ARTTOUR INTERNATIONAL JULY 2012
Cultural Arts Center, where the following was recently heard: “Ser o no ser, esa es la cuestión….” Or as the bard wrote originally, “To be or not to be, that is the question….” But From May 11 to May 13, there was no question that Hamlet was a prince, but this time, Cuban. The newly constructed and recently inaugurated South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center in Miami, Florida hosted a weekend run of Asolo Repertory Theatre’s adaptation of the legendary five-Act play, titled “Hamlet, Prince of Cuba.” It ran for four performances, two in English and two in Spanish. The significance of this theatrical event is vast in different levels, for diverse reasons and with singular consequences. Thanks to the efforts by the South Miami-Dade Cultural Arts Center, Southern Miami, an area previously bereft of performing arts, is now witness to a great number of quality works. The collaboration with Asolo Repertoty Theater and Nilo Cruz—the most celebrated contemporary Hispanic playwright and translator of the text into Spanish—is living proof of the markedly stirring theater that Miami can produce and yet does not constantly so. This piece of theatrical gold is rare anywhere, but in Miami it comes as rain in the most scorched of desserts. The different components of this impressive production must be noted, for as with any triumphant theater piece, it is the harmonious unison of many parts that render a timeless staging. Michael Donald Edwards’ adaptation was intricate, appropriate and soundly balanced. The heart and soul of the play Shakespeare wrote are as clear as ever but this time they exist in turn-of-the century Cuba—and this, thanks to Edwards direction, is not a stretch but a rather amazingly fitting setting. The intricacies and subtleties with which Edwards treated the subject matter shine through clearly. Working around the original text, he managed to infuse the whole story with Cuban culture while powerfully exploiting the human dilemma that drives Hamlet from the moment he is visited by his father to the instant he takes that last breath after his fight with Laertes. Edwards direction displayed a masterful balance between the main action of the play—Hamlet’s revenge—and small details that fit squarely with the 19th century Caribbean world that make the adaptation so fruitful and unique. By taking great artistic decisions, and therefore risks, Edwards created www.arttourinternational.com
ABOVE: MERCEDES HERRERO AS GERTRUDE AND FRANKIE J.ALVAREZ AS HAMLET. Photography: Gary W. Sweetman photography. © Copyright All Rights Reserved
a legible world in which Hamlet existed, not in an Island in the North Pacific but a smaller one in the Caribbean. Directorial strokes in which the world is thoroughly conveyed are instances in which the adaptation shows focus and deep research. For example, Hamlet is not visited by his father’s Ghost, he is possessed by him in macabre ritual of Santeria; Ophelia sings her mad songs with somber Latin rhythms; Laertes dramatic fault is traced through the fallacy of Hispanic chauvinism; Gertrude’s incest was tainted with hues of horror under a much more Roman Catholic scrutiny, and perhaps the funniest most genius nuance of the adaptation: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern’s circumstantial, and at times pathetic presence in the play, is justified by making them American friends whom Hamlet cannot help but distrust. Working with a fully bilingual cast meant that Edwards worked with different accents, and his directorial mastery is evident again when he takes advantage of the strong American accent the actors July 2012
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