September 24 and 25, Boćarski dom at 8:00 p.m.
Taras Shevchenko State Academic Drama Theatre, Ukraine

directed by: Andriy Zholdak

Zholdak's "Hamlet. Dreams", his two-hour take on "Hamlet", is a highly charged and energetic physical piece, with much ensemble movement, Hamlet is a half naked golden god, Ophelia is a young pioneer, and a black crow is excitedly cavorting on the stage. There is much playing with semaphore signs and flags, suitcases and chairs, and in the final sequence the entire cast takes a bath as a gesture of washing away the events of the play. Once again we have a succession of images, loosely connected with the play, a minimum of text, much frantic music, portraying a decadent court, where sexuality is often uncertain, and the acting has great physical power. The movement, also highly choreographed, falls somewhere between mime and dance. As ever with Zholdak, part of the enjoyment lies in watching physical exertions of the performers in the same way Brecht used to coax us into watching a theatre play as if we were watching a boxing match. The piece itself is a cheerful two-hour reflection on some of the themes from Shakespeare's play.