By Brandon Nguyen
Madness. Fear. Revenge. All those come to mind when watching Huntington Beach High School’s Academy for Performing Arts’ (APA) production of “Hamlet.”
The play simulates William Shakespeare’s tragedy theater production of “Hamlet,” where a young prince is conflicted whether or not to avenge his father, the previous king, and take the throne from his uncle.
Viewers should have some previous knowledge of “Hamlet” or it may be very confusing for first-time viewers. However, those familiar with “Hamlet” will experience chills as the plot thickens through Hamlet’s series of madness. The actors have strong expressions and are confident in their performance.
Production sets the mood to be eerie, cordial or even at times humorous. The lights perfectly adjust to the mood and the costume designs represent the status of each actor.
A notable student actor was senior Ella Acciacca, who played Hamlet. She clearly demonstrated Hamlet’s insanity and unconventional behavior. There was a mix of humor, fear and discipline in the climax where Hamlet pulls a weapon on his own mother.
Another notable student actor was senior Sabrina Heim who played Polonia. She expressed a clear pompous attitude and was very judgmental. It’s clear that she was cunning, cutthroat and influential when swaying the king and queen.
Senior Lowen Jeffrey also had a strong performance in his role as King Claudius. There is restraint and refinery when Jeffrey acts, which represents the authority of a true king. He commands the stage and maintains a consistent presence of strength and command. Furthermore, he is adaptable, losing his mood of swagger and authority when he continues to fear Hamlet may kill him.
Director Jenny McClintock expressed that despite a shorter timeline than usual theater productions, it came out a success.
“The process started 10 weeks ago and my expectations were low because the kids were just coming off of COVID. Many of them had never done Shakespeare at all,” McClintock said. “We have put in over 150 hours of rehearsal time and it’s been a journey. I didn’t think we’d get here, I’ll tell you that.”
Many of the actors expressed that they’ve known each other for many years and this is not their first play working together.
“I had already worked with a lot of these people before and they’re all amazing. It was my first main stage show. I’ve also never had a mic before which was crazy” said Paige O’Neal, who plays Horatio. “On the stage I was thinking, ‘What was my next line, yes, oh my goodness, this is so amazing.’”
With this, O’Neal and McClintok encourage students who are looking to get involved with theater or even just the general public to check them out, which takes place at Huntington Beach High School.
“Please come to see it, it’s great to support APA and I’ll bet you’ll enjoy the show,” O’Neal said.
Students in the district interested in attending future plays or joining APA can contact McClintock at bjmcclintock@hbuhsd.edu.
