The UCF production of Hamlet was certainly respectable.  I would recommend seeing another of their Bard productions.  Hopefully there will be many more to come.  Although by no means was it comparable to a production by the UCF-Shakespeare Festival, this company of players obviously had strong, creative direction by Roberta Sloan.   The army of staff available for the season's ten productions clearly provided the show a significant advantage over other local theater productions. 

The troop selected a futuristic, "Matrix"-like motif where the world of Shakespeare's Denmark was plunged into dark blue and gray hues.  Every player had lights affixed to helmets and clothing that enhanced movement about the subterranean castle.  (Think long black flowing Neo coat.)   Shadows and whispers filled the stage as actors moved deliberately about the stairs and bleachers designed to replicate castle ramparts.  The aforementioned lights were directed in a way as to illuminate each actor’s face and create an eerie white glow.   The soldiers were dressed in uniforms of a post-apocalyptic state (ala "Dune") in what really looked more like X-game motocross meets "Batman Begins" ninja style.   The creative idea did however work well and it wasn't too campy or overdone.   On a few of the scenes showing the whole company (Ophelia, Claudius and Gertrude) I was very much reminded of "Matrix Reloaded" and the underground city of Zion.   

One brightly creative spot worth mentioning was turning the players into robots.  Although awkward at first, it wasn’t long before the mechanical movements and intermittent speech felt comfortable.  One drawback here is that after the show, Gary commented that he hadn’t realized they were supposed to be robots.  This should have been made a bit clearer. 

Ed Whitney did a commendable job as the original tortured bad boy and very much looked the part.  He had great facial expressions that drew you in.  At times, he sounded a bit strained and I began to wonder if the stage needed better microphones.  Ed was best when playing the quietly contemplative side of the role.   Also impressive was Lisa Bryant as Gertrude.  She was smooth and relaxed and obviously felt right at home even during her emotional bath scene.  The weakest performance was that of Regina Fernandez as Ophelia.   Admittedly Ophelia is a difficult role; as are so many of the Bards leading ladies.  Regina and many of the actors lacked depth.  For most of the troop it seemed they had two modes, either on or off, with little emotion in between.   Well, after all I’m comparing them to favorites Timothy Williams and Eric Hissom and really that is not a fair assessment.

 All in all, the job was respectable and certainly worth the $15 price of admission.  This troop is recommended for those die-hard Shakespeare fans like me or for an academic assignment.  I would not take a newbie to see one of their performances.  Instead, newbies would be reserved for the UCF Shakespeare Festival where I can be assured to get a convert.