to do more to get revenge than just kill her uncle, she needs to bring down his entire world,” says Spear.
As for why they wanted Libby Osler to take on the lead, Spear says that they wanted someone who could pull-off the air of “the young Prince” and also have the motivation to take on this challenging role.
“There are a lot of takes on Hamlet that look at him as a total psychopath,” she says. “I think Libby can help the audience see his humanity and vulnerability. Hamlet is a human being struggling through a really hard situation, and I think Libby can tap into that sense of love.”
Tickets to Sam and Kailey Spear’s production of Hamlet are on sale at brownpapertickets.com. The production opens October 29, and runs at The Shop Theatre in Vancouver.
