Bite-sized Bard

This year’s dose of intellectually stimulating theatre comes to Dubai’s shores as Hamlet in a shape and form you wish existed when you were taking your O levels. Freyja Tasci finds out more.

So it’s back-to-school time for the kids, with the prospect of some hard study to finish off the school year. To help sharpen them up, why not pack your offspring off to a good old fashioned dose of Shakespeare. It should nicely stimulate some grey matter, and – wait for it – they might just have a whole lot of fun while they’re at it. That is according to the brains behind a new production of Hamlet, Julian Chenery.

Julian describes the way his theatre company has approached Shakespeare and made it digestible for children (and their parents). ‘This is an authentic retelling of the original play using a blend of easy-to-understand dialogue and original Shakespearean text, with music and original songs in a musical theatre genre,’ he says. ‘The audience can easily follow the twists and turns of the plot, understand the main characters, and hopefully begin to appreciate the depth and subtleties of Shakespeare’s original masterpiece.’

At four and a half hours of loaded soliloquies and complex plot turns, Hamlet is a challenge for the most avid dilettante, yet Julian shows us that bringing it down to basics makes the play easy for anyone to understand. ‘Hamlet can be regarded as a ‘heavy’ play because it is written on so many levels,’ he admits. ‘But on the surface we are looking at a man who wants revenge but doesn’t know what to do; and children and young people can easily relate to that. The most important thing is to understand the chronology of the play, who is who, and how they relate to each other. Only then can you investigate the deeper subtleties of the themes, enigmas and hidden allegories.’

It’s a fair point, but purists might argue that messing with the dialogue means we’re not really watching the ‘true’ Hamlet. ‘We always get reactions from the “defenders of the faith” who think that nothing should ever be changed,’ says Julian, refuting the notion. ‘Sadly there are some people who feel that Shakespeare should be as elite as opera and ballet. Our work is designed as a stepping-stone for millions of people who are daunted by the prospect of Elizabethan English language and an archaic “proclaiming-style” of acting. This should not be thought of as high-brow theatre. It’s a simply great show!’

It’s a tactic that has gone down well with children in recent years. ‘It has been a long-held ambition of mine, not just to bring more children and young people into live theatre, but also to create an accessible link to our theatrical cultural heritage,’ notes Julian. ‘The challenge was to create a spark of interest in Shakespeare’s stories with children who were too young to understand the vocabulary and verse of his original work, yet to maintain an authenticity with the plot, themes, characters and relationships. Alongside that we also wanted to leave untouched as many of the most famous quotes, speeches and moments of the original work, leaving them completely wrapped within the original context of the story.’

Julian’s adaptation has certainly brought out the fun, or at least dark comedy, inherent in much of Shakespeare’s work. Some reviewers have even accused him of turning Shakespeare’s epic tragedy into a comedy. ‘Some see Hamlet as a revenge tragedy, others as a quest or journey of redemption,’ muses Julian. ‘In that it’s not too dissimilar to Harry Potter or Lord Of The Rings I suppose. The main tragedy – as in all Shakespeare tragedies – is that the hero (or heroes) dies in the end. It’s a journey that remains not only gripping but often very funny as well. Why can’t Romeo and Juliet be teenagers in love with all the funny and stupid behaviour that goes with young love? Why can’t Hamlet’s pretend “madness” be comical for the audience? Why can’t some of the guards on the castle ramparts be cowardly in their fright about the appearance of a ghost? All of this gives plenty of opportunity for the humour and lighter moments that so perfectly frame the tragic elements of the story.’

OK, we’re sold on the fact that Shakespeare can be funny. But how old do children need to be to follow it? ‘Seven or eight if English is your first language,’ replies Julian. ‘Ten or 11 perhaps if it is your second.’

For a Shakespeare scholar like Julian, what does he love most about the Bard’s work? ‘The fact that it shows human nature doesn’t change,’ he replies. ‘Shakespeare holds a mirror up to our own selves: envy, betrayal, deception, jealousy, love, hate, romance, murder, greed, corruption, violence, exploitation, power, treachery … All the things we hold so near and dear to our hearts!’

Shakespeare 4 Kidz Hamlet will be playing twice daily at the Dubai Community Theatre and Arts Centre (DUCTAC), Mall of the Emirates (04 341 4777 ), April 21- 24, 9.00am and 12.00 midday each day. Tickets Dhs85, DUCTAC Box Office. Sharjah Cultural Palace Theatre April 26, 11:00am and 4:00pm, Dhs50 (06-5225839). Abu Dhabi Cultural Foundation Theatre April 29, 9:00am and 6:00pm. Tickets to all shows available at www.timeouttickets.com and from Spinneys outlets in Abu Dhabi , Dubai, and Sharjah.