ENTERTAINMENT
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Horatio
      premieres
      at
     
     
      Offstage
      Theatre
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      McQuaid’s
      new
      play
      a
      “sequel”
      to
      Hamlet
     
    
   
   
    
     
      local
      theatre
      scene.
      A
      new
      young
      play-
     
    

    
     
      wright’s
      first
      major
      work,
      Horatio,
      is
     
     
      playing
      at
      the
      Off-Stage
      Theatre.
      Author
      Sean
     
     
      McQuaid,
      a
      student
      at
      U.P.E.I.,
      has
      written
      a
     
     
      clever
      play
      as
      a
      sequel
      to
      Shakespeare’s
      most
     
     
      renowned
      work,
      Hamlet.
     
    

    
     
      Horatio
      plays
      in
      a
      partial
      ‘‘theatre
      in
      the
     
     
      round’’,
      meaning
      the
      audience
      surrounds
      the
     
     
      acting
      area
      like
      the
      fans
      at
      a
      hockey
      game,
     
     
      giving
      the
      audience
      a
      chance
      to
      see
      the
      charac-
     
     
      ters
      from
      all
      sides.
      The
      set
      provides
      a
      tasteful
     
     
      background
      for
      the
      action
      with
      sombre
      grey’s
     
     
      and
      blacks
      accented
      by
      colourful,
      medieval
     
     
      stained
      glass.
      The
      costumes
      look
      great
      and
     
     
      represent
      the
      Elizabethan
      era
      well
      with
      the
     
     
      general
      exception
      of
      the
      footwear,
      which
      looks
     
     
      modern,
      though
      boots
      and
      shoes
      are
      notoriously
     
     
      expensive
      items
      for
      costume
      departments.
     
    

    
     
      Rob
      MacDonald
      stands
      out
      as
      a
      gifted
      co-
     
     
      median
      in
      the
      small
      part
      of
      a
      clownish
      Danish
     
     
      ambassador
      and
      Ben
      Kinder
      performs
      chill-
     
     
      ingly
      in
      the
      role
      of
      Osric,
      an
      underhanded,
     
     
      ruthless
      hustler.
      Other
      notable
      performances
     
     
      were
      Matt
      Rainnie
      as
      the
      power-hungry
      yet
     
     
      guilt
      ridden
      Fortinbras
      and
      Laurie
      Murphy
      as
     
    
   
   
    
     
      \
      n
      exciting
      event
      is
      taking
      place
      in
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      the
      strong-willed
      yet
      delightful
      Danish
      noble-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      woman,
      Diana.
     
    

    
     
      The
      thrust
      and
      parry
      of
      McQuaid’s
      dialogue
     
     
      reveals
      an
      acute
      ear
      for
      the
      heated
      exchange.
     
     
      McQuaid’s
      touching
      soliloquies
      point
      out
      a
     
     
      sensitivity
      to
      his
      characters
      which
      brings
      them
     
     
      to
      life,
      most
      notably
      the
      characters
      of
      Fortinbras
     
     
      and
      Horatio.
      His
      use
      of
      irony
      in
      the
      character
      of
     
     
      Osric
      is
      the
      work
      of
      an
      extremely
      intelligent
     
     
      writer;
      however,
      the
      plot
      took
      too
      many
      turns
      in
     
     
      the
      final
      act,
      making
      it
      somewhat
      difficult
      for
     
     
      the
      audience
      to
      follow.
      Ironically,
      Shakespeare
     
     
      himself
      crams
      too
      much
      action
      in
      the
      final
      scene
     
     
      of
      Hamlet.
      Perhaps
      both
      playwrights
      were
      un-
     
     
      der
      pressure
      to
      finish
      their
      plays.
     
    

    
     
      McQuaid’s
      Horatio
      echoes
      Hamlet
      copi-
     
     
      ously.
      The
      character
      of
      Horatio
      goes
      through
      a
     
     
      variation
      of
      Hamlet’s
      madness.
      The
      Dane’s
     
     
      now
      infamous
      hesitation
      scene
      is
      also
      vividly
     
     
      recalled;
      however,
      McQuaid’s
      echoes
      turn
      to
     
     
      cheap
      mimicry
      when
      he
      attempts
      to
      recall
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Elizabethan
      word
      order.
      Verbs
      continually
      fall
     
     
      at
      the
      end
      of
      sentences,
      making
      some
      poten-
     
     
      tially
      nice
      lines
      sound
      hackneyed.
      As
      well,
     
     
      expressions
      like
      ‘‘
      A
      foul
      murder’’
      too
      often
     
     
      become
      ‘‘A
      murder
      foul’’,
      making
      the
      line
     
    
   
   
    
     
      To
      write
      a
      sequel
      that
      does
      justice
      to
      Shake-
     
     
      speare
      is
      an
      incredible
      challenge
      for
      a
      novice
     
     
      playwright.
      When
      Horatio
      simply
      recalls
      as-
     
     
      pects
      of
      Hamlet,
      the
      play
      isa
      pleasure
      to
      behold;
     
     
      however,
      when
      McQuaid
      copies
      Shakespear-
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      "In
      spite
      of
      Horatio’s
      flaws,
      McQuaid
     
     
      is
      a
      sensitive
      and
      very
      shrewd
      writer."
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      sound
      affected.
      McQuaid
      uses
      death-imagery
     
     
      like
      dust
      and
      worms,
      natural
      imagery
      like
      the
     
     
      flower
      and
      societal
      imagery
      like
      the
      beehive-
      all
     
     
      images
      Shakespeare
      uses
      often;
      however,
     
     
      McQuaid
      does
      not
      recreate
      the
      Shakespearean
     
     
      design
      within
      the
      imagery;
      therefore,
      in
      Horatio,
     
     
      the
      images
      tend
      to
      fall
      flat.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      |
      ean
      style,
      the
      results
      are
      unpleasant.
      In
      spite
      of
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Horatio’s
      flaws,
      McQuaid
      is
      a
      sensitive
      and
     
     
      very
      shrewd
      writer.
      The
      play
      is
      filled
      with
     
     
      funny
      and
      intriguing
      moments
      due
      to
      excellent
     
     
      characterization
      and
      polished
      performances.
     
     
      ED
      FOBES
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Here
      we
      see
      Sean
      indulging
      in
      one
      of
      his
      favorite
      pastimes:
      hanging
      out
      with
      men
      in
      leotards.
     
     
      Seriously,
      that's
      Sean
      McQuaid
      (center),
      Ben
      Kinder
      (left)
      and
      Matthew
      Rainnie
      (right).
     
    
   
   
    
     
      November
      11,
      1993/X-Press/21