The Royal Shakespeare Company was never like this. Hamlet writhes elegantly on the ground screaming in mental anguish, while ghostly figures wail mournfully. Richly coloured mosaic projections flutter over the stage and electronic sounds emanate from strategically placed speakers. Apart from a few choice lines projected onto a screen, there's very little of the Bard's text present - Kenji Kawarasaki, the director of Japan's Company East experimental theatre group, has translated it into dance and movement.
This unusual version of Hamlet had its world premiere recently at the La MaMa Theatre in New York's East Village and will head home for its local opening at Tokyo's Theatre Samusa in April.
'There are a lot of ways to interpret Hamlet,' says Kawarasaki, tucked away in La MaMa's looming theatre space the morning after the premiere, which was warmly received.
'It's a complex work. Obviously, there's the theme of indecision. But that's not what interests me about the character. What I find fascinating is the suffering that he endures - and the desire for revenge that results from his pain.
'I think that revenge is the only way that Hamlet can quell his pain. All intelligent beings feel suffering. It's a universal feeling. So that has become the most important part of Hamletfor me.'
The actor who portrays the pain and suffering on stage is Hiroshi Jin, the co-founder of Company East. Jin, who both acts and dances, began his career in musicals and revues. He co-founded Company East in 1996 out of a desire to do something more serious. His portrayal of Hamlet is nuanced and impassioned, although it certainly contains a lot of wailing and moaning.
