THE TRAGIC ROMANCE OF HAMLET & OPHELIA, A Dramatic Reading by Theatre Nervosa

By Mary Boyle

​When I think of Milwaukee actor, director, and playwright Maya Danks, I can’t help but think of Shakespeare.  I first saw her in the title role of Titus Andronicus with Voices Found Repertory in 2018, then as Helena in their 2021 production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, not to mention a couple seasons of Shakespeare in the state parks with Summit Players Theatre.  Clearly the girl likes Shakespeare.  In fact, she likes it so much that she did the next best thing to writing it: she created an adaptation utilizing Shakespeare’s words from over 20 of his works to flesh out the tragedy within a tragedy and created a whole new play, The Tragic Romance of HAMLET & OPHELIA, which underwent a staged reading April 6th and 7th at Dandy in Milwaukee.  Being a fellow fan of the Bard, I had to check it out.

Produced under the auspices of Theatre Nervosa, Hamlet & Ophelia imagines the deeper story of the relationship between Hamlet and Ophelia from Shakespeare’s Hamlet by borrowing language from his other works to create new scenes.  While the bulk of the story is still Hamlet, Hamlet is no longer the star of the show and, more importantly, Ophelia is no longer a footnote to the story; no longer just a meek young woman being pushed about by the men in her life, but a full character in her own right.  By reframing the story around the couple’s relationship, the play behaves more like Romeo & Juliet, and we are given a better explanation for Ophelia’s descent into madness and, ultimately, her death.

Directed by Danks, the cast featured several Summit Players Theatre alumni, including Caroline Norton as Guildenstern and others, Joe Picchetti as Claudius and the ghost of King Hamlet, and Matthew Torkilsen as Rosencrantz and others.  A.J. Magoon, the co-producer, is also a founding member of Summit.  Rebekah Farr was splendid as Hamlet and I couldn’t imagine a more stunning Ophelia than Grace Berendt, whose beautiful voice made me imagine a full production with more music, played live by the actors on stage.  Susie Dueker was a convincing Gertrude, Adam Qutaishat a solid Laertes, and Thomas Sebald brought a lively amount of humor to the reading with his portrayal of Ophelia’s father, Polonius.

Dandy, a vintage shop and event space located at 5020 W Vliet Street in Milwaukee, was an excellent venue for the reading, with an abundance of mid-century style and sophisticated ambiance.  I would love to see the same cast in a full production, because they were truly perfect together.  As a fan of Shakespeare, I found it fun to recognize the lines from other plays and I liked that the story was more streamlined and fast-paced than a full production of Hamlet; however, as a Shakespearean purist, I’m still not sure how I feel about the slightly altered ending to the play.  That being said, I can hardly argue with finding another way to enjoy Shakespeare so, when this play moves into a full staging, I hope to be in the audience on opening night.
​
Congrats to Maya, A.J., and the cast on a well staged reading!  I look forward to seeing more from Theatre Nervosa.