THEATER
Hamlet
By William Shakespeare
Presented by Repertory Philippines
Feb. 1 to 17
Onstage Greenbelt 1, Legaspi Village, Makati
People tend to forget that R-18 films have nothing on theater.
Take Shakespeare's Hamlet — you've got murder, incest, greed, deceit, manipulation, and the kind of passion that unhinges the mind and makes for a substantial body count. All that, and students are actually encouraged to watch it.
Photo by Jojit Lorenzo
Still, the youth don't actually look forward to watching a play as much as they would the newest telenovela or blockbuster. It's more a case of being dragged to the theater on leaden feet for some snooze time. But that's about to change, as Repertory Philippines has decided to make Hamlet edgier, stripping it of the popinjay costumes and hardly understood British accent, and setting it in a dystopian future.
"Because it's been done a lot of ways, we wanted to be different. I wanted to bring it close to our generation, something that they can relate to, especially novices," said Ana Abad Santos-Bitong, who trained at the London Academy of Dramatic Arts, of her directorial debut.
Originally, Ms. Bitong intended to play up the revenge theme by setting it in the Cordilleras, but later decided on the sci-fi theme. The two-hour play will be acted out on a stage meant to resemble a desert, with structures that are falling apart.
"Present a Shakespeare where you say 'thee' and 'thou' and have the British accents, students feel so removed from it. So a post-apocalyptic Hamlet is for them to watch and listen to. I want to get younger people back into art. By doing this, I hope I reach out to them and bring them back in the theater," she told BusinessWorld in a phone interview.
Radical makeover
It looks as though they substituted Mel Gibson's Mad Max for his Hamlet. Think leather pants instead of tights. Metal weapons clashing in choreographed fight scenes, as the last of humankind devolve to the primal. Even the Queen, played by Frances Makil-Ignacio, has become a warrior rather than the traditional consort to the arch-villain.
"Gertrude here is not submissive, she's a stronger character, and she wields a dagger... The reason why she does marry right away is survival, it secures her throne, because with the king dead, the tribal society can't be ruled by a woman," Ms. Ignacio said in a phone interview with BusinessWorld.
"My interpretation of Gertrude is not conniving... she is motivated by being a mother protecting her child's interests rather than staying in power. Hamlet can't see it, I'm doing this for him, akala ni Hamlet na ako'y libog na libog (yet Hamlet thinks [his mother] is overcome by lust)."
For once, Hamlet is being played by someone closer to the age Shakespeare intended. (Ms. Ignacio pointed out that without layers of years of experience, a young person is better able to portray "that tear of loyalty to the father and being frustrated by the mother.") Niccolo Manahan was the director's first choice — Ms. Bitong wouldn't have done the play unless he was available — and he has played Hamlet before at University of Asia and the Pacific. His first professional performance of the role brings him full circle, whereupon he can judge his growth since the college production.
Although Mr. Manahan uses Kenneth Branagh's performance as a peg, he's developed the character of Hamlet on his own, with a view to the director's vision. "A typical idea of Hamlet is that he's a thinker, and indecisive, rather than a fighter. By switching to a whole different setting, it gives Hamlet more of that fighter's edge. He's more impulsive... This Hamlet is still trying to figure out who he is, and he's very confused with what is going on in the world. He's going through that journey to figure out his place in the world," he told BusinessWorld in a phone interview.
Acting rigodon
"Shakespeare's themes are timeless, it's your telenovela plot, it's just eloquently written," quipped Ms. Ignacio. Likewise, Mr. Manahan pointed out that Hamlet exemplifies the human condition — "he asks why we are here, just to suffer all these tragedies, when we're going to kick the bucket anyway" - in a way that's open to interpretation.
The fact that Hamlet isn't one-dimensional adds to his appeal.
"I'm reading over the script again, and really, Hamlet is probably one of Shakespeare's best villains. He's manipulative... he doesn't care about the world. He does have his redeeming qualities, but he whines about everything — I get tired of hearing myself whine these lines. But in the end, you really see how Hamlet feels. You will get to see how it all works out, living and dying," said Mr. Manahan.
Hamlet is close to the director's heart, because it's the first Shakespeare play Ms. Bitong acted in (she was Ophelia), which explains her exacting requirements. Being a cast-driven play, this production makes a statement by employing the talents of actors from other theater companies.
Major roles are given to Rep's Joel Trinidad (Claudius) and Cris Villonco (Ophelia), but there's also TV actor Bodjie Pascua (Polonius), along with PETA's Randy Villarama, Tanghalang Pilipino's Jerald Napoles, New Voice Company's Jamie Wilson, and Ateneo Blue Repertory's Pom Docena and Red Concepcion. Added to which, there's Felix Rivera and Rep's Jejie Esguerra, Francis Matheu and Hans Eckstein.
"I have such an eclectic cast and production team — for quite a while, a lot of theater companies stuck to their own team — and there's a wonderful energy, you can feel it in rehearsals. Theater evolves that way, we are evolving as a people, and we're suddenly looking into what other theater groups are doing. It's definitely going to change things," Ms. Bitong said.
Originally published 1 February 2008 in BusinessWorld Weekender.