Leave your Sharpies and 8x10 glossies at home, trekkies, because The Royal Shakespeare Company just released a statement regarding the production of "Hamlet" starring "Star Trek: The Next Generation’s" Patrick Stewart and "Doctor Who’s" David Tennant today, stating that fans will not be allowed to bring any Dr. Who or Star Trek memorabilia to be autographed.

"Due to the huge amount of interest in the RSC’s current production of Hamlet, only Royal Shakespeare Company or production related memorabilia will be signed by members of the company. It is very flattering that there is so much interest in this production, but the sheer volume of requests means that we need to set some limits which will be as fair as possible for everyone. We apologize if this causes any disappointment."

This news will no doubt break the hearts of trekkies and "Doctor Who" fans making it out to this year's performance of "Hamlet," but let's examine the facts. There is a time and a place to dress in your finest Starfleet uniforms; classical theater is not that time. I’m sure the performers would prefer fans to go and appreciate their new roles and enjoy Shakespeare, rather than just be there to see a character they’ve played in the past.

On the flip side, I am not entirely sure that RSC handled the heartbreak in the classiest of manners.

It is one thing to ban autograph requests entirely for logistical reasons. The same as it makes sense to limit autograph requests to 1 per person. Or if the actors themselves choose not to sign the memorabilia for whatever reason.

But the facts are, there's no real difference between autographing a play brochure or signing a Star Trek TNG Picard as Locutus action figure, so the statement is more insulting than it ever should have been. How about you just say you want to keep the focus on actors and get your action figures signed at San Diego's Comic-Con?

-- Christie St. Martin of Funny Pages 2.0

Photo Credits: "Doctor Who," BBC; "Star Trek: Enterprise," CBS Studios Inc.

Whether ‘tis nobler in the mind to suffer

The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune

Or to take arms against a sea of troubles

And by opposing end them. To die, to sleep -

No more - and by a sleep to say we end

The heartache, and the thousand natural shocks

That flesh is heir to. ‘Tis a consummation

Devoutly to be wished. To die, to sleep -

To sleep - perchance to dream: ay, there’s the rub,

For in that sleep of death what dreams may come

When we have shuffled off this mortal coil,

Must give us pause. There’s the respect

That makes calamity of so long life."

William Shakespeare, Hamlet

Passing through nature to eternity.”

William Shakespeare, Hamlet

While randomly searching the internet the other night I stumbled upon these great items on www.oztion.com.au. This mirrored Hamlet bar mirror is just gorgeous and would be a welcome addition to a formal lounge or sitting room. I love the striking red, black and silver colour combo.

Also available from the same seller is this great Vintage Rose Hip Syrup sign available. I picture it sitting perfectly beside a whitewashed wall.
Both are available now at Buy It Now so once they are gone, they are gone. The Hamlet Bar Mirror is $24.99 plus postage, while the Rose Hip Syrup sign is $60.00 plus postage.
You can view these and more great vintage advertising signs at http://www.oztion.com.au/vshops/browse.aspx?shopid=233&cat=117283

Date: 2006
Posted by: gr8tbigtreehugger
Credits: Created by gr8tbigtreehugger. A HatHead Production
Cast: Kenneth Brannagh [sic] (Hamlet)
Duration: 3.17

Second Life-style graphics characterise this peculiar, unearthly rendition of the 'To be or not to be' soliloquy from Hamlet (Act 3 Scene 1). A head on a pedestal utters the deathless words in a whisper as the 'camera' swoops about and monks intone in the background. Not much of an intelligible expression passes over the face until it breaks into a goofy grin at the words, "Soft you now! The fair Ophelia!". The animation uses 3D animation software from www.coolclones.com, and it seems to be a case of the software having driven the inspiration for the work. Some day (when virtual reality takes over entirely) everything will look like this.

YouTube page

An example of this is the book I’m currently trying to put down, but not always succeeding. In One Big Damn Puzzler by John Harding  [Black Swan  £7.99  9780552999809] an American lawyer arrives on a tropical island where only one man amongst the total population of indigenous people can read and write and he is trying to translate Shakespeare’s Hamlet into the local pidgin English. (“To be, or not to be, that is the question” becomes “Is be or is be not, is be one damn big puzzler”). The lawyer is hoping to help some of the inhabitants claim for compensation after they had been injured by stepping on land mines left behind by the Americans after a recent occupation. What he doesn’t realise is that the hotel on the island was never completed, so he has to adapt to living the same way as the locals. He also doesn’t know that there is already one other white person on the island – Lucy from Cambridgeshire, who is about to complete a book about the sexual life and customs of the local people. Lucy doesn’t think that compensation for the injuries is going to help the locals.

