'Bernhardt/Hamlet' favors introspection over passion in Goodman premiere
"Bernhardt/Hamlet" - ½
There is so much untapped potential in "Bernhardt/Hamlet."
Theresa Rebeck's historically inspired 2018 Broadway drama receives a respectable and distinguished production by director Donna Feore for its Chicago premiere at the Goodman Theatre. But the play ultimately comes off as stilted.
The world-famous 19th-century French actress Sarah Bernhardt was documented by theater critics and historians for her oversize melodramatic performance style - a night-and-day contrast to the naturalistic acting of her contemporary, Eleonora Duse. Bernhardt's larger-than-life persona - plus her string of high-profile affairs with royalty and illegitimate children (both real and imagined) - also made her a constant target of tabloid journalism.
In 1899, the actress stirred up more controversy with her decision to take on the title role in Shakespeare's "Hamlet." Thus, "Bernhardt/Hamlet" could have unfolded as an imperious stage diva waging war with misogynistic moralizers and tut-tutting theater critics.
But what Rebeck delivers instead is an introspective piece questioning gender norms, and the result is akin to a behind-the-scenes documentary on the rehearsal process.
In Rebeck's retelling, the bulk of Bernhardt's battles are with remembering her lines while questioning Shakespeare's motivations for making Hamlet so infuriatingly indecisive.
Rather than playing Bernhardt as a grand dame with a towering sense of self, Terri McMahon's performance is far more down-to-earth and plagued by self-doubt about her looks and aging. This makes Bernhardt more relatable for modern audiences, but feels uncharacteristic when compared to the documented declamatory and dramatic pose-filled acting favored by the bulk of 19th-century actors.
McMahon's Bernhardt also gets her way with almost no pushback from her fellow actors, including the marvelously wry Larry Yando as Constant Coquelin and the endearing Amanda Drinkall as the eager-to-please Lysette. It's similar with devoted admirers such as the Czech artist Alphonse Mucha (played by Gregory Linington with a likable zaniness), who immortalized Bernhardt in his iconic art nouveau theater posters.
As the play's sole theater critic, Louis Lamercier (William Dick) is more respectably bemused by Bernhardt than outraged. So, with nearly all the characters on the same page with the leading lady, there's a dearth of conflict to enliven the play.
Bernhardt's affair with married playwright Edmond Rostand (John Tufts) does drive some drama. He's so under her thrall that Bernhardt actually convinces Rostand to rewrite Shakespeare to better suit her acting style.
There's a distinct lack of urgency to Rebeck's script, especially with no impending opening-night deadline to scare the artists into action. Even Bernhardt's confrontation with Rostand's wife, Rosamond Gerard (Jennifer Latimore), is restrained (though it's later revealed to be a brilliantly calculated move to win back her husband and to get him to finish his eventual masterpiece, "Cyrano de Bergerac").
If "Bernhardt/Hamlet" largely disappoints as a historical drama, the Goodman's performers and production elements can't be faulted. Costume designer Dana Osborne delivers a cavalcade of lovely period costumes, while set designer Narelle Sisson's prop-filled general "backstage" playing area works well for the drama's requirements.
Though Bernhardt's emotionally indicative 19th-century performance style would now best be defined by acting teachers as what not to do, she remains a fascinating artistic figure who captured audiences' imaginations at the time. While it's easy to see why Rebeck would have been attracted to her story, the play's lack of conflict strips it of the passion Bernhardt so desperately sought to convey.
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Location: Goodman Theatre, 170 N. Dearborn St., Chicago, (312) 443-3800 or goodman theatre.org
Showtimes: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday (also Sunday, Sept. 29, and Tuesday, Oct. 15), 8 p.m. Friday, 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday (also Thursday, Oct. 3 and 17); runs through Oct. 20
Tickets: $25-$80
Running time: About two hours and 30 minutes with intermission
Parking: Area pay garages and limited metered street parking
Rating: For teens and older; features sexual situations