Her dad was her biggest fan. Now this Tri-City director is dedicating ‘Hamlet’ to his memory

Ellicia Elliott has her father to thank for her love of “Hamlet.”

He got a copy of the 1990 film version of the Shakespeare classic one Christmas when she was a kid.

“When he opened it, I asked to watch it with him,” Elliott recalled. “I could tell it was a story that really affected my father. And it was a story that grabbed my attention so much.”

Elliott grew up to be an acclaimed performer, director and theater company co-founder, and she’s bringing “Hamlet” to the Pasco stage this week. The Rude Mechanicals’ production opens Thursday, after a preview last weekend in Walla Walla.

Sadly, Elliott’s father, Ed Mertens, isn’t here to see it. He died suddenly last year from a short illness.

But Elliott is dedicating the show in his memory — a love letter to a father who inspired her love of Shakespeare.

“It felt necessary to do this,” Elliott said.

Performances are 7 p.m. Thursday through Saturday and Nov. 1-3 at The Scarlet Room, 2820 N. Road 72, Pasco. Matinees also are planned at 2 p.m. Saturday and Nov. 3.

Cameron Milton, who’s acted professionally for years, including as part of The Blue Man Group in New York, stars as Hamlet, who’s mourning his murdered father and seeking to bring the killer to justice.

The cast also includes Jim Wutzke as Claudius and the Ghost of King Hamlet, Miriam Kerzner as Gertrude, Robert Chisholm as Polonius, Claire Dann as Ophelia, Anthony Ochoa as Rosencrantz and Gravedigger, Samantha Weakley as Gulidenstern and Gravedigger, Bryan Grossman as Horatio and Robert John Hanson as Laertes.

Elliott is directing the show.

She took inspiration from a production of “Hamlet” staged a couple years ago at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, Ore., and is drawing out the play’s theme of dealing with grief.

“I found out during research that Shakespeare wrote ‘Hamlet’ between the time his son died and his father was dying,” Elliott said. “Shakespeare himself is processing losing a child and what it will be like when his father dies. It’s so personal.”

For her, “this has been the most personal play I’ve done,” she said.

The production has modern touches, such as modern dress.

But it still has The Bard’s words and the same riveting story.

It’ll reach and speak to people regardless of how familiar they are or aren’t with Shakespeare, Elliott said.

“For the people who’ve seen ‘Hamlet’ or know the story, I hope they’re able to see a fresh new version that stays true to the original script but makes it more current. They’ll see it in a way they haven’t seen it before,” she said. “And for people who haven’t seen ‘Hamlet,’ I want them to see how relatable it still is.”

Elliott said she suspects her father gravitated to “Hamlet” because of his love for adventurous, exciting stories and tales from other times. He also liked stories of families, of fathers and their children.

Watching movies like “Hamlet” together “was a special time to spend with my dad,” Elliott said.

Ed Mertens was wonderful, she said. He was a loving dad — a cheerleader for her following her dreams.

“My dad was always really supportive of what I wanted to do theatrically. He came to every single show. Even a month before he died, he was at the show I was directing,” Elliott said.

Losing him has been so hard, she said. But Shakespeare and “Hamlet” have offered a little bit of light.

“My family was coming up with quotes for the funeral program and all these phrases from ‘Hamlet’ were popping into my head. The one we put on his urn is, ‘He was a man, take him for all in all, I shall not look upon his like again.’” Elliott said.

In the play, Hamlet says those powerful words about his dad.

“I couldn’t think of the right words (to say about my own dad). It was very sudden, it was a shock. But it was comforting that one of the things my father and I enjoyed together helped me get through that very difficult time,” she said.

Tickets are available at www.rmtheatre.org. They range from $5 for groundling seats to $20 for adult admission.

Admission for students, seniors, teachers and military service members are $18

A backstage pass that includes an interactive pre-show discussion with Elliott is $10.

This story was originally published October 24, 2018 at 5:07 PM.