The work of famed tragedy, comedy and drama writer William Shakespeare has lived on for over four centuries. A favorite of the Columbia Theatre for the Performing Arts, Aquila Theatre, has returned to put their twist on the classic “Hamlet.”
Shakespeare’s ability to bring real emotions to light by way of fictional characters will remain in the production.
“Shakespeare is good at profiling,” said Executive Director of the Columbia Theatre Roy Blackwood. “This is a fairly dark script. ‘Hamlet’ is an interesting production. It deals with rage, madness, love and death that is brought about by an obsession with the lead roles.”
On Saturday, Feb. 24 at 7:30 p.m., the Columbia will present Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.”
Blackwood considers the Aquila Theatre to be “extremely professional” partners.
He praised their alterations to the overall makeup of classic productions.
“They are always innovative in what they do,” said Blackwood. “They honor the original script and add their own twist on them. It’s the stagecraft. It will give you a unique perspective to the content of the script.”
Blackwood discussed the Aquila Theatre’s use of visual effects such as incorporating what looked to be an actor spinning 180 degrees on doorways, in order to bring life to classic scripts. He expects to see the same type of creativity incorporated on the set of “Hamlet.”
“The stage is going to look different than what people have seen before,” said Blackwood. “The unique and quirky things make it interesting and cause you to look at the content differently. You’re going to walk away with a different experience.”
Tickets for the production are $40 for loge seating and $30 for orchestra and balcony seating. For more information, visit columbiatheatre.org.
Blackwood encourages patrons to attend even if they are not familiar with Shakespeare.
“This is a fairly easy entree introduction into Shakespeare,” said Blackwood. “It’s pretty significant content. We haven’t done Shakespeare here in a while. I think people will be pleasantly pleased. I hope to see a large audience.”