Hamlet with drugs

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32663, 20 July 1971, Page 10

Hamlet with drugs

Drastic sub-editing of Shakespeare’s script, film sequences, masquerade, and an Ophelia going mad on drugs instead of grief are a few of the surprises in “Hamlet 2000,” which opened in the Globe Theatre, Dunedin, on Saturday.

The producer is Patrie Carey. “ Two of his principal assistants are James Mack, former assistant director of the Dunedin Public Art Gallery, who has designed the costumes, and Michael Stedman, a television film editor who is preparing the film sequences.

For the costumes, James Mack has attempted to use plastic as much as possible—“it is so beautiful under lights,” he says. The colours are restricted to black, white and silver with plenty of sparkle and personal adornment of the actors.

Each actor wears a plaster cast to give him a muscular torso, and an extended paper mache head above his own. “The idea of this is to make the visual aspect bigger than life —grand and tall and very swishy. But we are keeping the extras very anonymous, in a Japanese Kabuki style,” Mr Mack said.

Film is being used in the play to add atmosphere. For example, in a soliloquy a recorded voice speaks, while images of Hamlet’s thoughts are projected on to the stage. “We are not taking part of

’ the play and putting it on , film: we are creating a . series of images to be projected not on to a screen, i but on to large areas of the ‘ set,” says Mr Stedman. ! Two movie projectors and ; two slide projectors are used, . and the seven sequences in 1 black and white and in ' colour last about 20 minutes. “To my knowledge,” said Mr Stedman, “this is the : first time in New Zealand that the film, the actors and . the set have been worked in together to become one f total, rather than separate . things imposed on one an- > other. “All the filming has been r done specially for the play.

It has simplified the play and audiences should go away knowing what it is really about. And an important aspect is that it’s a step forward into a new field.”

Patrie Carey has eliminated a considerable part of the dialogue, his aim being to make a “Hamlet for our age.” An example of this is the portrayal of Ophelia going mad on drugs. The main roles are played by Ross Johnston (Hamlet), Brian Walker (Claudius), Philip Gaze (Polonius), Michael Herd (Laertes), Jenny Woods (Ophelia), Eve Duming (Gertrude) and Jack Young (Horatio).