Presented by Reduced Shakespeare Company
Written and Directed by Reed Martin and Austin Tichenor
Backdrop Design: Tim Holstag
Costume Design: Freya Marcelius
Sound Design: Matthew Cowell and Zack Moore
Stage Manager: Elaine Randolph
Original Circus Music Composed by Peter Bufano; performed by Cirkestra
Starring Geoffrey Barnes, Doug Harvey, and Austin Tichenor

March 12 – 30, 2025
Merrimack Repertory Theatre
50 E Merrimack St
Lowell, MA 01852

Virtual playbill 

Critique by Craig Idlebrook

90 minutes with a 15-minute intermission

Some works on stage and film can grip you in the first moments and never let go. Shakespeare’s script for The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is one such play. It is gripping even though a lot of nothing happens throughout most of it because of the titular character’s indecision. It is largely a pensive mood study, and the characters often dither to Seinfeldian levels.

Other works of stage and film can provide wall-to-wall action and frenetic energy and never capture your attention. This is the case with the Reduced Shakespeare Company’s production of The Comedy of Hamlet (a Prequel) playing at the Merrimack Repertory Theatre. It tries to add too many crowd-pleasing comedic elements but ends up feeling like a smoothie you keep tinkering with until the final taste is indistinguishable. Continue reading →