The presence of the newcomer seems to trigger off a number of events which threaten to change the lives of the locals for ever. There are some quite comical moments as well as some moving ones: perhaps the Times critic hit the nail on the head by describing the book as “blackly comic…[and] a thoroughly entertaining read”. I’m certainly being entertained and I’ll certainly finish this book.  John Harding’s previous books were What we did on our Holiday  [Black Swan £6.99 9780552773881] and While the Sun Shines  [Black Swan £6.99 9780552999663]

Remembering the Stags

I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a football fan, but I can’t keep quiet about a new book all about the Stags (Mansfield Town FC) from the Chad’s very own John Lomas. It’s called End of an Era  [At Heart Ltd, £12.99, 9781845472153] and is due out next month. In the book John looks back at the 77 year history of the club, which, for those unfamiliar with the recent happenings, has just dropped out of the Football League. I hope to bring you more about the book in a week or two.

Non-fiction prize

What with the Man Booker Prize, the Richard and Judy Prize, the Orange Prize and all the others, it’s easy to forget that there is also an annual prize for non-fiction. The winner of this year’s BBC Four Samuel Johnson Prize for Non-Fiction is Kate Summerscale. The Suspicions of Mr Whicher or the Murder at Road Hill House [Bloomsbury £11.99  9780747599227] is a classic murder mystery and of course a true story that has inspired writers like Charles Dickens and Arthur Conan Doyle. Echoes of Arthur and George (Julian Barnes) I suppose

Now my foray into some of the founders of "political theology" as it is known today is still somewhat new. So for me, this works great as an introduction and it engages one of my favorite plays. But for others, perhaps this will be like returning to an old friend. Still, I think everyone would do well to give this a look. Below is some of the seminar's bibliography to pique your interest.

Carl Schmitt’s Hamlet Oder Hekuba: Der Einbruch der Zeit in das Spiel was published in 1956 ... David Pan (UCI) and Jennifer Rust (St. Louis University; CUI Ph.D.) are working on a translation of the text, forthcoming from Telos Press, Spring 2009.

“Hamlet or Hecuba: Carl Schmitt’s Decision” by Victoria Kahn [on jstor]

“From Walter Benjamin to Carl Schmitt, via Thomas Hobbes” By Horst Bredekamp, Melissa Thorson Hause, Jackson Bond [on jstor]

“Hamlet, Prince: Tragedy, Citizenship, and Political Theology.” By Julia Reinhard Lupton. [pdf for download on the website]

Lupton and Reinhard on Benjamin and Hamlet [pdf for download on the website]

“Hamlet and the Scottish Succession?” by Stuart M. Kurland [on jstor]

Versão da Compagnia Laboratorio di Pontedera (Itália) para "Hamlet", de William Shakespeare (1564-1616).

Direção de Roberto Bacci. Assistência de Savino Paparella. Com Tazio Torrini, Andrea Fiorentini, Serena Gatti, Debora Mattiello, Luigi Petrolini, Francesco Puleo e Alessandro Porcu. Dramaturgia de Stefano Geraci. Cenografia e figurinos de Marcio Medina.

Recomendado a partir de 14 anos.

26/06/2008, Rio de Janeiro - As vídeos-instalações de Bill Lundberg

O norte-americano Bill Lundberg é internacionalmente reconhecido como um dos pioneiros na arte da vídeo-instalação em artes plásticas.

Lundberg, que é casado com a também artista plástica brasileira Regina Vater, integra os aspectos formais da pintura, da arte da performance e do cinema, para tratar da condição humana, explorando por meio de técnicas experimentais, temas como o isolamento, a vulnerabilidade e as relações interpessoais.

A obra de Bill Lundberg influenciou artistas como Bill Viola, Tony Oursler e Gary Hill. A extensa carreira de exposições internacionais de Lundberg tem sido objeto de vários prêmios. Em 1981, mereceu a Bolsa da Fundação Guggenheim. Em meados dos anos 80, por quatro anos consecutivos, o próprio artista integrou o júri que concede essa Bolsa, junto com a famosa crítica de cinema norte-americana Pauline Kael eo conhecido documentarista George Stone. E seus desenhos dos planos para os trabalhos de instalação fazem parte da coleção do Museu Guggenheim de Nova York.

