Hamlet
The University of Hong Kong
This is what I have come to think of as a “thematic” production, namely a series
of excerpts stitched together along the axis of a thematic interest. As such it is
cleverly done. The thematic interest is Ophelia’s predicament: and how that is
created not just by Hamlet but also a sexual double standard insisted on by her
brother Laertes, and her father Polonius (here played frankly as a woman, a sort
of “tiger mother”). The performance begins with a framing cameo: Ophelia is
downstage, feeding Hamlet’s love letters in to a fire (a red brazier). Upstage is a
white draped table (a sort of shrine perhaps) with a photograph: presumably of
Hamlet in happier days. Laertes enters as the action morphs into the flower
sequence of Ophelia’s mad scene. A clock chimes, and Laertes moves upstage
backwards (suggesting a re-wind, as in the movie The Matrix). Nice touch.
To music and a song (possibly Chinese opera) Ophelia is arranging flowers in a
pot. Laertes re-enters to lecture her about Hamlet and “the trifling of his
affection”. She lectures him back (humorously) on the double standard (he
shouldn’t now go playing the “reckless libertine” himself). The diction is of
slightly uneven quality: Hamlet has a tendency to mouth his words.
The scene now changes to Polonius lecturing Ophelia. Though initially
disconcerting to find Polonius played as a woman, we soon see the point. This
lecture does actually seem to make better modern Chinese sense coming from a
woman whose sexual experience appears to be more than a memory.
Interestingly “Polonius” is much more stylishly dressed than her daughter (a
bold floral print on a black ground vs. a pale floral print on a white ground). This
is all very inventive. One of Hamlet’s “tenders” to Ophelia is a pearl necklace
which Polonius sarcastically holds up. The lines, “I know how the blood burns”
and, “tender me a baby” make excellent sense coming from a tiger mother cum
panther. She minces off in her high heels. A slight downside is that Polonius’s
lecture lacks the threat it normally has. This woman is patently lacking in moral
authority.
We transition to the “nunnery” scene (where Hamlet tells Ophelia to get herself
to a nunnery). Nice idea for Ophelia to try and return the necklace to Hamlet
here, along with other love tokens. Hamlet’s somewhat mouthy diction affects
the rhythm and pacing of what should be a torrent of abuse from Hamlet to
Ophelia. The delivery is too stilted. Hamlet is obviously conflicted – there is
affection within the cruelty – this is nicely conveyed. At the end of this section,
Polonius steps out from her hiding place to say “Love, his affections do no that
way turn”. This is really Claudius’s line but it sounds good coming from this
Polonius figure. However, when the actress continues with the rejoinder that
Shakespeare gives to Polonius, it begins to sound confused.
We transition to the “closet” scene. It is a pity that the Polonius actress did not
simply continue as Gertrude: her slightly racy “character” actually suits Gertrude
By Prof. John Gillies
much more closely. Strictly speaking she could not, of course: she has to be
onstage as Polonius, who is killed in this scene. I suppose this illustrates a
problem with thematic performances in general: the theme is always at some
angle to the themes of the play as such. The performance concludes by returning
to the madness sequence. I might be imagining it, but there is a nice little dance
reminiscent of a “water sleeve” aria from a Chinese opera. On the whole an
excellently conceived piece, let down by some stilted delivery and some confused
inter-cutting of Shakespeare’s play. A problem for performances based on a
splicing of Shakespeare’s text is that of intelligibility, especially for an audience
unfamiliar with the play.
By Prof. John Gillies