Put aside traditional expectations of a production of Hamlet and be surprised, amused and very moved by this homage to the Shakespeare play which explores identity and creativity – created in conjunction with and performed by a cast of actors with Downs Syndrome.Summary
Rating
Excellent
To call this delightful and ground breaking show Hamlet is a bit misleading. To call it a play is also slightly misleading. This is a theatrical production inspired and based around a few key scenes from the Shakespeare tragedy. The story of how it came to be is the key to understanding what makes the show so special and unusual. Jaime Cruz was an usher at the Teatro La Plaza in Lima, Peru when he met its artistic director Chela De Ferrari who was looking for a lead for his new production of Hamlet. Cruz, who has Downs Syndrome, spoke passionately about his desire to act and De Ferrari decided to build a production around him and other young actors with Downs Syndrome. It’s been so successful it’s now touring the world.
‘To be or not to be?’ is the question – not just posed by Hamlet, but by the cast members themselves, as they address what it means to be a disabled person in today’s world. There is a constant duality to the performance, in which the actors speak as the Hamlet roles they are playing, but also addressing the audience as themselves and relating elements in the Shakespeare play to their own lives. In one scene, three Ophelia’s sit side by side envisioning their ideal futures, with goals like having a family, meeting up with a friend made on social media or becoming a chef. It’s poignant in two ways; Ophelia, we know, will die before she achieves any of the ambitions, while a person with Downs Syndrome faces the fact that the opportunity to live independently and achieve goals such as these can be very limited. The production is a call to action: be a bystander or participate in life. It’s a defiant and passionate plea to be understood and a call for equality and independence.
It’s a dynamic show that uses techniques including video, music, singing, talking directly to the audience, some audience participation, and a mass dance along to end. It’s a straight-through hour and a half and moves with pace from vignette to vignette. It’s at turns funny, brash, thoughtful, powerful and heartfelt. The actors are Peruvian so it’s in Spanish with subtitles, some of which I think could have been rethought, as they weren’t entirely clear to understand.
Put aside traditional expectations of a play with a linear plot and conclusion. And go and be surprised, amused, and very moved by this astonishing, talented cast. I’ve never seen anything like it, and that’s a good thing!
Written and directed by: Chela De Ferrari
Produced by Teatro La Piaza
Vocal Training by: Alessandra Rodríguez
Choreography by: Mirella Carbone
Visuals by: Lucho Soldevilla
Lighting design by: Jesús Reyes
Stage Managed by: Allyson Espinoza
Lighting director: Marvin Calle
Sound by: Jhosimar Sullon
Video Technician: Dennis Hilario
Hamlet plays at Barbican Theatre until Sunday 27 April.
The show will also play as part of Brighton Festival from Friday 9 to Sunday 11 May. Further information available here.