Nos últimos 30 anos, seus filmes e vídeos-instalação foram exibidos em mostras coletivas nos EUA e na Europa, dentre elas as da Bienal deWitney, da Galeria Stadtisch-Lenbachhaus, de Munique; de “A  Escolha dos Crí- ticos", em Dallas, no Texas; e da "Além da Academia", na Arthouse, em Austin, Texas, em 2003.

26/06/2008, São Paulo - Namahaiku – Hakai ao Vivo

Almir Almas (videomaker, diretor, produtor e realizador de audiovisual), Cheli Urban (artista plástico e cenógrafo) e Daniel Seda (artista plástico, videomaker, performer e escritor) transformam uma série de poemas japoneses, chamados hai-kai ou haiku numa apresentação multimídia.

O espetáculo é uma projeção de vídeo sincronizada com os movimentos dos performers. A trilha sonora é pré-gravada e executada ao vivo, acompanhada de recursos como aromas de chá e sensações de frio e de calor.

Cada performance de 30 minutos cobrirá um ciclo de quatro poemas, que representam as estações do ano.

26/06/2008, Rio Grande do Sul - Ensina-me a Viver

Glória Menezes comemora 50 anos de carreira vivendo Maude, uma senhora de 80 anos no espetáculo Ensina-me a viver.

Uma das mais inusitadas e emocionantes histórias de amor do século 20, a peça é a adaptação teatral do filme Harold and Maude, grande sucesso de público e crítica nos anos 70, assinado por Coling Higgins. Com direção de João Falcão e tradução de Millôr Fernades, a peça estará em Porto Alegre num momento muito especial: marca o aniversário de 150 anos do Theatro São Pedro, uma das mais belas casas de espetáculo do Brasil. O patrocínio exclusivo é do Bradesco Vida e Previdência e Bradesco Prime.

Ensina-me a Viver narra o encontro amoroso entre Harold e Maude. Harold é um senhor de quase vinte anos, obcecado pela morte. Maude é uma menina de quase oitenta anos, apaixonada pela vida. Sensível, inteligente e rico, Harold não conheceu o pai, que morreu quando ele ainda era menino. Convive com uma mãe indiferente e autoritária, numa relação desprovida de qualquer contato afetuoso. Atormentado, Harold tenta chamar a atenção materna simulando tragicômicas tentativas de suicídio. A quase octogenária Maude, ao contrário, tem uma paixão incomparável pela vida. Aproveita cada segundo de sua existência como se fosse o último. O contato entre os dois não poderia ser mais inusitado e improvável, mas quando se encontram, a sintonia é imediata. Maude, cheia de alegria e positividade, ensina ao deslocado Harold os prazeres da vida e da liberdade. Ensina-me a viver é uma tocante e bem-humorada história de descobertas, que leva o espectador a acreditar que simplificar a vida é o melhor caminho e que o amor continua sendo o melhor remédio.

Hamlet (Confira aqui a crítica do espetáculo) - Com Wagner Moura e grande elenco - Teatro FAAP - Rua Alagoas, 903, Higienópolis - Sextas e sábados às 20h e Domingos às 18h - R$ 80,00 (inteira) e R$ 40,00 (meia) 

Imperador e Galileu - Com Caco Ciocler, Dan Rosseto e grande elenco - Sesc Santana - Avenida Luiz Dumont Vilares, 579, Santana - Sextas e sábados às 21h e Domingos às 19h - R$ 20,00 (inteira) e R$ 10,00 (meia) 

Quando as Máquinas Param - Com direção de Dan Rosseto - Teatrix - Rua Peixoto Gomide, 1066, Jardim Paulista - Sábados às 21h

Senhora dos Afogados (No sábado, confira aqui, no ENTEATRO, a crítica do espetáculo) - Com direção de Antunes Filho - SESC Consolação - Rua Dr. Vila Nova, 245, Vila Buarque - Sextas e sábados às 21h e Domingos às 19h - R$ 20,00 (inteira), R$ 10,00 (meia e matriculados) e R$ 5,00 (comerciários)

Cartilha Feminina para Homens Machos (Em breve, confira aqui, no ENTEATRO, a crítica do espetáculo) - Com Sheila Mello - Avenida Club - Av. Pedroso de Moraes, 1036, Pinheiros - Sábados às 21h - R$ 35,00 (inteira) e R$ 17,50 (meia) 

ÚLTIMOS DIAS - Flores Brancas - Com Zeze Mota e Luciana Caruso - Teatro do Centro da Terra - Rua Piracuama, 19, Sumaré - Quintas e sextas às 21h30 - R$ 30,00 (inteira) e R$ 10,00 (meia)

Show

Dia 28

Show da banda Donna John (que conta com Nando Prado, Chris de Miss Saigon, no vocal) no Grazie a Dio localizado à Rua Girassol, 67, à partir das 21h30.

