Hamlet, The Mill Theatre

Mill Productions continue their journey through the Shakespeare cannon with Hamlet in this dark, brooding and tough take, directed by Geoff O'Keefe, that draws you in, and for the main, is compelling. From the start, the truly excellent projections create a wonderful mood and tone, helped by the greys of the sheer, stark, large set onto which the King's ghost emerges, with Hamlet reaching out before rain falls over him, establishing the father-son connection from the outset. 

This mood travels into the opening scene with the guards and Horatio seeing the ghost for themselves and bringing Hamlet to view the apparition. Here, the ghost - the projections now a film, and the ghost speaking back to both us and Hamlet - places the idea of revenge into  Hamlet's mind, following the marriage of Hamlet's Uncle to Hamlet's mother, Queen Gertrude, weeks after the death of his father; a fact Gertrude points out reasonably enough while the new King and Polonius discuss Hamlet's 'madness'. To some it is madness, but with perhaps method to it. It is Polonius who points this out, but this Polonius is less plotter and conspirator, and more servant-counsel, barely tolerated by the King.

Shane O'Regan give an intense, very physical performance, creating some laughter with his pretence of not being in charge of his own mind, something that swings back and forth, and emerging into more violent and disturbing moments with Gertrude, and before that his assault on Ophelia, and when he leaves, she approaches the King and her father, only to be told to continue on her way while they plan the next stage in dealing with Hamlet. It is harsh and cold treatment, but Neill Fleming's King is calculating and manipulative throughout, bringing in the help of Rosencrantz and Gildenstern - perhaps made more famous by Tom Stoppard - and the use of Laertes, son of Polonius and sister of Ophelia, in a tempered performance from Matthew O'Brien

An issue with Hamlet is that there are so many well known lines in it, to give them a new spin, or bring new interpretations, is not as easy as it might sound. But in Hamlet's 'what a piece of work is man', there is such a moment, it is delivered finely, and with thought and reflection, and in many ways a turning point in the play. The heightened language of Shakespeare becomes clearer following it, as if everyone is taking something out of it, and lets us enter into the world well. Declan Brennan as the player delivers his lines as if they were being spoken for the first time, showing a huge understanding and awareness of them, and is a joy to watch.

Another joy to watch is Kris Mooney's lighting design that moves throughout and gives wonderful moments, particularly the tragic end scene. Here the fight that is gritty, a feature of the whole production. It is a pity the costumes at times are a little bit mismatched, when sometimes simpler is better; some are good, the army style for some characters, or in the funeral scene, others could be rethought.

In all, there is a lot going on here, with an excellent cast, and enough movement to keep it compelling and draw us in, while perhaps a number of moments, stances and positions, including visual jokes, fall a little flat. Having said all this, it runs smoothly, using the space well and keeping things brooding throughout, with some inventive ideas, that in the end gives something that is satisfying, and a great way of bringing the play to life for Leaving Cert students.