Friday night the hubby and I headed to Harrisburg to see "Hamlet" at the Gamut Theater.  I first heard about the Gamut Theater a few weeks ago when there was an article about an Edgar Allen Poe show right before Halloween.  I thought about going, but it was the day of the big Halloween snowstorm.  As much as I wanted to see it, I had no idea what the roads would be after 5" of snow and decided to skip.

But, while playing around on the website I saw they would be performing "Hamlet" over the following couple of weeks.  I was sold.  I've always wanted to see Shakespeare on the stage, but never had the chance.  So, we went Friday night with the BOGO tickets they offered.

First and foremost, it was amazing!  The theater itself is small and intimate.  I believe it fits approximately 100 people, so the actors were this close.  We got there early enough to secure seats in front and on an aisle.  Since it's such a small theater there are no seat numbers.  We weren't front row, but not too far back.

The acting was great!  I didn't know what to expect from such a small theater, but I will say I want to see more!  The acting was fabulous, the "effects" were well done, and while I was nervous about understanding the language, the actors made it very understandable. 

I will say it was long.  We started at 7:30 p.m. and with two intermissions, we ended about 11:15 p.m.  Apparently, this show is generally abridged when acted out.  This presentation was not abridged, hence the length of the show.  The first act was approximately an hour and fifteen minutes, as was the second, with the last act being about thirty-five.  The acting was so good that when the lights went down it was a bit of a surprise.

Overall, I was thrilled with it.  I want to go back!  There are several shows in the spring I am looking forward to checking out including "A Midsummer's Night Dream" and "Rosencrantz and Gildenstern Are Dead."  If you're in the Harrisburg area, you wouldn't be amiss checking out the Harrisburg Shakespeare Company at the Gamut Theater.