Shakespeare’s "Hamlet" performed in Asmara

By K. Ghebrehiwet

They are actors and actresses as well as all musicians. They act and play different music instruments. Their stage control, very swift and attention garbing movement, above all the connection they have with the audience during performance is highly to be appreciated. They managed to build a permanent image in the minds of all audiences through live performance of “Hamlet”- one of Shakespeare’s greatest plays. The audiences in Cinema Roma grant them a standing ovation.

A group of actors and actresses have visited and preformed Hamlet in Eritrea, Cinema Roma, as part of their “Globe to Globe” plan. The word Globe referred in here stands for Globe Theater where Shakespeare’s plays used to be performed and which was renovated anew in 1997. Thus, a group of artists have decided to bring the Globe Theater to all countries of the world-Goble to Globe. Traveling to every country on earth between April 2014 and April 2016 and performing “Hamlet” before all audiences from around the world is the main objective of the Globe-to Globe project.

The chorus and the accompaniment of all music instruments, such as flute, drum, violin among others which the characters(performers) played during the staging of Hamlet touches every nerve of the audience who sits in Cinema Roma to observe the live performance of such timeless and attention grabbing work of art.

The versatility of the member of these live performers of Shakespeare’s play is what highly impressed the audience. The 12 casts have the competence to play different roles. For instance, in Cinema Roma, Rawiri Paratence acts as Hamlet’s Uncle as well as the Ghost of Hamlet’s Murdered father namely as Claudius and Polonious.

Amanda Wilkin who acts as Gertrude, Hamlet’s mother and the queen of Denmark, in Cinema Roma also takes different roles as Ophelia, Horatio or Rosencrantz in other performances. Besides, acting Amanda plays different music instruments while taking part in the chorus. Phoebe Fildes, who acts as Horatio in Asmara, acts as Ophelia, Gertrude, and Rosencrantz in other performances and also plays violin. Ladi Emeruwa, who acts as Hamlet, the tragic hero of the play during Asmara’s performance, mostly takes up the role as Hamlet in other performances too. Almost every member of this touring group assumed the position of different characters in the staging of the play that continued for about 2 and half hours.

There is no deviation of attention on the part of the audiences for every character has forced them to get tuned to what is being performed on the stage. What a lovely night was 15 January 2014!

The characters do not only perform but they live every situation and present everything in a way that seems a reality. The sword fight between Ladi Emeruwa (Hamlet), Matthew Romain (Laertes) the insanity scene enacted by Jennifer Leong who acts in Cinema Roma as Ophelia indeed seem very genuine situations. Who could think they were acting not living the situation until the play comes to an end?

The costume, the music instruments and other goods used during the course of staging the play were mostly chosen to be of old types. What is more is that every thing is just classic, no embellishment or any sort of add on, it is just the story lively enacted by characters.

The spontaneity of emotions reflected by the characters who do not have difficulty in taking different roles in almost every part of this very play makes one wonder about their flexibility. They managed to be flexible in order to make a variety in the way the play is performed in different parts of the world and also to ensure that every cast in the group should not get boarded playing one and repetitive role in the course of the two-year long tour which is aimed to take Hamlet in all countries of the globe.

Through Hamlet Globe to Globe project, the actors and actresses such as John Dougall, who mostly acts as (Claudius and Polonius), Miranda Foster as (Gertrude), Tom Lawrence as (Horatio, Rosencrantz, Laertes and Gulide), Naeem Hayat as (Hamlet), Beruce Khan as (Horatio, Rosencrantz, Laertes and Gulide), Keith Bartlett as (Claudius and Polonius) and the other casts mentioned earlier with the roles they play at Cinema Roma and elsewhere in different performances have brought Hamlet not as in character but in flesh to Eritrea. The theme to “be or not to be” (the indecisiveness of Hamlet) and the tragic end of the lay in its entirety has touched the emotions of the audience as well as delighted by the attention grabbing performance of all the casts. The evening hours of 15 January 2015 were indeed worth spent in Cinema Roma with a story of great depth and artistry and with such flawless performance of the actors.

Eritrea has become the 68th country to be visited by members of Globe to Globe Hamlet project team. The group has moved to Sudan and staged the play in Khartoum Sudan on 19 January, and would perform in Addis Ababa and Djibouti and from in the time between 22 and 26 January and would continue their tour to all the 205 countries of the world.

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