Caso queira seu evento divulgado nessa sessão, mande um e-mail para contato@enteatro.com.br.

Guilherme Udo

guilherme@enteatro.com.br 

Which brings me to Ophelia by Lisa Klein, a re-imagining of the classic Shakespeare tale in the same league of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, except this is a YA novel told from, you guessed it, Ophelia's point of view. It is assumed that in order to understand what's going on, you should already be familiar with Shakespeare's Hamlet (and if you are a book lover, shame on you if you are not! Shame! Get thee to Netflicks and order the definitive Kenneth Branagh version. Go to!), so you are probably wondering to yourself: "If Ophelia goes mad and drowns herself before the final act, how then can she narrate?" Well, you've got to ask yourself: does she really go mad? Indeed....did she really die? What ho! There's some hanky-panky going on in the state of Denmark. But I shall stop at this because methinks I might have already given too much away.

On an entertainment level, Ophelia amuses in spades. She is not the weakling we know from the play, but rather, a well-read tomboy with a few witty remarks up her sleeves---a PC Ophelia, if you will. Despite all her rationality, she still falls for Hamlet and all is fine and dandy until the ghost appears, the shit hits the fan, and Hamlet goes bonkers (or pretends to) and the characters start dropping off like flies.

The first part of the book is very on-the-edge of your seat exciting, even though I knew the outcome, it's still exhilarating to see the melodrama unfold from a different point of view. It's clear that the author really knows her Shakespeare and the entire novel is a scavenger hunt for Hamlet allusions and famous quotable lines that only geeks like me who recite Shakespeare in the shower can get excited over. The only beef I have with this story is the rather anti-climatic final act; I could site a definite point where I thought the story should have ended, yet it went on for an extra fifty pages and I was like, "Alright, end already!" but the story went on and on, spanning several years and countries as Ophelia, taking Hamlet's advise to heart, got herself to a nunnery where she dabbles in botany and witnesses a stigmata. A nunnery? There's no hanky panky in a nunnery! Fie this!

Let not my medieval foul-mouth dissuade you from the novel. Read it. Love it. Disregard the ending.

Some of you may remember the potted plant I bought last winter for my office.  Sadly, the experiment is over.  Apparently, it is next to impossible to grow a plant without sunlight.  (Or those crazy hi-tech UV lamps.)

The dream died today as I carried my plant out to the dumpster.  Actually, the dream probably died over a month ago when I stopped watering the dying plant and stuck it in the corner, out of sight.  I will miss it forever, or at least for a few hours.

Date: 2006
Posted by: srowan
Credits: Created by Alex Mueller and Scott Rowan. A Row 1 Production
Cast: Scott Rowan (William Shakespeare), Jenna Johnson (Anne Hathaway), Callie Parks (Francis Bacon, Actress), Griffin Ransdell (Bully no. 1, Messenger), Alex Mueller (Bully no. 2, Actor), Bill Rowan (Papa Shakespeare), Sandy Rowan (School Teacher), random people (extras)
Duration: 11.33

We first encounter William Shakespeare in a modern day American small town setting. He is sitting on a bench, when a quill feather flutters down beside him. He tells his life story to a girl sitting on the next door bench, who initially ignores him. We learn that as a child he loved to read, and learned about his ancestor who fought in the Wars of the Roses ("I don't know why anyone would want flowers that bad"). Encouraged by his sweetheart Anne Hathaway, William learns to write and write and write. He joins the Lord Chamberlain's men acting troupe and marries Anne. Then his father dies, and William writes a play inspired by his father, which he will call Hamlet (named after his father's favourite meal of ham omelettes). The girl on the bench advises him to use some words he had just uttered ("Alas, poor York peppermint...") in his play. Her name is Francis [sic] Bacon.

