Women Playing Hamlet

New Theater is currently presenting "Women Playing Hamlet" by William Missouri Downs as part of the National New Play Network's "Rolling World Premieres" series.

Downs' play tells the story of Jessica Bisset, a Minnesota-born New York City actress who has been cast as Hamlet in an upcoming production of Shakespeare's play of the same name. Jessica is a neurotic character with low self-confidence, but with the help of acting coach Gwen and a variety of other characters, she finds herself and the courage within to take on the role.

In the role of Jessica, Susie Kreitman Taylor manages to convey the self-centered but completely unassuming actress perfectly. She brings the character to life in a way that is realistic and we never see her "acting." It is a difficult role and Taylor handles it well.

Kitt Marsh plays the role of Gwen, former actress turned drama coach. In a wig that is reminiscent of Angela Lansbury and with her beautiful diction, Marsh is the epitome of a classy, classical actress. The character of Gwen has some of the best and most memorable moments of the script and, even though she is a harsh task mistress, she is one of the most likable characters in the show. Marsh's performance is solid from the beginning to the end.

The other characters in the show, be they male or female, are played by the four other actress in the company, Melissa Ann Hubicsac, Rebecca Jimenez, Francesca N. Toledo and Vanessa Elise. These actress play three to four different characters each over the course of the evening and each actress manages to make her characters separate and unique.

Downs' script, while not perfect, is an enjoyable piece of theater. Its inherent weakness is that if you don't know a lot about theater in general and the play "Hamlet" in particular, you won't get many of the jokes or references. This is a "theater person's" piece of theater.

That being said, Downs makes a lot of funny theatrical references and makes witty use of Shakespeare's words throughout the course of his play. There is also the running joke that nearly every character in the play has a Masters of Fine Arts in Acting. This joke, however, becomes a little tiresome by the end of the evening.

"Women Playing Hamlet" is filled with incidental trivia about Shakespeare and Hamlet as well as a funny bit about ornithology. It is, over all, a charming play with a nice message about self-discovery and self-invention.

Director Ricky J. Martinez did a fantastic job with this play and this cast. All five actresses give well balanced and professional performances in their roles and the ensemble feels complete as a whole. The pacing of the show was brisk and never seemed to lag and the comedy was pulled off with near perfect timing.

The set by Stephen E. Davis is assembled out of shipping pallets and power point presentations. It was simple and effective and gave the actresses several different levels to play from. The costumes by Marcia Kreitman ranged from attractive and realistic to hysterically comical.

At the same time as this production, "Women Playing Hamlet" will also be premiering at the Unicorn Theater in Kansas City, Missouri and the Gamut Theater in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

"Women Playing Hamlet" runs through April 26 at the South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center, 10950 SW 211th St. in Miami, FL 33189. For tickets and information, call 786-573-5300 or visit new-theatre.org.