Emily Fury Daly, Michael Fitzpatrick, and Tarah Flanagan Photo by Dan Norman

Flanagan's Hamlet is a tumbleweed of anguish, being blown through the grounds of Elsinore Castle by a force that yields no rest. When the play reaches the most famous of its many soliloquies–perhaps the most famous soliloquy in the English language–he is not center stage as the lights rise on the scene, but speaking as he enters from stage left, spouting "To be or not to be, that is the question," while strutting across the floorboards, as if we have caught him midstream in thought, observing only part of the bedlam whirling around this troubled prince's mind. It strikes us that this Hamlet is as wrapped up in his crisis of morality, justice, and faith off stage as on. Flanagan's incendiary performance makes Hamlet a presence on stage even when the actor is off.

The gist of Hamlet, if you are discovering it for the first time, is that the titular prince has been called home from university upon the death of his father, King of Denmark, then finds that in less than two months his mother, Gertrude, marries her late husband's brother Claudius, who now assumes the throne. Hamlet's severe unrest over these events becomes more striking when he–and others, there are witnesses–are visited by his father's ghost, who tells the prince that Claudius murdered him. It is up to Hamlet to avenge his father's wrongful death and his mother's betrayal–but can he believe what he saw and heard? That becomes the crux of Hamlet's dilemma, dragging into the mire his girlfriend Ophelia and school friends summoned in an effort to tone down his agitated emotions–or, if necessary, to remove him as threat to the court.

In an interview for the Winona Post (Winona being the city that hosts the marvelous Great River Shakespeare Festival), Flanagan, a mainstay of the festival's company, talks about having always wanted to play this role, and getting past the notion that, as a woman, it was not hers to play. Of course, there is a long history of women playing Prince Hamlet, most famously French actress Sarah Bernhardt, on stage in 1899 and on film in 1900, but such is still the exception to the rule; typically, the fact that a woman is playing Hamlet becomes the big story, rather than the particular actor or interpretation of the role. No more, at least not in Winona. Tarah Flanagan essays a portrayal of Hamlet that taps neither male nor female energy, but something more crystalline, a human drive to know the truth and to transform truth into action, without pause to empathize, reflect, negotiate or retract.

Flanagan does not alone make this production of Hamlet soar. Doug Scholz-Carlson's direction whisks the play through its courses at a brisk pace that keeps the audience constantly in its thrall, and links every action clearly to the preceding action, allowing no cracks through which neither narrative nor motivation might fall. The seating of the audience in tiers on three sides of the stage creates a thrust-performance space that fosters intimacy and adds to the sense of being present on those tortured Danish grounds. A drawback, though, is that some of the staging–in particular, appearances of the ghost of Hamlet's slain father, set far upstage behind a scrim–are difficult for audience members seated on the side to see.

The rest of the cast fully supports Flanagan's dynamic performance. Will Sturdivant is thunderous as Claudius, a strong adversary who slickly conceals his crimes, conducting his court as if his rise is the most natural order of things. Melissa Maxwell is magnificent as Gertrude, torn between loyalty to her new husband and king, and to her son, whose erratic behavior deeply troubles her. It is never clear at what point Gertrude becomes an accomplice to Claudius, and Maxwell expertly keeps us on edge as to whether she is part of the crime or is herself a victim.

Emily Fury Daly is an exceptional Ophelia, playing her as a strong-willed, spikey young woman who responds to her father Polonius's doddering advice with sass and, at the start, holds her own as an equal in romance to her prince. Her downfall, then, when Hamlet's crisis and Polonius' untimely death converge, is all the greater, and Daly beautifully depicts this dramatic descent into madness. Michael Fitzpatrick is splendid as the humorously over-officious Polonius and also as the grave-digger, comically without any sentimentality about the unfortunates for whom he prepares a final resting place.

