b'Reviewsstate of the plays characters as theystriking blue lighting upstage, gaveHenrys disease, he still manages come to their tragic ends. The largethe whole performance a distraughtto be relatable due to the emphasis digital screen at the back of the stageand unsettling feel, in the best wayonhis isolation through the use of added dramatic effect throughitspossible. I was thoroughly impressedmonologue and frequent sense of projections of the late King Hamletswith the entire performance, fromemotional dissonance between him ghost as he implores his son tostart to finish. The audience wasand the other characters. Though the seek revenge for his murder. Theindeed taken on a rollercoaster ridestory itself is simple, it can come off as cast themselves gave a remarkableof emotions with twists and turnsconfusing at times because of Henrys performance. Their intentions ashiding everywhere, which weredistorted sense of reality, but as these characters were clear, and it washeightened due to the excellentthings were presented as Henry evident on stage that each castexecution of the plot. The directingperceived them, they only helped to member putgreat effort into theirwas clear and well accomplished,enhance my own understanding of characterisation. Finn ORiordainsand the enthusiasm of the cast shonehis suffering. performance of the eponymous rolethrough throughout the performance. was thought-provoking and incrediblyOverall, a thoroughly enjoyable andThough the play deals very well with moving. His characterisation of thethrilling theatre experience. Henrys feelings, it struggles with Danish Prince pulled together all theits presentation of other characters important aspects of his characterHallucinationsperspectives. At several points there is and allowed Hamlets troubled mindRoborough Studios, 24th May 2019 an attempt to show the situation from to be clearly displayed throughoutNarissa Birtwistle the point of view of Henrys friends, the performance.but they dont quite hit the mark. The Hallucinations is a touching play thatfirst problem is that they dont seem I was also particularly struck by Cocodeals with the way the developmentto appear very frequently in the story, Browns performance of Gertrude,of schizophrenia can affect a personsonly showing up a few times in the Hamlets enigmatic mother. Herlife, as well as the lives of those closestfirst half before their involvement interpretation of the character leftto them. Specifically, the play followsends rather abruptly. the audience feeling as though it wasHenry, who develops schizophrenia beyond all reasonable doubt thatafter an accident at sea and as a resultTheir development is summed up in a Gertrude had indeed been involvedhe begins to isolate himself from hisshort monologue by each of the three in the murder of her late husband,former life and friends and live insideof them which describes how their the king. She was cold, calculatinghis own hallucinations. The story islives were affected by an unintentional and yet somehow the audience wasnothing new and doesnt hold tooviolent outburst from Henry. Some able to sympathise with her duringmany surprisesIm sure it wasnt aof the content of what was said could her disturbing interaction withrevelation to anybody that Henryshave been very powerful if explored Hamlet in her bedroom, resultingunderstanding of the world wasfurther, but the way they were actually in the death of Polonius.The finalunreliablebut it doesnt need to be.presented could be equated to a where scene was chilling, and the tensionBy not overcomplicating the story andare they now? segment at the end of a rose and rose as it unfolded. Hamlet,sticking to the very simple premise, itreality TV show that seems little more traditionally clad in black, presumablyputs the focus on Henrys emotionsthan a footnote to the overall story. to symbolise his mental and physicalduring his struggle over anythingApart from those areas that could destruction, contrasted nicely withelse, a subject which the plays tackleshave afforded more development, Laertes, all in white. This workedsensitively. According to the directors,Hallucinations ultimately succeeds well to separate the two powerfulone of the aims of the production wasin nurturing an environment of characters from each other, makingto present schizophrenia outside theunderstanding and empathy towards as clear a divide as could be betweenlens of lunacy and with a great dealHenry, rather than presenting him as a the two. The production kept truemore empathy. The way this manifestsmadman. It is nothing extraordinary, to Shakespeares language, whichin the play is in the quiet, solemnbut then it is in the ordinary nature of worked well despite the untraditionaltone that holds throughout most ofthe play, despite its subject matter, that staging and costuming. This, coupledthe piece, aided by the mainly subtleit reflects something about our own with the distressed staging and theperformances by the actors. Despitelives, just a little bit.45'