Review: "Hamlet, A Version" by Boris Akunin

Shakespeare’s Hamlet, dramatized as a murder mystery by the famous Russian dissident writer, Boris Akunin, is not about the prince of Denmark at all. Played by Matt Weiss, Hamlet is presented as a clumsy down-to-earth creature, spending half of the time drinking and the other half hungover. Although the play is named after him, Hamlet is not the center of attention of this adaptation but a mere puppet in the hands of political schemers.               

photo by Jeremy Daniel

“How could anyone believe in a deadly snake in the northern country of Denmark? Poison in the ear – how is that supposed to work? A ghost? Seriously? I thought that one day when I become a writer I’ll sort it out.” – states Grigol Chkharishvili, who goes by the pen name Boris Akunin. The writer, mostly known for his series of detective novels about Erast Fandorin, set in 19^th century Russia, investigates Hamlet as if it was a homicide case and presents his speculation in Hamlet, A Version.

        

Largely keeping the pivotal points of the classical text intact, the playwright shifts the focus to Horatio, Hamlet’s friend. Self-proclaimed “explorer of human nature”, Horatio, portrayed by Khris Lewin, is a quick-minded and competent young man, standing out against the Danish court by his present day clothes and significantly less stylized speech. The director Irina Gachechiladze makes even his hectic appearance different from the others. Perhaps the production overpromises a bit by presenting Horatio as a bird entirely different from the flock, but I don’t want to go any further to avoid spoilers.    

As the audience chat and leaf through the programs before the play begins, the actors, half dressed in their costumes, casually appear on stage one by one. They warm up and interact quietly as they pull out shirts and skirts from the pile of clothes in the middle of the stage and put them on. The players slowly transition to characters, adding one more layer to the nesting doll of the beloved Shakespearian literary structure, a play within the play.

The eye is comforted by the monochrome, very detailed Elizabethan costumes by Heather Klar. That is until Horatio appears, the only character that “enters” in the beginning, as opposed to emerging from the process of dressing up like others. His black leather trench coat, lined with scarlet silk, and military boots are just a few elements short of a Nazi uniform. Hamlet addresses the fact that his friend is dressed in a foreign fashion but nobody seems to be too suspicious.  

The owner of another leather trench coat, Morpheus from Wachowskis’ 1999 movie, The Matrix, comes to mind considering the amount of computer graphics that the production employs. CG castle walls are blooming with flowers, or bursting with the chaotic movement of giant bugs, projected on the fringe background curtain (the projection Design by Michael Ivanishvili). The ghost of Hamlet’s father is also a projection that causes the entire picture to glitch. In addition to that, using different speakers around the house makes the most beautiful and haunting appearance.                                

Unfortunately in Hamlet, A Version, the design took one step further than the text, making a big reveal in the end rather disappointing. Throughout the show, a cast of nine fine actors seemed unsure of what they are doing and lost between the flat presentation of Shakespeare, infusion of political plotting by Akunin, and the bold design, which tricks you into thinking that things are more complicated than they are.

As a singled out theatrical event, Hamlet, A Version, is an undercooked dish. But the ambitious and fresh interpretation of the classics, slick minimalistic design and potent actors make for good ingredients and hold the show afloat.         

Much like in a series of popular novels, or an action blockbuster, some inconsistencies were left unresolved, leaving the audience wanting more answers. Hamlet, A Version, is staged in a way that makes you believe that Horatio is some kind of Doctor Who of classical literature and there are more adventures to come. After all, Akunin rewrote Chekhov’s Seagull in 2000, also making it a detective story. So who knows, maybe he has a series in mind.          

(Hamlet, A Version plays at The Theater at St. Clement’s, 423 46th Street, New York, through May 7, 2017. The running time is one hour forty minutes with no intermissions. Performances are April 27th-29th at 8, April 30th at 3, May 2nd-6th at 8pm, and May 7th at 3. Tickets are $18 and are available at https://www.akuninhamlet.com/)

Hamlet, A Version is by Boris Akunin. Directed by Irina Gachechiladze. Composed by Giya Kancheli. Sound Design is by Sam Kusnetz. Lighting Design is by Isabella Byrd. Projection Design is by Michael Ivanishvili. Costume Design is by Heather Klar. Translation by Ileana Alexandra Orlich.

The cast is Matt Weiss, Claire Brownell, Khris Lewin, Joy Hermalyn, James Phillip Gates, Allan I. Ross, Michael Sweeney Hammond, Michael Propster, Owen Scott.