We had heard so much about the wonders of the Gamm Theater in downtown Pawtucket. Finally, we booked two tickets to go to see their revival of an earlier production of Shakespeare's HAMLET. We went with two old friends and planned a dinner date before the show. The restaurant chosen is on Hope Street almost on the Pawtucket line. We went and ordered from a pricey menu. Each of us had a drink to start and two of us had desert to finish. The grand total for us was over one hundred dollars. PLUS TIP!! My husband could not believe that was the cost, and he kept examining the bill--but there was no mistake.
We hustled out into the cold night and drove the few miles to the Gamm next to Tolman High School and the old armory building. After parking, we went in and sat down. We paid 80 dollars for our two seats. My husband turned to me and said--I cannot believe that we are spending 200 dollars for a night out in Pawtucket--we might as well bus down to Manhattan.
Then the show began, and when the final lines were spoken in that great scene of destruction that ends the tragedy--we decided that we had more than gotten our money's wroth.
The Polonius was a revelation. I am glad that I saw that performance. Both my husband and I are specialists in dramatic literature--my husband has published five books on Shakespeare. So this was not our first HAMLET. But I can say with no hint of exaggeration that this was the best Polomius I have seen. The actor who played the old politico is himself an old man, and his ways of showing the aging and capturing the complexities of the old man were a source of delight and wonder.
Thank you Gamm Theater.
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