GEEK N OUT REVIEW
"He-Manlet"
Reviewer: Jacob Bates
William Shakespeare's "The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark" is one of The Bard's most well known and performed works. A vast majority of the public are aware of the plays existence or at the very least are aware of the line "To be or not to be, that is the question". Likewise, "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" is a popular cartoon show from the 80's that was based on a Mattel toy line that the population is at the very least vaguely aware of (similar to Thunder Cats, and Transformers). New Millenium Theatre Company's "The Tragedy of He-Manlet, Prince of Eternia" is the result when the plot of "Hamlet" combines with the universe of He-Man that surprisingly creates a compelling piece of entertainment.
The play's inciting incident is taken from "Hamlet" in that the patriarch of the kingdom has suddenly passed away, but in this story King Randor has been allegedly slain by our hero He-Man. In an effort to avoid spoilers, just know that the plot DOESN'T follow "Hamlet" to the letter, and that the characters are not merely place holders for Shakespearean characters. However, there are many similar plot points that parallel "Hamlet's" but are acheived through differing circumstances. Some of these, particularly the famous graveyard reunion with Yorick, are found to be very effective in conveying the characters struggles.
It is clear that the cast has a love for the source material in that every character is portrayed with the same 80's attitude and range from the cartoon. There isnt a weak member of the cast, but many of the greater moments come from Skeletor (Alex B. Reynolds), King Randor and Man-E Faces (Christopher Woolsey). Prince Adam (Zach Decker) is often portrayed as the straight man amongst these zany characters and it works to the shows advantage. A particularly enjoyable relationship in the show was between Queen Marlena (Allison Sword) and Skeletor. Each scene is punctuated with pan flute covers of hit 80's singles that give the whole show a tone similar to the Sierra adventure games from the same era. This only aids in the shows nostalgic efforts.
During the show, Prince Adam asks the question "To He, or not to He" and in this case you should definitely He. If you're in the mood for a mashup that dares to surprise, then go check out "He-Manlet" at Stage 773.
Tickets can be purchased through Stage 773 . For more information or to purchase tickets, you can also visit http://stage773.com/Show?id=658
Jacob is a regular contributor to the Geek n Out Blog. You can find him being professionaly good looking on Instagram @jacob_himself.