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Theatre
de la Jeune Lune brings Hamlet to
Edison By Liam Otten Masked figures circle bare torches on a sand-covered stage, flames rippling over twin reflecting pools. So begins Theatre de la Jeune Lune's elemental and visually stunning adaptation of William Shakespeare's Hamlet, which comes to the Edison Theatre OVATIONS! Series at 8 p.m. Nov. 22-23.
As ever, the story begins when the Danish prince, visited by the ghost of his father, discovers that the late king was in fact murdered by Claudius, his own brother and Hamlet's uncle, who has since assumed the throne and married Hamlet's mother, Gertrude. Hayter, working from three different versions of Shakespeare's manuscript, strips away layers of political nuance and Machiavellian intrigue -- the bumbling Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are entirely removed -- to get at the heart of the story: a raw, often savage family drama. The result is a passionate, aggressive yet agile and lucid take on one of Western literature's most famous characters -- one who is frequently obscured by four centuries of literary, philosophical and psychological analysis. The spare yet elegant stage design, by Footsbarn's Fredericka Hayter, frames the story in neutral tones of sand and raw linen, punctuated by sumptuous jabs of crimson, black and gold. The addition of a Greek-style chorus heightens the atmosphere of mythic theatricality, as does the actors' use of masks to signal character changes. The production also features original music by composer Eric Jensen. Theatre de la Jeune Lune was founded in Paris in 1978 by Dominique Serrand (Polonius), Vincent Gracieux (Claudius) and Minneapolis native Barbra Berlovitz (Gertrude); the trio soon was joined by Robert Rosen, also of Minneapolis. All four are graduates of Paris' renowned École Jacques Lecoq and share the duties of artistic director. Steven Epp, who performs the role of Hamlet, joined the company a few years later, in 1983. In 1985, after seven years of splitting seasons between France and the United States, Jeune Lune settled permanently in Minneapolis. Theatre de la Jeune Lune has earned a national and international reputation for reinterpreting popular performance traditions from circus and classical farce to commedia dell'arte and vaudeville in new and evocative ways. Previous productions include Children of Paradise: Shooting a Dream, which won the 1993 American Theatre Critic's Association New Play Award; an adaptation of Carlo Gozzi's The Green Bird; the play/opera Don Juan Giovanni; the epic Germinal; The Hunchback of Notre Dame; and 3 Musketeers. The Hamlet performances are made possible with support from the Missouri Arts Council, a state agency; the Regional Arts Commission, St. Louis; and The Heartland Arts Fund. Tickets are $27 and are available at the Edison Theatre Box Office and through all MetroTix outlets. For more information, call 935-6543 |
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