This is a remarkably accomplished 11-minute amateur parody of Forest Gump, telling instead the life of William Shakespeare. The music from the film helps, and it's not a difficult film to parody, but such care has gone into recrafting shots from the original and duplicating its tone. It doesn't tell us much about Shakespeare, except maybe to hint that his life for us now is, much like Forest Gump's, little more than a blank onto which we imprint our own expectations of a national figure.

YouTube page

Mňa osobne pri týchto spomienkach prepadne nostalgia za časmi, kedy písané slovo malo svoju váhu, ľudia radi čítali romány, poviedky rôznych žánrov. Samozrejme, málokto z nich s veľkou obľubou čítal vyššie spomínanú literatúru, ktorá veľakrát bola trochu "ťažšie stráviteľná" pre teenegerov, ktorým sa v hlave preháňali úlne iné myšlienky a záujmy :) . Ale predsa len väčšina mladých ľudí si so záujmom prečítala aspoň klasiku hororového žánru Drakula.

Nebojte sa, nejdem teraz do krvi obhajovať povinné čítanie, ktorým nás trápili naši učitelia literatúry. Len sa tak trochu poobhliadam za minulosťou, ktorá pre mňa, ktorý sa považujem za akademický typ, je úzko spätá so školou. Priznám sa, že slovenčina a literatúra patrili k mojim obľúbeným predmetom a pravdepodobne som bol jeden z mála študentov, ktorí prečítali kompletné zoznamy povinnej literatúry a k tomu aj nespočetné množstvo diel, ktoré sme na hodinách preberali a okrajovo spomínali. A okrem ťažko pochopiteľných a náročných diel (napr. Nevesta hôľ dala zabrať aj mne) našlo sa medzi nimi pár sviežich a vtipných príbehov (napr. aj dnes aktuálni Demokrati).

Ďalší benefit môjho poctivého čítania "povinnej literatúry" z času na čas využijem aj v súčasnosti, kedy v spoločnosti rodiny, blízkych alebo známych príde na pretras niektoré dielo vo sfilmovanej podobe, pričom film veľakrát len ťažko vystihne atmosféru originálu a tak som chtiac-nechtiac zatiahnutý do rozhovoru nad sledovaným filmom, pričom veľakrát odpovedám na mnohé otázky, vysvetľujem podstatu zápletky a dopĺňam biele miesta, ktoré sa vo filme objavia.

A podobne je to aj so súčasnými spracovaniami knižných bestsellerov. Zoberme si len Harryho Pottera alebo Pána prsteňov. Predovšetkým druhý menovaný príbeh sa vo svojej filmovej podobe dosť povrchne venuje témam a dejovým líniám, ktoré podľa môjho názoru chcel Tolkien predovšetkým zdôrazniť a skryť analógiu s politickým dianím v Európe a vo svete, ktorý sa zmietal pod fašistickou okupáciou. Aj keď samotný autor túto spojitosť popiera a vo filmovej podobe by ste ju márne hľadali, analógia ukrytá v knihe je v niektorých jej častiach evidentná.

A preto si myslím, že odpoveď na otázku v názve tohto článku znie: NIE! Povinné čítanie nie je nočná mora minulosti. Je to niečo, čo by malo byť prirodzenou súčasťou života každého človeka bez ohľadu na vek. A nemusí to byť "povinné čítanie". Stačí, ak si z času na čas prečítate nejakú dobrú knihu (beletriu, populárnu, odbornú...) ... aspoň pár strán.

Verte mi: obohatí Vás to viac, ako dve hodiny strávené pri treťotriednych akčných filmoch americkej (ale aj európskej produkcie)...

P.S.: Určite sa nájde veľa odporcov toho, čo som napísal. Každý má právo na svoj názor. Neváhajte a vyjadrite ho. Pokiaľ budú slušné, bez nadávok a urážok, veľmi rád na ne odpoviem... :)

É surpreendente ver o talentoso elenco percorrendo aquela trama com momentos de comicidade incrível balanceados com interpretações dramáticas no ponto!

Se interpretar Hamlet é marcante na carreira de um ator, pode-se dizer que Wagner faz isso com muita habilidade, defendendo com garra o personagem e dando um ar que faz a platéia ficar presa do iníco ao fim. Como diz Hamlet no V Ato: "Estar pronto é tudo." e é isso que se percebe em Wagner.

O resto do elenco está afiado em seus personagens, apesar de alguns estereótipos adotados em certos papéis. A opção de manter os atores em cena, mesmo quando não estão envolvidos na ação, resulta em uma encenação que se assume como teatro, mas que não perde a magia.

