On the poster for Krzysztof Warlikowski's play, at the Rozmaitosci Theatre in Warsaw (directed by Grzegorz Jarzyna), Hamlet, Prince of Denmark is naked. He's wearing only a luxurious royal mantle that falls from his well-shaped shoulders and on his head there is a crown. His pose is highly stylised and the poster looks like a fashion photo. In fact, he's wearing the costume for the coronation of Claudius, a costume that he never actually wears on stage. He's trying something on and trying something out, as this whole play confronts Hamlet with contemporary sensitivity, with obvious ostentation, without compromise". Piotr Gruszczynski, Ubu/Scènes d'Europe, n°16, Avril 2000. This version of Hamlet was first performed in 1999 and is still running in Warsaw. It has marked the recent history of Polish theatre. Krzysztof Warlikowski, who was assistant to Krystian Lupa, Peter Brook and Giorgio Strehler, has broken with the conventional image and has dropped the historical pomp. From different points of view, his Hamlet is naked, stripped bare. He is given a certain sexuality and reflects the brutality of the world in which he lives. The director uses very simple means: a square stage, a little larger than a boxing ring, where the actors exist in a passionate and physical way. In what world are we ? It could be today - this Hamlet with a shaved head is a free man. It could be yesterday or tomorrow. We are in a place where tragedy is at its most strong.
Distribution
stage direction Krzysztof Warlikowski
Gertrud : Stanislawa Celinska
Horatio : Andrzej Chyra
Ophélie : Magdalena Cielecka
Guildenstern : Aleksandra Poplawska
Claudius : Marek Kalita
les comédiens : Cezary Kosinski, Maria Maj, Robert Wieckiewicz
Hamlet : Jacek Poniedzialek
Rosencrantz : Maria Seweryn
Laertes : Adam Woronowicz
Polonius : Miroslaw Zbrojewicz
musiciens : Pawel Mykietyn, Monika Szulinska
assistant director : Iwo Vedral
stage design : Malgorzata Szczesniak
music : Pawel Mykietyn
choreography : Saar Magal
lighting : Piotr Pawlik
Production
Production : Teatr Rozmaitosci (Pologne)
Avec le soutien : du ministère de la culture de Pologne, de la ville de Varsovie et de l'Onda pour les surtitres
Spectacle Theorem.