No Strings has been delivering important stories to South Australian audiences for decades, and has become a much loved and widely awarded institution. From the widely acclaimed Sons and Mothers to My War, a wide spectrum of human experience is explored with integrity and respect by this theatre company making theatre with and for people living with disability.
Their current production Hamlet the Loneliest is no exception, with the infamous troubled son returning home as a man grappling with his demons, to a community grasping to semblances of sanity and peace. This impressive work – which graciously for the audience only uses the tale of the tragic prince as a template – is deftly directed by Julian Crotti with dramaturgy by JW Smith. The show is bolstered by striking visuals and a perfectly timed soundscape, and a well-honed ensemble cast prove why they are some of our finest performers, generously supporting one another as they deliver a piece of theatre which moves effortlessly between dark humour, trauma, grief and desire.
The cast, featuring seasoned performers who reliably deliver moments of spontaneous hilarity, nuance and emotional depth deserve enormous praise. Singling out individual performances would be a disservice to the synergy of the cast.
Monologues are delivered with clarity and heart, wrenching sincerity, and moments of absurdly funny interactions about tangled relationships and mental health.
In less experienced hands, observing the complexities of lives shaped by mental illness and disability could fail dismally, but No Strings again manages to find the balance between light and shade, making a tangled plot plausible and profoundly genuine.
Every aspect of human nature is explored with courage, humility and an attention to the parts of us we try so doggedly to escape.
Watching a No Strings show is always a journey, and a pact between audience and company where we are asked to peel away our layers, accept discomfort and emerge with a sense of connection and question seeking.
Hamlet the Loneliest will long be etched into the collective memories of the sold-out audience, marking another success for this essential company.
DIRECTOR Julian Crotti
ASSOCIATE DRAMATURG JW Smith
COMPOSER Jason Sweeney
SOUND DESIGN Jarvis Papillo
LIGHT DESIGNER Cais Nitschke
ASSISTANT LIGHTING DESIGN Andrew Kelly
VIDEO ARTIST Emma Northey
STAGE MANAGER Isabella Bracco
ASSISTANT COSTUME DESIGN Meredith Lines
Additional composition of “My Own Fragility” Georgia Astride
SCENIC ARTIST Jennifer Crotti
CAST Duncan Luke, Michaela Cantwell, Naomi Matson, Ryan Rowland, Ridha Andary, Nick Bennett, Karl Lienert, with special guests Jane Miell Conlon and Jo Zealand
Hamlet the Loneliest
No Strings Attached
Directed by Julian Crotti
Slingsby’s Hall of Possibility 25-28 June
Tickets here: https://nostrings.org.au/listing/hamlet-the-loneliest/
Reviewed by Emily
Photos by Juha Vanhakartano
Upside Adelaide 