Benjamin Boucvalt, cast as Ophelia's brother Laertes, was out at the performance I attended and Carl Schack played the role, giving an excellent performance in perfect step with his castmates. Christopher Gerson is encumbered with an unfortunate wig, but otherwise plays the part of Hamlet's trusted friend Horatio with his usual aplomb. Daniel Ajak and Diane Coates, as Hamlet's school chums Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, respectively, do fine work, conveying the unease of being between the wiles of the king and their ties of friendship to the prince.

The set designed by Leah Ramillano is extremely streamlined, but serves the needs of the play and its focus on characters and ideas quite well. John Merritt's costume designs appear to be drawn from the 1940s, with exaggerated flourishes that distinguish the characters, especially those worn by Claudius and Gertrude, which shows their elevated existence above the people over whom they rule. Avery Reagan's lighting design deftly brings a range of mood and shifting focal points to the play–and is especially well conceived for the scenes depicting ghostly visitations in the dark of night. Props designer Karl Gfall earns a special shout out for the well-wrought skull of Yorick, unearthed by the gravediggers. I should also add that Benjamin Boucvalt's fight choreography provides well-enacted swordplay.

One thing to be said for Great River Shakespeare Festival productions is that the number of returning company members each season creates a collaborative energy and chemistry among the performers. Of fourteen actors in the company, nine are returnees, six of those having spent five or more previous seasons with the company. This raises the level of performance and production well above what the modest resources available to GRSF would suggest. Another distinction I have noted in the nineteen of their twenty-one seasons I have attended is an attention to diction so that every word in every line is clear. I have heard many audience members say that these performances are the easiest to follow of any Shakespeare they have seen.

For those not in the know, the two-hour drive from St. Paul to Winona is a lovely ride, much of the route following the scenic Mississippi River. You can easily do a matinee day trip, or stay overnight and catch both of this season's productions–a delicious Much Ado About Nothing being the other. Experience other arts, such as the small but excellent Minnesota Marine Art Museum, the stunning stained glass windows at churches and commercial buildings throughout town–Winona lays claim to being the "Stained Glass Capital of the United States," hosting six stained glass studios that take orders from around the nation–an historic downtown with unique shops and good places to eat, and beautiful surroundings along the Mississippi and the bluff country that rises up from it, and more.

You can probably tell, I am a big fan of Great River Shakespeare Festival's work. However, you don't need to be a fan or an annual visitor to Winona to decide that this year it is worth that effort to see Doug Scholz-Carlson's exemplary production of one of the greatest plays ever written, ignited by Tarah Flanagan's breathtaking performance as Hamlet.

Season 21 of the Great River Shakespeare Festival runs through July 28, 2024, with Hamlet in rotation with Much Ado About Nothing at the DuFresne Performing Arts Center of Winona State University, 450 Johnson Street, Winona MN. For the schedule of performances and other events, and for tickets, call 507-474-7900 or visit GRSF.org.

Playwright: William Shakespeare; Director: Doug Scholz-Carlson; Scenic Design: Leah Ramillano; Costume Design: John Merritt; Lighting Design: Avery Reagan; Sound Design: Jeff Polunas; Props Design: Karl Gfall; Hair and Makeup Design: Byron Batista; Text Coach: Jessica De La Rosa; Intimacy Director: Tonia Sina; Fight Choreographer: Benjamin Boucvalt; Mental Health Coordinator: Amanda Salazar; Costume Design Assistant: Thomas Rowe; Lighting Design Assistant: Kassia Curl; Stage Manager: Alexander Carey; Assistant Stage Manager: Mayson Knipp.

Cast: Daniel Ajak (Rosencrantz/Marcellus/Player/Captain/Priest), Benjamin Boucvalt (Laertes/ Player King), Emma Bucknam (understudy), Diana Coates (Guildenstern/Player Queen/Osric/ Bernardo/ Messenger), Emily Fury Daly (Ophelia/Clown/Francisco), Marissa Dean (understudy), Michael Fitzpatrick (Polonius/Clown), Tarah Flanagan (Hamlet), Christopher Gerson (Horatio), Melissa Maxwell (Gertrude), Serena Phillip (understudy), Carl Schack (understudy), William Sturdivant (Claudius/Ghost), Alessandro Yokoyama (understudy).