麻豆影院

罢丑别听鈥檚 60th season is all about revisiting the same plays staged in its very first summer: 鈥淭he Taming of the Shrew,鈥� 鈥淗amlet鈥� and 鈥淛ulius Caesar.鈥� But no one said a reboot had to be predictable.

This summer鈥檚 鈥�,鈥� opening June 23 and running through Aug. 13, will be the ninth production in CSF history鈥攂ut it鈥檒l be the first to be staged indoors with a woman in the title role.

Why cast a woman as Hamlet? Director听听prefers to ask, why听not听a woman?

鈥淲omen have been playing Hamlet for hundreds of years, so this isn鈥檛 anything new,鈥� she says. 鈥淚鈥檝e seen dozens of men play the role gorgeously and I will again. I just really felt like giving this character a slightly different perspective and seeing what new revelations that would bring.鈥�

Female Hamlets听听to the early 1700s, when Charlotte Charke made a name for herself wearing pants both on the stage and off. The Victorians, who saw Hamlet as passive, pensive and effeminate, fully embraced the idea. And in the 20th century, the likes of Sarah Bernhardt, Asta Nielsen and Frances de la Tour made headlines and big statements with their unique portrayals of the Danish prince.

CSF鈥檚 21st-century contribution is听, who has been seen at the festival in 鈥淢easure for Measure鈥� and 鈥淭he Fantasticks.鈥� Locals may also have seen her at the听听in 鈥淎ppoggiatura鈥� and as Juliet in that other Shakespeare classic.

Howarth says she got the inspiration to cast a woman while watching the Olympic Games last summer.

鈥淚 was mesmerized by the fencers,鈥� she says. 鈥淥ne day I turned on the TV after the fencing had started, and I didn鈥檛 know whether the fencers were men or women. They have such similar vocabularies of movement, and I thought that was really interesting.鈥�

In Howarth鈥檚 mind, good fight skills are good fight skills鈥攕o she had no qualms casting two women to act out the iconic Hamlet-Laertes duel scene. She鈥檚 confident Klingaman, a taekwondo black belt, and听, an experienced fight specialist, can do the scene justice.

鈥淔emale actresses aren鈥檛 given that much opportunity to do fight scenes, even though they鈥檙e trained for it in school,鈥� Howarth says. 鈥淭his will be Lenne鈥檚 first opportunity to show off those skills in a major role.鈥�

In many ways, Howarth鈥檚 production looks toward the past as much as it does the future. Shakespeare noted in the script that 鈥淗amlet鈥� takes place just before the holidays, so Howarth opted for a snow-covered set inspired by Denmark鈥檚 eerie听. The costumes look sleek and Edwardian, as if in a nod to the era when Sarah Bernhardt committed Hamlet to film for the first time.

Genders, fights and costumes aside, Howarth believes the heart of 鈥淗amlet鈥� lies in its lead character鈥檚 relatability. Whether you鈥檙e a man or a woman, you鈥檝e probably felt the love, grief, betrayal and blinding rage Hamlet feels at some point in your life.

鈥淟ike Hamlet, we鈥檝e all been sad, we鈥檝e all been confused, we鈥檝e all made crude jokes, regardless of gender,鈥� she says. 鈥淯ltimately, what I鈥檝e discovered with this play is that people are people.鈥�

鈥淗amlet鈥� opens Saturday, June 24, with an audience preview on Friday, June 23, and runs through Aug. 13. Tickets start at $20. Buy them听online at听, over the phone at 303-492-8008 or in person at the CU Presents box office, 972 Broadway, 麻豆影院. The box office is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and is located in the University Club building on the CU 麻豆影院 campus.