Before I tell you how it was so: if you have the English to enjoy it, do yourself a favor and reserve tickets for one of the following three performances, the only ones to be given in Israel. (
So: The Israeli dates are these:
| Date | Venue | Tickets |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 9th (that's | Tel Aviv, the Gesher Theater (AKA "Noga"), 20:30 | Le'an, 03-5247373 |
| Dec 10th | Haifa, Rapaport Hall, 20:30 | Garber, 04-8384777, 04-8418411 |
| Dec 11th | Jerusalem, Rebecca Crown 20:30 | Bimot/Kla'im, 02-6237000, 02-6222333, or Jerusalem Theater Box Office 02-5605755 |
And that's that. Go. Reserve your tickets now!
Now for the review. First and foremost, the Hamlet. That is, the actor portraying Hamlet. Not every competent actor can carry off a worthwhile Hamlet. We Israeli theater-goers are fortunate to have a great Hamlet available right now, incarnate in the fantastic Itay Tiran; if you haven't yet seen the Hebrew production at the Cameri theater, it's still playing, occasionally -- consult their schedule and go see
Secondly, the ensemble. The entire cast numbers seven actors, some with triple roles. That's not very unusual; what's unusual and exciting are those constant and fluid changes each actor makes between foreground and background, "background" consisting of anything from playing one of several musical instruments (almost every one of them has at least a go at each instrument) to adjusting the set or preparing props, to producing sound effects. It really has to be seen to be appreciated.
Next, the minimalistic set: minimalism in stage design is fairly popular these days (at least in Israeli productions), but this production's use of the stage and the props is simply charming.
There is plenty of original music throughout the play, not only in obvious bits such as Ophelia's songs but also in certain monologues (making some a sort of recitative) and as incidental music. All music is performed by the "background" actors on simple instruments.
Also, there is much attention to humor; it is of course a commonplace that Shakespeare has humorous passages in his tragedies, and few productions fail to use Rosencrantz and Gildenstern as the comic relief they so obvious are; this production goes all the way with R&G, adding some excellent physical comedy to what Shakespeare endowed them with, and further makes the most of the humorous potential of many of Hamlet's lines. An emphasis on physical acting is also evident in the portrayal of the actors (those who play "The Murder of Gonzago", that is), simulating a puppet-show with live actors (see last picture here).
Finally, nearly all modern productions of Hamlet adapt the text by excising certain passages, both to shorten the very long play to suit modern theatergoer expectations (damn those!) and, ostensibly, modern taste (ha!). The detailed instructions Hamlet issues the actors -- Shakespeare's little aside on the vices of his colleagues -- are, for instance, usual candidates snipped out. This production was no exception, but I can attest their redaction was tasteful, and I did not feel a bit short-changed. I applaud director and adaptor Paul Stebbings for that. (It lasted nearly a full three hours, ~170 minutes.)
Excellent acting by the entire ensemble, immaculate timing and an evident joy in the work, complete my list of this production's virtues. I'd have reminded you to go reserve your tickets now, but of course, you've already done that, right? Right.
1 Alright, alright, I'm weak: Here's their performance schedule, and if nothing appropriate shows up, there; now you have no excuse. Besides, if this production's any indication, go see anything by TNT/ADG.