I probably say this every time I review a production of the play, but Hamlet is my favourite Shakespeare play. I’ve seen the oft-performed revenge tragedy many times, both here in Australia and in the UK. I have, however, never seen a Hamlet quite like the one presented by The Tiger Lillies and Theatre Republique as part of the Perth International Arts Festival. This is a Hamlet with a vaudevillian cabaret twist, a Hamlet that is both visually and musically striking. And is quite possibly the best production of Hamlet I’ve seen to date.
As you can imagine The Tiger Lillies perform Hamlet is not your typical Hamlet production; for a start it’s not completely textually faithful, though I would argue it is undoubtedly faithful to the themes and ideas of the play. By forgoing some of the political intrigue (goodbye Fortinbras) and trimming some of the soliloquys it’s a touch pacier – running at only two and a half hours as opposed to longer. Some of the cuts might offend the purists, the removal of the Yorick soliloquy in particular, but the main crux of the story is there, and without some the dare I say superfluous bits, the story is presented in quite a clear and focused way.
It’s impossible to talk about this production without talking about the music, provided by The Tiger Lillies. Often prominently featuring Martyn Jacques accordion and haunting falsetto, the songs were often darkly comic and foreshadowed key moments of the play; or played with some of the plays key ideas and themes. The music always added to, and never detracted from, whatever was taking place on stage. Indeed the most striking moment in this production was the death and funeral of Ophelia, which was treated so beautifully. It was moment that was made so much more poignant because it was accompanied by the song “Release Me” – a song that is just so beautifully haunting.
As with any production of this play you need a strong and capable Hamlet. Caspar Phillipson certainly impresses in the role, imbuing his Hamlet with just the right amount of charisma, grief and playful madness. The rest of the cast put in strong and admirable performances, I enjoyed Charlotte Angeles feistier take on Gertrude and Andreanne Leclerc’s understated portrayal of Ophelia. Zlatko Buric’s portrayal of Claudius was quite interesting, in so much that he didn’t really seem all that menacing most of the time – yet seemingly able to murder his brother quite easily and help bring about the death of his nephew.
And finally, I can’t finish this review without commending some of the behind the scenes creatives; Martin Tulinius’ set design was superb; presenting the audience with an Elsinore that on the face of it was quite simple, but was instead a complex trove of windows and doors. Whilst Adalsteinn Stefansson’s lighting design perfectly complimented and emphasised the mood of the piece. I also found the costume designs from Astrid Ottosen to be a highlight, and certainly erred toward the cabaret tradition, albeit with an at times Elizabethan twist.
The Tiger Lillies perform Hamlet was quite simply superb. It is a wonderfully quirky and darkly funny work that is utterly memorable. It takes all the main elements of Shakespeare’s work and presents it in a unique and incredibly entertaining way. Visually and musically striking this is like no version of Hamlet you will have ever seen.
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The reviewer attended the performance on the 18th February 2016. The season was performed as part of the Perth International Arts Festival.
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