Jason Cannon as Horatio and Jim Butz as Hamlet in Shakespeare Festival St. Louis' production of 'Hamlet.' (Courtesy / J. David Levy)

For its tenth year, Shakespeare Festival St. Louis takes on the big one–“Hamlet.”

The most famous play in the world, William Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” is a drama of madness and revenge, with iconic characters and widely-quoted speeches.

Shakespeare Festival’s production of “Hamlet” is one of their best, a superb staging graced by marvelous acting and riveting drama.

The Shakespeare Festival is a free, outdoor event in Forest Park, presented annually in a natural amphitheater to the east of Art Hill and the St. Louis Art Museum.

“Hamlet” is performed every night, except Tuesdays, through June 30.

Shakespeare in the park is more than just the play. People often get there early to stake out their spot, bringing blankets, chairs and a picnic, or to rent a chair or purchase refreshments. The “green show” starts at 6:30 p.m. with roving performers, before the main performance at 8 p.m.

The festival often brings in out-of-town actors for lead roles, so it is particularly satisfying that this excellent production features some of St. Louis’ best actors, including Jason Cannon who is Assistant Visiting Professor of Theater at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Prince Hamlet (Jim Butz) returns home to Denmark from his university studies, upon receiving news that his father, King Hamlet, has died. He is shocked and dismayed to find his uncle Claudius (John Rensenhouse) has usurped the throne. Furthermore, his mother Queen Gertrude (Deanne Lorette) has married him within a month of Hamlet’s father’s death. Hamlet is depressed by his father’s death, sickened by his mother’s rapid re-marriage and also dismayed at the loss of a throne that should have been his, yet both the new king and the queen are puzzled by Hamlet’s dark mood.

Informed by his closest friend, Horatio (Jason Cannon), of strange sightings, Hamlet encounters an apparition resembling the dead king (Rob Krakovski). His father’s ghost tells Hamlet his death was not an accident, but murder plotted by the king’s brother Claudius.  The dead king urges his agitated son to exact revenge. To this end, the already half-mad Hamlet tells Horatio he will feign madness while he plots how to best take that revenge.

The cast includes Kimiye Corwin as doomed Ophelia, who loves Hamlet, Anderson Matthews as her father Polonius, King Claudius’ trusted, if foolish adviser, and Justin Blanchard as Ophelia’s loving brother Laertes. Audience-favorite Whit Reichert plays the dryly funny gravedigger, who unearths the skull of poor Yorick, the jester. Mark Kelley and Matthew Folsom play the ill-fated Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, respectively.

The award-winning Jim Butz delivers a sometimes fiery, sometimes introspective Hamlet, and creates a riveting presence on stage. He squeezes every drop from Hamlet’s famous “to be or not to be” speech, making it sound fresh and off-hand—a remarkable feat for a soliloquy that many theater audiences can recite.

Jason Cannon is masterful as Hamlet’s rock-solid friend Horatio. Anderson Matthews is perfect as the bumbling, elderly plotter Polonious while John Rensenhouse as cunning King Claudius and Deanne Lorette as Queen Gertrude are both outstanding. Lorette’s scenes with Butz’ Hamlet are some of the most incendiary in the play. The actors even manage to capture the breezy friendship between Hamlet and Horatio, and the false merriment of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.

Wisely, the production is staged traditionally, in Elizabethan costume. The large set resembles a partially ruined castle with stairs, parapets and a balcony, allowing the action to take place on several levels.

The combat sequences are particularly powerful, with an energy and violence that sharpen the overall dramatic effect.

A better production of “Hamlet” has not been seen in St. Louis in years, if ever.

Rating: A –Cate Marquis