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Natasha Rogai

Russian Hamlet

Eifman Ballet of St Petersburg

Cultural Centre Grand Theatre

Reviewed: June 9

The St Petersburg-based Eifman Ballet returned to Hong Kong last week after a successful first visit in 2004. The opening programme was Russian Hamlet, inspired by the life of Prince Paul, the son of Catherine the Great, set to music by Beethoven and Gustav Mahler.

Paul was known as the Russian Hamlet  due to the parallels between his life and that of Shakespeare's tragic hero, including the  alleged murder of his father by his mother and her lover, and his mother's refusal to let him take the throne.

Like all this company's repertoire, the ballet (right) is choreographed by  artistic director Boris Eifman. The piece bears  his  hallmarks: a dark, dramatic exploration of the mind of a troubled historical figure, with  sex, violence and spectacular theatrical effects along the way.

At his best, Eifman produces powerful theatre, but Russian Hamlet is disappointing compared with the works previously seen in Hong Kong: Red Giselle and Tchaikovsky.  The narrative was incoherent - without the programme  notes it would be impossible  to follow  - and the  characterisation  simplistic.

Eifman prefers an impressionistic, rather than a realistic, approach  (unlike works  such as Kenneth MacMillan's Mayerling, another ballet based on a tragic, historical prince). Even so, the characters must be real enough to engage our interest and sympathy - and Russian Hamlet fails to do that.

The choreography is also typical Eifman: highly athletic, with big jumps and complicated lifts. There were moments of  real inventiveness, notably in  the combination of movement and design, with ingenious use of sheets of fabric to isolate individuals or tow them offstage.  However, it was too repetitive.

Eifman makes great demands of his dancers, and their technical and dramatic prowess is  impressive. Vera Arbuzova  was  an icily dominant Catherine,  her impossibly arched back a statement of imperial power.  As Paul, Aleksei Turko  danced strongly, but did not generate enough emotional impact. Natalia Povorozniuk  and Yuri Smekalov  shone as, respectively, Paul's wife and Catherine's lover.



Russian Hamlet