DAVID CARVER

DAVID CARVER’S ON A MISSION FROM SHAKESPEARE

WRITTEN BY ANTHONY EWART

When discussing Hamlet with a friend recently we found ourselves swept up in the emotions of the characters. The most tragic being Ophelia. I don’t need to watch a “special feature” on the making of Natalie Merchant’s fantastic 1998 album “Ophelia” to know she was inspired by the greatest Ophelia in history. Our sweet sister Ophelia who was unfortunately toyed with by Hamlet like a cat playing with a mouse until she took her own life.

There have been many sources people believe Shakespeare borrowed from to create his Masterpiece. But that would be like saying Wolfgang Puck should thank the manufacturers of each of the ingredients he uses for his dishes. Maybe a shout-out to “Foster Farms.” The “Life of Amleth” written in the 13th century by Saxo Grammaticus contain legends that scholars believe Shakespeare may have had access to and that inspired him to create the sad Prince of Denmark. Please let’s be clear: the emotions that Shakespeare elicits in Hamlet are generated purely from the right hemisphere of Shake

speare’s brain. That is the source, in case you were wondering what book you can find the source in. Saxo Grammaticus’ dramatic name notwithstanding, there is no book of absolute source material for Hamlet. There is only Shakespeare. So, let’s circle back. The power of the fictional characters in Hamlet to emotionally move us is so strong it is considered Shakespeare’s greatest play on many levels. Artistically, emotionally -- spiritually. And his longest. This isn’t like the paperback “Romeo and Juliet” you tucked in your back pocket in high school so you could memorize the lines. Or was that just me? But other than Shakespeare what is the most emotionally charged piece of art we have as a culture today? Haters you can email me later, but I’m going with “The Rock Power Ballad.” All the emotional catharsis you need in a song under 4 minute -- unless you count Meat Loaf ’s 1993 classic power ballad “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That),” which melts your heart slowly, like a crock-pot, in 12 minutes. Journey’s rock power ballad “Open Arms” clocks in at 3:18, but remember what Einstein said about time and relativity. When you’re thinking about someone you love and listening to Steve Perry sing Open Arms you can reflect your entire relationship in the span of three minutes. Legendary Concert Producer David Carver, of David Carver Films and David Carver Music has taken Hamlet as source material for his “Hamlet The Rock Musical,” opening Valentine’s Day at the gorgeous El Portal Theatre in North Hollywood. This is “The Date Event” of 2020. Hamlet and Rock Music. Madness you say? What does Shakespeare have to say to that? “Though this be madness, yet there is method in’t” from “Hamlet,” written by William Shakespeare HamletTheRockMusical.com