ED2015 3/5 Reviews ED2015 Theatre Reviews

Hamlet (A One Man Play) (Alfredo Padilla)

By Megan Wallace | Published on Saturday 22 August 2015

Alfredo Padilla’s highly ambitious, energetic endeavour delivers mixed results. ‘Hamlet’ in under an hour and with only one actor was never going to be easy; tellingly, the other one-man ‘Hamlet’ at the Fringe this year is a comedy. Nonetheless, Padilla’s performance achieves a lot in the short time available, conveying the depth and breadth of his acting range. While he has successfully chosen the most important parts of the text and has worked in the most famous lines, his adaptation feels overly condensed and would be too confusing for someone not familiar with the original. Ultimately, however, Padilla does what is most important – demonstrates a real feeling for the words of Shakespeare.

Spotlites, until 22 Aug.
tw rating 3/5 | [Megan Wallace]