Review: A ROOM IN THE CASTLE at Folger Theatre

We know plenty about Hamlet’s interior thoughts – his troubles and concerns. He spews them forth in his soliloquies. But what do we know about the women of Elsinore? 

Lauren M. Gunderson’s thought-provoking and engaging A Room in the Castle makes its world premiere at the Folger Theatre in a co-production with Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. It delves into the women of the Danish court – the widowed Queen Gertrude who quickly married her brother-in-law, innocent young Ophelia – the prince’s intended, and handmaid Anna who looks out for and instructs the motherless Ophelia. 

A Room in the Castle ushers us into what is unfolding in the women’s lives concurrent with Shakespeare’s telling of the story centered on the Danish prince. We never see what is happening in Shakespeare’s narrative – instead we gain the back story of all that occurs elsewhere in Elsinore. 

Where the unraveling Hamlet asks, “to be, or not to be?” the women of Elsinore emphatically choose – to be. They seek power, agency, stability and constancy by joining together as women in an atmosphere of tumult, imbalance and lack of trust. Life in the castle is dangerous and confusing, particularly for women. 

The production, under the steady direction of Kaja Dunn, features three exceptional actors – Burgess Byrd as Anna, Oneika Phillips as Gertrude and Sabrina Lynne Sawyer as Ophelia. As they gather together in the small, private rooms of Elsinore, they share secrets and advice as they attempt to break from the threats and limitations that life in the castle imposes. Gertrude instructs Ophelia that her role is to obey, agree, assist. But we soon see that they can do more.

These dynamic actors – Byrd, Phillips and Sawyer – bring great depth, honesty and humanity to the roles. How lucky DC audiences are to see these three originate the roles in this world premiere.

Oneika Phillips is powerful and savvy as Gertrude. She is strong and shrewd. Yet she displays a surprising softness in her commitment to help young Ophelia advance and survive. She uses her assets – her body, her mind, her position, her knowledge – to secure her place at Elsinore and to help the others find footing. 

Sabrina Lynne Sawyer as Ophelia is a coltish, artistic, vulnerable teen who is increasing in danger as Hamlet devolves into mistrust and violence. Sheltered, naïve and with few allies in the castle, Ophelia gains strength from the other women.

Burgess Byrd brings a steadiness to Anna, who fiercely protects young Ophelia. Anna is not a named character in Shakespeare’s play – indicative of the many quiet women who don’t have an opportunity to “strut and fret [her] hour upon the stage.”

Gunderson’s script marries lightness and contemporary language with the weighty and enduring text of Shakespeare. This approach provides a timelessness and universality to the play. “This play dances and duels with Hamlet, foregrounding the women in the play and re-imagining them with agency, vitality, and radical hearts eager for a new ending,” explains the playwright. 

Nicole Jescinth Smith’s costumes demand attention and are nearly characters in their own right, particularly the powerful punch of Gertrude’s attire. From a powder blue gown that would have been just as appropriate on Jackie Kennedy to an imposing ball gown that reminds us of Evita Peron’s Rainbow High (I'm their product, it's vital you sell me/So Machiavell me, make an Argentine Rose). These women, too, have discovered soft power fashion diplomacy. These power suits contrast with Anna’s functional garb and the teen choices Ophelia sports – kilt and knee socks, a sweatshirt of kittens, a purple plaid slanket that only a madwoman would wear. 

Samantha Reno’s scenic design deftly uses a vertically split space to separate Gertrude’s place in the castle from Ophelia’s. The castle wall allows for brief projections (by Robert Carlton Stimmel) to indicate what is happening in Shakespeare’s Hamlet that’s always out of our view. Max Doolittle’s lighting and Sarah O’Halloran’s sound complete the lush, high-quality production elements. 

A Room in the Castle was selected among the most exciting theater to see around D.C. and New York this spring by The Washington Post’s Naveen Kumar. The show, indeed, delivers. 
Although the Folger Theatre is more commonly associated with 400-year-old texts, this is a wonderful new work. Certainly A Room in the Castle will be revisited by other theatres with many productions to come – Washington audiences have a lucky opportunity to experience its premiere. 

A Room in the Castle is a fresh look at a story we thought we knew – and demands that we reconsider the tale from other viewpoints. The well-paced story is engaging and infused with humor. 

Runtime: 85 minutes with no intermission 

A ROOM IN THE CASTLE by Lauren M. Gunderson, directed by Kaja Dunn is produced by The Folger Theatre with the Cincinnati Shakespeare Company. It runs through April 6 at the Folger Shakespeare Library, 201 East Capitol Street SE, Washington, DC 20003. For ticket purchases, performance times and special performances, visit the Folger Theatre website: https://www.folger.edu/whats-on/a-room-in-the-castle/.

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