É gostoso ver uma história ser narrada e, ao mesmo tempo, poder perceber como ela é construída por aquele elenco, através dos olhares de atenção deles para a ação que ocorre e de seu apoio em montar o cenário enquanto não participa da encenação.

Tudo segue a linha do "menos é mais", desde os cenários, figurino e objetos de cena até o a própria interpretação do elenco, que é minimalista, mas nem por isso sem força!

Leve, divertidade e emocionante, a montagem certamente marca a carreira desse elenco e merece aplausos.

MÉDIA: 9.0

RECOMENDAÇÃO: Vá! Não perca a oportunidade de ver um trabalho muito bem desenvolvido por um elenco jovem e talentoso, além de ter a certeza de que encontrará diversão, emoção e ainda reflexão sobre a sociedade.

Guilherme Udo

guilherme@enteatro.com.br

Date: 2007
Posted by: Chris Barrett
Credits: Filmed by Chris Barrett. Powerhouse Pictures Entertainment
Cast: Craig Bazan (Hamlet)
Duration: 3.10

One of the most celebrated and most watched of original Shakespeare online videos in the short history of the genre. Eighteen year old Craig Bazan, a student at the Creative Arts High School, delivers the 'O what a rogue and peasant slave am I' soliloquy from Hamlet (Act 2 Scene 2), in a single shot with fixed camera on a street in Camden, New Jersey. Its its raw and immediate power comes as much from its setting as the passion of the performance. There is a real feeling that this is where Shakespeare belongs.

The video made such an impact that Bazan subsequently published a follow-up YouTube video to say thank you for all of the positive responses that had been received. Barrett and Bazan have now made Hamlet on the Street - Scene 2, in which Bazan plays the scene where Hamlet meets his father's ghost and becomes possessed by it.

Date: 2007
Posted by: Chris Barrett
Credits: Filmed by Chris Barrett. Powerhouse Pictures Entertainment
Cast: Craig Bazan (Hamlet)
Duration: 4.18

Powerful once more, perhaps with a bit too much shouting, and not quite the impact of the inspired first video.

Hamlet on the Street YouTube page
Hamlet on the Street - Scene 2 YouTube page

A moth is seen fluttering by a candle in the night. We cut to a close-up of a sock puppet of the moth, which then utters most of the 'To be or not to be' soliloquy from Hamlet, though this rendition ends with the words 'The rest is silence'. The moth flies into the flame. The end.

A rather poignant effort, artfully done with effective changes in camera angle, conceived, designed and directed by Lyn Kagen in 2006, with the moth performed by Tim Lagasse. A Puppet Anarchy Production.

A slightly unsettling animation in which a portrait of William Shakespeare is seen to deliver the 'Fear no more the heat o' the sun' speech from Cymbeline (Act 4 Scene 2). The animation was created in 2008 by Jim Clark, who has made a speciality of creating similar animations of portraits of poets 'reading' their work (Wilfred Owen, John Keats, T.S. Eliot etc). In this instance, Shakespeare's words are provided by a recording of the British actor Robert Donat. The image is protected at various points with a spoiler.

Also available on Dailymotion.

Jim Clark has also produced a similar animation of Shakespeare reciting 'All the world's a stage' from As You Like It and Hamlet's advice to the player, animated to a c.1919 Edison sound recording by Harry E. Humphrey.

An impressively psychotic interpretation of the 'To be or not to be' soliloquy, were it to be performed by Travis Bickle, Robert De Niro's character in the 1976 film Taxi Driver. Performed by Vish from Bombay (posted under the name VirtualVirtue) in 2007.

A second compilation by Gary and Lisa Watkinson, reacting to the news in 2007 that David Tennant was to play Hamlet on stage, which takes word-clips from the BBC television series Dr Who (in which Tennant plays the title role) to construct lines from Shakespeare's play. The lines selected are 'To be or not to be, that is the question, 'That it should come to this' and 'The play's the thing' (complete phrase from the Dr Who episode The Shakespeare Code).

See also The Doctor does Shakespeare.

The first picture, which makes me go all gooey inside with it's dark, lovely, broodiness can be found here. David Tennant in a black coat, sigh. (Link found originally at Digital Spy).

The second lot of pictures can be found here at david-tennant.com here and show David Tennant and cast rehearsing Hamlet.

Finally for a non-Hamlet related good laugh featuring the unlikely mix of David Tennant and Jeremy Clarkson check out David Tennant in a Reasonably Priced Tardis on YouTube.

