What a chunk of labor is Eddie Izzard. The primary time this critic skilled the inimitable Brit holding courtroom in San Francisco, the self-described “action transvestite” was a riotous snort machine, giddily pivoting from James Bond lampoons to Stonehenge musings within the absurdly hilarious “Dress to Kill.”
Now the gender-fluid grand dame is again in a solo “Hamlet,” a brisk dash by way of the enduring Shakespearean tragedy.
Alas, there’s little room on this tragic masterpiece for Izzard’s signature model of lacerating wit. Absent that standup vibe, the live-wire stream-of-consciousness advert libs for which she is rightly revered, Izzard feels far much less electrical on stage.
Bedecked in black leather-based, she shimmies by way of all 23 elements on this solo present, in a streamlined adaptation by Mark Izzard that’s a bit too briskly directed by Selina Cadell.
Whereas Izzard vamps up a storm right here, sporting effortlessly stylish cherry-red lips and nails, lots of the roles really feel lower than fleshed out. These unfamiliar with the play might lose the thread on this iambic marathon as Izzard madly dashes from side to side, making the primary act drag.
The Bard is definitely enduring sufficient to face as much as myriad interpretations of the textual content however the theatrical aesthetic isn’t sharp sufficient right here to penetrate the poetry absolutely.
The portrait of the melancholy Dane himself lacks gravitas, alas, which undercuts the existential energy of the play. The frantic tempo additionally conspires in opposition to the depth of ardour. The ill-fated Ophelia will get brief shrift right here, as does the Queen.
It’s within the comedian moments that this “Hamlet” shines brightest. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern tickle the humorous bone as dueling hand puppets. The snarky gravediggers make for excellent mirth telling individuals to “bugger off.”
Even Izzard’s transient epilogue, charmingly dedicating the efficiency to a fellow thespian, crackles with extra verve than essentially the most well-known of soliloquies. Clearly there’s one thing amiss within the state of Denmark.
Contact Karen D’Souza at karenpdsouza@yahoo.com.
‘EDDIE IZZARD HAMLET’
Offered by American Conservatory Theater
By way of: April 20
The place: ACT’s Strand Theater, 1127 Market St., San Francisco
Working time: 2 hours 5 minutes, one intermission
By way of: April 20
Particulars: $78-$127; www.act-sf.org
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