This may be the most famous English language play in history, and so many theatres think they need to shake things up so audiences will stay awake. (It IS a long one.) They place the characters on a spaceship in the 25th Century or something instead of its Danish home, and then, inevitably, there's this horrible clash of place and dialogue.

Luckily director Bruce Longworth and Shakespeare Festival St. Louis decided the Bard's words didn't need any revving up, just great actors, costumes, set, lighting and sound. This is a wonderful production!!

And, best yet, it's absolutely free! You can purchase seats, but it's more fun to bring your own. The audience carries lawn chairs, blankets, picnic baskets, even dogs (although I strongly recommend you don't do that - pooches tend to bark at the darkness at the most inopportune times). But show up early for the best views, and be ready for a long night. The show begins at 8 and runs about 3 hours.

Jim Butz as Hamlet is always wonderful, and he obviously loves performing the words of Shakespeare, using every syllable to his advantage. And he fights and flights as well as he stalls with angst. Kimiye Corwin as Ophelia, the young woman in love with Hamlet, gives good mad scene. And John Rensenhouse, as the villainous uncle who becomes stepdad, makes exposition more than exposition. Now that's a skill. The entire cast does a tremendous job, but, I must confess, after Butz, the star of the show was Dorothy Marshall Englis' costumes. How those poor actors withstood the heat, I'll never understand, but they looked spectacular.

If you love Hamlet or you'd like to learn to love Hamlet, this production is for you. The play performs nightly except Tuesdays and this Saturday, June 5th.