The premiere of William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, directed by Georgian Gocha Kapanadze, took place on March 16th od 2024 at the theater and art center “FANCL” in Shanghai, People’s Republic of China, and was personally attended by David Okitashvili, President of the Georgian Chamber of Culture.
The premiere was very successful.
The collaboration with the Chinese-Georgian company “Galaxy of Vast Dream” produced the project. The play’s producer is Lomgul Murusidze, while Keti Tsitsishvili oversees the costumes. Foreign actors performed in the piece alongside two Georgian artists, Temo Dzotsenidze and Mikheil Ioseliani.
With the play “Hamlet,” director Gocha Kapanadze showcased William Shakespeare’s tragedy along with a few of his sonnets from the modern era. The Hamlet hero is portrayed as a good and moral man who stumbled into an unsuitable and unfit world. Gocha Kapanadze approached the tragedy of Hamlet from a contemporary perspective, focusing on the issue of to be or not to be, a never-ending query in an unpredictable world. Every scene is exhibited with excellent aesthetics and little decoration, which alludes to a person’s internal conflict. Is Hamlet a positive or negative character? Is this person insane or normal? The viewer is engaged in Hamlet’s internal mental struggle. Beside him, Claudius is as unforgettable, captivating the audience with his exceptional charm. Young Shakespeare, along with Ophelia and Gertrude, a group of artists that Gocha Kapanadze carefully chose.
Throughout the entire performance, distinct emphasis is placed on the romantic and carefree aspects of human nature. All of the on-screen photos seamlessly blend into the tragic events occurring on stage, deep behind the scenes. One more outstanding example of Lomgul Murusidze’s professionalism as an artist.
The most unexpected element of the show was Vazha Azarashvili’s timeless music. Georgian listeners will instantly identify the songs and start to sing along in their heads, “Georgia, your heart, should burn like a candle!!”
Bravo to Gocha Kapanadze and the entire creative team!
17.03.2024 Shanghai, China
