The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark

 The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
City Gate Productions
Stone Circle Theatre
November 13, 2025

Photo courtesy of City Gate Productions

City Gate Productions’ The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is a concise and beautiful rendition of Shakespeare’s classic tale.  Cut down to two and a half hours (with intermission), it sharpens the focus on Hamlet’s journey through madness and indecision.  The cast builds strong relationships, creating truthful moments of camaraderie and betrayal.  There is a constant presence of death, surrounded by the grief and despair it produces.  Director Jim Haines creates a vibrant dramatic tension that keeps the play moving at a tight pace. 

Hamlet (played by Gage) is saddened by the death of his father, King Hamlet, which is magnified by the outrage he feels over the marriage of his mother, Queen Gertrude (played by Senam Erfani), to his father’s brother, Claudius (played by Gilberto Ron).  After Horatio (played by Margaret Leisenheimer) tells Hamlet she saw the ghost of his deceased father (played by Mike Sause), Hamlet seeks him out the following night.  The ghost of the King tells Hamlet that he was murdered by Claudius.  Hamlet must take revenge.   

Gage as Hamlet
Photo courtesy of City Gate Productions

Gage is grounded and melancholy as Hamlet.  The levels of the character’s madness are played through humor, sudden rage, and intense introspection.  These choices create a truthfulness in the grief Hamlet is experiencing due to the death of his father.  Gage creates genuine bonds with Ophelia (played by Naomi Yuchi Townsend), Rosencrantz (played by Francoise Traxler), and Guildenstern (played by Josh Saffram Sedecca).  The vitality of these relationships deepens Hamlet’s grief after Ophelia’s suicide and heightens his determination after the betrayal by Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.  Gage skillfully portrays these moments, utilizing that increased sense of loss to propel the action forward. 

Naomi Yuchi Townsend is fiery and independent as Ophelia.  She creates moments of defiance between herself and her father, Polonius (played by Bill McAndrews), and builds a sensitive and touching bond with her brother Laertes (played by Matt Tijmstra).  The scene between Ms. Townsend and Senam Erfani’s Gertrude is heartbreaking.  Ms. Erfani shows a different side of Gertrude when facing Ophelia’s loss of reality over the murder of her father. 

Gilberto Ron, Sanam Erani, & Gage
Photo courtesy of City Gate Productions

Gilberto Ron makes bold choices for Claudius in the scene where he kneels in prayer.  It is his strongest scene, which Gage successfully rises up to when Hamlet enters and attempts to murder him.  Both characters grapple with inner conflict, giving this scene a focused tension.

The humor is high in the gravedigger’s scene, and Friedrich Steinem and Semaj Seniah play it for all they can.  When Hamlet and Horatio enter, the tone shifts to the reminiscence of fond memories, then dives into despair as Ophelia’s funeral procession approaches.  The despair quickly revs up to anger and retaliation.  It is effectively directed and full of emotion. 

The City Gate Productions presentation of The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is playing at Stone Circle Theatre (aka Ridgewood Presbyterian Church, 59-14 70^th Ave., Ridgewood, Queens) through November 23.  It is easily accessible through public transportation and well worth the trip. 

Domenick Danza