Review: DREAM IN HIGH PARK - HAMLET at Canadian Stage

A summer in Toronto is not complete without spending a night under the stars at the High Park ampitheatre watching a performance by Canadian Stage. For Dream in High Park this year, CS brings back Hamlet with a highly acclaimed cast including Qasim Khan as Hamlet, Beck Lloyd as Ophelia, and Stephen Jackman-Torkoff as Horatio. 

One of William Shakespeare's most beloved productions, Hamlet is a tale of political intrigue and familial betrayal with the troubled Prince of Denmark at the fulcrum riddled with exhistential dread regardling life, death, and revenge. Khan's portrayal of Hamlet is enigmatic and magnetic. He captures attention when he takes the stage in both his explosive outburts as well as his still moments where his silence cuts like a knife. 

Ophelia, daughter of Polonius, sister of Laertes, and Hamlet's potential wife, has always been a fascinating character and one I've always paid close attention to. Lloyd takes on the character with aplomb, in particular with portraying Ophelia's descent into madness. Her trait of singing to herself as a coping mechanism while in distress is a delightful touch.

Likewise with Jackman-Torkoff as Horatio, Hamlet's trusted friend and confident. A wise and grounded man, one needed to keep Hamlet's feet firmly planted. Though Jackman-Torkoff's biography describes him as a wandering poet, travelling painter and lover, he plays the solid rational mind to Hamlet's outburts to great affect.  

A significant part of the joy of experiencing Dream in High Park is the setting of the High Park ampitheatre while lounging outdoors on picnic blankets as the sun sets. The lighting team headed by Logan Raju Cracknell have carefully taken the gradually changing time of sunset into consideration and adjusts their lighting accordingly to ensure that all parts of the performance are properly lit.

Costume and set designer Joshua Quinlan has designed a multilevel set that blends seamlessly into the surrounding foliage of the park while the costumes are muted also blending in with the surrounding green but not subdued. The costuming for the Ghost is a definite stand out.

Hamlet plays as part of Dream in High Park until September 1 so there's plenty of time to make your summer in Toronto complete with Shakespeare under the stars. 

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