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* Nope, I'm also going to see it because it's got Patrick Stewart in to!

Não consigo acreditar que exista alguém que nunca tenha se perguntado pelo menos uma vez na vida: “Ser ou não ser: essa é a questão?” Eu já me perguntei muito isso, como também já cheguei muitas vezes a conclusão de que “Há mais coisas entre o céu e a terra, Horácio, do que sonha sua [minha] filosofia.” Hoje outra frase desse personagem se faz presente: "Se não for agora, não será depois. Se não for depois, tem que ser agora. Se não for agora, será um momento qualquer. Estar pronto é tudo." E para reviver essas frases fui ao Teatro Faap, com duas queridíssimas amigas, ver a montagem de Hamlet, de William Shakespeare, com Wagner Moura e direção de Aderbal Freire Filho.

 A duração do espetáculo me assustava: 170 minutos, mas a boa expectativa aliviava. Depois de todos acomodados, Wagner Moura aparece e dá um recadinho para platéia: “A peça tem 170 minutos de duração, e faremos um pequeno intervalo de 10 minutos. Bom espetáculo a todos!” A música sobe, a luz desce, Wagner se posiciona no palco e peça começa.

E quanta bobagem se preocupar com a duração. Os 170 minutos pareceram meia hora. Tá bom, menos, dona K. Mas eu nem os senti passar, verdade. A encenação de Wagner é tão... envolvente, que parece que o ator lhe convida a viver Hamlet junto com ele. E não deixa dúvidas sobre seu grande trabalho de preparação para viver o príncipe dinamarquês. Um exemplo: quando Hamlet se finge de louco para poder investigar a morte do pai, não só os trejeitos da personagem mudam, como também a voz, que se torna mais aguda e nasalada.

A influência do teatro de Bertolt Brecht nessa montagem também é notável. As coxias são trazidas para o palco e todos os atores ficam presentes o tempo todo. Os poucos elementos cênicos também ajudam a valorizar a interpretação dos atores – que também fazem o papel de contra-regra e cinegrafista. O uso de um telão e uma câmera – que faz o real papel de a câmera indiscreta, revelando os pensamentos mais obscuros de cada personagem –, me fez lembrar o que o meu professor de Técnica de Redação I, Welington Andrade, disse na aula de sobre a peça Ricardo II (é II mesmo, não é o III). “A própria personagem representa uma personagem o tempo todo.” Apesar dele ter dito isso sobre um outro texto de Shakespeare, acho que a idéia se encaixou muito bem em Hamlet. E ficou mais evidente com o recurso audiovisual – que foi muito bem utilizado.

Bem, não adianta eu ficar falando, falando, falando, acho melhor descrever como uma das minhas amigas, que não é tão ligada em teatro como eu, saiu da peça para vocês entenderem tudo o que eu senti. Elza sai com olhos arregalados e sem conseguir dizer uma palavra. Enquanto eu e Angelita, sua filha, tagarelávamos o tempo todo. Até que perguntei: Gostou? Ela responde: Nossa, eu tô sem palavras. Eu tô até agora sob o efeito de tudo o que vi. Elzinha estava inebriada por Hamlet, por Shakespeare.

É arte: o figurino, de Marcelo Pires, que parece ter sido comprado na loja Hering mais próxima, e dá uma literal roupagem moderna à peça.

É fato: achei que a primeira cena, em que vestem Wagner com a armadura do pai de Hamlet poderia confundir a platéia, pois depois, que se torna o Pai, são todos os atores e o Hamlet/Wagner, não a vestiu mais. Mas a Angelita entendeu esse começo como a demonstração do elo entre Hamlet e o Pai. Aceitável.

:: Hamlet, de William Shakespeare. Drama. Direção: Aderbal Freire Filho. 170 min. Teatro Faap (r. Alagoas, 903, São Paulo, tel. 3662-7233). 6ª/sáb às 20h, e dom às 18h. R$ 80. Até 28/09.

A compilation by Gary and Lisa Watkinson, reacting to the news in 2007 that David Tennant was to play Hamlet on stage, which takes word-clips from the BBC television series Dr Who (in which Tennant plays the title role) to construct lines from Shakespeare's play. The lines selected are 'What a peice [sic] of work is Man/How noble in reason' and 'There is nothing either good or bad/But thinking makes it so'.

See also David Tennant does Hamlet.