Review of Hamlet, performed in the lowry, salford quays Essay

On Wednesday 3rd of November, the A-level drama groups from Queens Park High work went to see a version of small town performed in the Salford Quays Lowry theatre. Directed by Japanese Yukio Ninagawa, he has added Japanese influences into the traditional Shakespearean tragedy. The introduction of the inured employ artistic impressionism The barbed fit out re expressed the troth present within his mind. As well(p) as this it was a workful fair to cordon certain areas of the typify.The promiscuous bulbs also representing conflict, which are regularly used in Shakespearean exemplifys in this case used (as with the barbed wire) to evince the conflict stem in hamlets mind. The light bulbs would alight and express to signify a monologue, and were also a type of imagery demonstrating the mind- the light bulb is commonly used to mark an idea. The doors around the edge of stage were used to replicate the idea of an open space, and gave the stage an incredible virtuoso of vast ness.By using these doors and certain lighting, the director was able to indicate diametric times of day during the scene with Hamlet and the ghost, the light gradually move around all of the doors and successfully created the feeling of a rising sun. The costumes care cadaverous by some characters appeared unusual the ghost king (although written to be Norwegian) wore a Samurai costume, and the entertainers wore costumes relating to the native kabuki or no theatre of Japan. Shakespeare would probably take on used cl avouchs or a similar type of act to depict the murder of Hamlets father.The reason for this stems from the Japanese director, Ninagawa, who used his own culture to influence some aspects of the play. This was interesting when it came to the orbit of the play, as it did not tie with the written adaptation which -as menti nonpareild earlier- was supposed to be based in Norway, and there were no references to this. Other costumes were used well to represent diametri c circles within the play- over-embellishedty and those associated were dressed in red a royal colour.Ophelia and her family originally dressed in white, possibly symbolising purity and truth, until Polonius joins the queen and Queen and also dresses in red. Horatio dresses in similar plain fatal clothing to Hamlet, but wore a blue scarf that could brace been used to differentiate him from the royal family. The two scholars that appear at the Kings request both wear grey, game-class outfits and look very some(prenominal) like scholars. The final groups of people to explore are the Polish army, the attracter of which wore a very modern leather coat- a mark of high status and power.The major costume changes that occur are when Gertrude asks to speak to Hamlet- at which point she wears a light blue, flowing gown, representing her purity and innocence, and the underwear worn by Ophelia, present her in a dishevelled and unkempt state. The important cerebration(a) effects occurr ed at the beginning of apiece act curlicue thunder, which accompanied the swaying lights. Music was used namely in the performance by the Kabuki theatre. During Ophelias fierceness, she vocalises some sonnets written by Shakespeare. Songs are also sing by the gravediggers, although they feature only for a short while and do not contribute much to the play as a whole.Overall, the design of the play was well thought out, and the director was able to use the space, lighting, sound and costume to create a well-devised and creative atmosphere. In comparison the counterbalanceting and design of the play, the acting did not contribute in much(prenominal) an involving way. all characters were able to project their voices, which made the audience able to competently strain what the characters where saying. But emotion and expression were lacking in many of the characters e. g. whizz of the most well known lines of the play dear Jochum, I knew him well -spoken by Hamlet- was rushed a nd miscued.In a similar way, the characters of the King and Gertrude were greatly over-acted. The actors who demonstrated the best character development and realism were Polonius and Horatio. During the scene where Polonius forgets what he was going to say, many members of the audience believed that he had forgotten his lines, inducing laughter and amusement exactly the reaction that Shakespeare intended. Horatio gave an excellent performance at the end of the play, producing real tears and a very convincing wo at the death of his best friend Hamlet.The performances of both of these characters were consistent passim the play. Due to the barbed wire on the stage, some of the movement seemed restricted, such as the sword fight between Hamlet and Laertes, where it appeared that they accidentally knocked the wire causing it to shake and distract the attention of the audience. The body language of each character was questionable Gertrude and the King both had over-exaggerated arm move ments, whereas Hamlet appeared not to over-use large movements such as pointing and flailing arms.Polonius had an interesting twitch in his dependable arm, which at first appeared to be nervousness of the actor, but on set ahead investigation, was an intentional manoeuvre used to depict his slightly psychotic character. Ophelia created madness in her character after the death of her father by wretched in a lyrical fashion, as though not unfeignedly aware of her motion a successful tactic. Directors will use the versatility of the Hamlet script to create different relationships between characters, either successfully or unsuccessfully. Ninagawa made the following choicesThe relationship between Polonius and Ophelia was interesting, because although at the beginning of the play Polonius chose to treat his daughter with disdain, Ophelia was quite obviously very disturbed and demoralize about his death. This was perhaps conveying the true to life concept that sensation will love family no matter what the situation. Another relationship including Ophelia is the acquaintance between herself and her brother without knowing the characters, the audience may lead been fooled into thinking that Ophelia and Laertes are lovers, as they kiss.The kiss appears to have a romantic spirit rather than the kiss the audience would expect within a family kiss. This could reply in the audience being ambivalent about the relationship between Ophelia and Laertes. Ninagawa does not pursue the romantic relationship between Ophelia and Hamlet or Claudius and Gertrude, which the audience would expect to see some evidence of- at one point, the actor of Gertrude tried to embrace Claudius who pushed her away, and there was very little penetrate between Hamlet and Ophelia.Hamlet is an interesting character within himself, showing signs of contempt towards other characters, being indecisive and uncaring. It is within the monologues that the audience is exposed to the real Hamlet, which Ninagawa has chosen to portray as acting madness, as debate to becoming crazed. The final relationship being considered is that of Hamlet and Gertrude. At the beginning of the play, the actors did not express sort of bond, and the first contact they appear to have is in Gertrudes closet, where she is moderately sexually harassed by Hamlet.This could have been executed in a much more perverse way, which fortunately the director did not choose to do. The acting in this version of Hamlet leaves a lot to be desired as lines were forgotten, words were misapply and the some actors seemed lacking in direction. I feel that having heard the invoice of Hamlet after having seen the play, there was much that I misunderstood from reflection and listening to the characters.Although true to the text, some of the words were spoken without expression and mistake became easy attention lapsed. Having spoken to other audience members, certain pick out characters became easy to listen to de spite the difficult context and even enjoy. The set and costume was admired for the provocative nature and was a success in almost all aspects. Overall, the play captured most moments that were significant either with the use of design or the skill of the able and talented actors.