These days, as Israeli society is overwhelmed by corruption at the government's topmost ranks, and militaristic and materialistic values dictate the tone, Israel is often compared to a "banana republic". Nothing seems further from the Middle East than the royal Danish court, the setting of Shakespeare's Hamlet.
Yet the Cameri Theater's production of the play has received enthusiastic response from critics and audiences alike.
With over 450 performances and five awards, including Israel’s 2006 Theater Prize Awards for Best Play, Best Director, and Best Actor, the tale of the royal Danish court's disintegration seems as relevant as ever.
Sara von Schwarze, the Queen, with Neta Garti, Ophelia (Photo: Cameri)
Hamlet's director, Omri Nitzan, was asked in an interview why he chose to do Hamlet. "Because I have one," he replied. And indeed he does. The strength of Nitzan's contemporary, almost hyper-active version of Hamlet largely derives from the skills of lead actor Itai Tiran.
In one of the most powerful scenes, Tiran, the Hebrew-speaking Hamlet, recites the 400-year-old words:
"...I see
The imminent death of twenty thousand men,
That, for a fantasy and trick of fame,
Go to their graves like beds, fight for a plot
Whereon the numbers cannot try the cause,
Which is not tomb enough and continent
To hide the slain?"
Words that resonate strongly in post- (yet another) war Israel.
Director Omri Nitzan's interpretation of Shakespeare gently, yet persistently, criticizes the hubris and corruption that are, he says, jeopardizing Israel’s very survival.
While the Israeli public might seem apathetic and exhausted from the frequency and intensity of the nation's scandals, Nitzan’s choice to have the audiences sit in revolving seats forces the crowd into constant involvement as the set moves from one corner of the Cameri's intimate space to another.
Revolving seats, dynamic staging (Photo: Cameri)
The Cameri's production of Hamlet has already represented Israel at the International Shakespeare Festival in Gdansk Poland (2005) and at the International Shakespeare Festival in Bucharest,
Romania (2006).
Now, the production will be featured in the international “Shakespeare in Washington” festival on March 6-11, 2007. All of the play's seven performances will be staged in the special theatrical space in The Signature Theatre in Arlington. The play will be performed in Hebrew with simultaneous translation into English.
For more information about the Washington Festival and for reservations click here
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