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| ABOUT TRaC |
MultiTRaC Fall 2003
Hamlet at The New Victory The Theatre de la Jeune Lune recently preformed their production of Hamlet, one of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies, at the New Victory Theatre. This production seemed to rely very much on the director s physical interpretation of the play. Concepts probably intended by Shakespeare to be subtly implied were overtly stated through the blocking created by Paddy Hayter, the director of the production. Although the physicality of the production added a unique and, admittedly, interesting dimension to the play, Hayter's role in the production was overstated and distracting. The play opens with Claudius and Gertrude, the royal husband and wife, laughing and chasing each other while being constrained by two long red banners of fabric, each held by several of the company members wearing masks. This picture was repeated whenever the couple entered the stage. It is possible that the symbolism within these banners was that King Hamlet, Gertrude s first husband and Claudius brother, was acting as a barrier between the two lovers. When he was killed, the barrier was released. Until I figured this out, I was irritated by the banners. Unfortunately, it took my attention away from the progressing story, as I pondered what the director was trying to project. While half of my attention was focused on Hayter's concept of the play, I also found myself wondering about the vision of Fredericka Hayter, the scenic designer. The stage was covered completely in sand. There were two small ponds on either side of the stage that were filled with water. It seemed as though Paddy and Fredericka Hayter felt that they should be accurate in their depiction of the land in that time period. Unfortunately, I found myself focusing more on the characters footprints than on their actions. I am sure that many men in the audience found themselves focusing on the transparency of Ophelia s white dress after she sat in the pond. The translation of Shakespeare s subtext into blocking was interesting, though somewhat insulting to the intelligence of its audience. At the beginning of the play, Hamlet and Claudius were literally butting heads. It was actually a welcome change for Hamlet to be violent toward another instead of himself. It was a wonder that Hamlet wasn't covered in fist-size bruises on his forehead and left shoulder after the play was over. At the end of the play, Hamlet and Gertrude kiss. Since this Oedipal atmosphere was artfully implied by Shakespeare, the beauty of the subtext was forgotten. Overall, the very talented actors were upstaged by the directorial comments being made.
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