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The World of Arts:
Hamlet, without dialogue
Gwen Herat
We all agree that Shakespeare's brilliance lay in his dialogue. There
is absolutely no doubt about it. It was meant for drama and state to be
delivered loud and clear. The plots are diverse and unique but dialogue
are the dominant force behind them.
One can argue for the rest of his life that Shakespeare's work lay in
dialogue and they certainly did until his plays took over ballet. The
stage and the screen projected his spectacular and magnificent speeches
and verbal communication, arguments and renderings field with passion
and allure.
These all classified his greatness to spellbound and amaze the world.
The world stood still to absorb this humble Englishman who changed the
course of literary scene. They were eloquently displayed on boards as
well as on screen and one would think that Shakespeare's plays were the
ultimate due to the eloquence of the dialogue rendering by the
characters in plays.
To his surprise, Shakespeare would never had plays performed without
as much as a single word. Shakespeare was wrong.
I like to cite Hamlet as an example which is one of Bard's best loved
pragedies Halmet was a visual wonder to the eyes when it was first
produced as a ballet. This magnificent production sealed the fact that
Shakespeare-dialogue can take a back seat when it is danced.
Hamlet is a vast production with wonderful oration and the play is
about kingship, loyalty and revenge of a hell-bent son poised to avenge
the death of his father who is the king and who was poisoned by his own
uncle.
Most of the play takes place in the Danish court of Elsinore. Most of
the youth in Hamlet such as Laertes, Horatio, Roscecrantz and
Guildenstern are courtiers as was Hamlet himself beside being the Prince
of Denmark. Most people believe that Hamlet is Shakespeare's greatest
play. For a dancer to dance the role of Hamlet is the mightiest
challenge to which Rudolf Nureyev rose with triumph and glory, beside
many other great dancers.
The 1942 production Hamlet choreographed by Helpman for the Sadler's
Wells Ballet was debuted on 19 May. The title role was danced by Helpman
himself with Ophelia being Margot Fonteyn to the music of Tchikvosky.
It was I scene ballet that showed the last thoughts of the dying
Hamlet reliving some of the climatic events of his life. It was revived
for the Royal Ballet in 1964 and again in 1981.
The latter version was danced by Rudolf Nureyev as Hamlet and his
Ophelia was Lynn Seymour. Ballet critics and reviewers claim this
version to be the best of Hamlet, even better than Nijinska who being a
female dancers, danced the title role to the music of Shastakovich.
The American Ballet Theatre mounted its version in 1976. Venice,
Vienna, Paris, Canada, Russia are among other countries that produced
this famous ballet of the Bard. Infact Russia mounted Halmet twice over
in 1972 and 1977.
Munich too produced and mounted her version with a local cast of
dancers in 1950 to the music of Sergeyev. Hamlet even superseded Romeo
and Juliet during these years Shakespeare was clearly being understood
as a dramatist even without his glorious eloquent dialogue.
Plays of Shakespeare have always been a source of inspiration to
choreographers around the world and apart from Hamlet and other ballets,
many have been eagerly performed.
Taming of the Shrew 1954, 1961, 1969
Cleopatra 1761, 1808, 1968, 1971
Romeo and Juliet 1785, 1811, 1826, 1937, 1938, 1942, 1943, 1955
The Tempest 1834, 1838, 1964, 1974, 1979, 1981
Midsummer night's Dream 1981
Much ado about nothing 1818, 1971
Twelfth Night 1981, 1987
Merchant of Venice 1785, 1816, 1830, 1969, 1971, 1981
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