There’s no ‘alas’ about it. An adaptation of Hamlet results in a soliloquy.

Twice in recent weeks, Weekly writers have returned from a performance by New Canon Theatre gasping, the thrill of the experience evident in their prose.

Dave Faries here, observing that the roaming theater company’s summer is clearly off to an electrifying start. It was evident when digital producer Sloan Campi was moved to praise Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill. And it came through again in this week’s paper, as staff writer Agata Popęda reviewed The Tragedy of Hamlet.

From her account, the update of Shakespeare puts audiences on the edge of their seats. The casting and acting is exquisite, perhaps also a bit edgy. And the whole—well, I already borrowed “exquisite” from Popęda’s story.

New Canon is a nonprofit company purposely without a stage. Lady Day was held in an intimate space at Sunset Center in Carmel. Hamlet, on the other hand, turns the environs of the Blue Fox Cellars tasting room in Carmel Valley into the castles and fields of Denmark. Staging plays in unique locations apparently spurs their creativity.

Monterey County is fortunate to host several accomplished companies willing to unbind themselves from tradition. And as Popęda—and Campi before her—prove, reading a brief telling of the tale can be almost as enjoyable as being there, taking it in, immersed in the moment.

Almost. As features editor, I’m the first to see the stories after the writers hand them off. I can tell you the real tragedy is cutting some evocative passages, just so all the other evocative passages fit on the page. Still, it’s worthwhile to check out Popęda’s observations. And clearly, as she says, “it would be a mistake to miss this adaptation of Hamlet.”

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