In the mid-1990s, the famous playwright Radu F. Alexandru wrote a play that assured us from the title that he would not tell us Nothing about Hamlet. Not just anything new, but absolutely nothing. Not even a word.

The play was staged on the national stage in Bucharest in a beautiful professional outfit, directed by Tudor Marescu. A few years later, also in TNB, he played Rada F. Aleksandra light at the end of the tunnel the director’s show fell to the fate of the experienced Mirchi Kornishtyan. Luminita…the drawing, however, under a different name, in the title volume Theater 7printed under the auspices of the extremely serious Yass publishing house Polisher The book in question contained, among other things, a work called, in my opinion, a masterpiece Gertrude. In which, of course, it is about Hamlet, and about Claudius with Polonius, and about Ophelia with Horatio, but especially about Gertrude. The latter is recorded in all its complexity as a tragic character, a co-author of a crime, a mixture of the guilty and the victim. About a creature that is clearly under the emblem of the unclean. The impurity that characterizes the young Hamlet, and Polonius, and Horatio, even the fragile and usually pure Ophelia.

IN Gertrudeno one, or almost no one, can be judged exclusively in black and white. Hamlet is initially affected by indifference and indecisiveness, wanting his father’s funeral to be over as quickly as possible and to return to his studies as soon as possible. In Wittenberg, where he sees rather a shelter. Ophelia also has sins that cannot be forgiven, even if they stem from the special relationship she had with her father, Polonius. Polonius is a man of duty, and duty in Elsinore involves great compromises and incredible moral resignations. And especially observing the law of silence. Horatio is characterized by cowardice and eccentricity. With Gertrude, Claudius and old King Hamlet, everything will be even more complicated.

Unclean from Gertrude it seems to me that this is one of the forms in which a very subtle, generous and idealistic, entre deux Generator of new, original, unexpected and dramatic situations. Under the pen of Radu F. Alexander, they acquire consistency and interest, becoming a modern way of reinterpreting Shakespeare’s play. It entre deux basically defines four of the play’s six characters. Only Claudius and old King Hamlet, contrasted by Shakespeare, acquire clear moral profiles in the new play. These two are definitely in the same evil zone. About evil and crime. This is how Claudius appears to us from the very beginning, while the true nature of the dead Hamlet is revealed only after Gertrude’s revelations. But what guarantees do we have that these disclosures are simply honest? Who else could confirm or deny them, since Polonius, the main witness to what happened in time between the high walls of Elsinore, was killed? And this is for the guilt of revealing to the young prince not only the perpetrators of the crime, but also, perhaps, an even more terrible secret. IN Gertrude, Polonius does not kill Hamlet, as in Shakespeare, but Claudius. And then, isn’t Gertrude a player before becoming a victim of men and history? Isn’t she a great manipulator? That is, at least for a while, the main profiteer of the above entre deux. Of course, but at the moment when everything seemed to be in Claudius’s favor, Gertrude speaks with undisguised lust about the 24 years of betrayals, conspiracies, infidelities spent with Claudius, because immediately after Hamlet is distracted from -involvement and indifference from Beginning, that is, with the conditions that forced him to abdicate the throne of Denmark and facilitate the plans of the assassins, Gertrude’s story begins to sound quite different. Hamlet changes and seems to want to follow his Father’s desire to avenge his death. Gertrude’s revelations provide him with exactly the ammunition that Hamlet needs. But who is really killed? Who then should Hamlet protect and whom should he punish? Who is his real father? Old Hamlet or his brother? Here lies a terrible secret known only to Gertrude, Claudius and Polonius, the true triangle of death. Hamlet’s real biological father is Claudius, so his father was killed by his father. This situation puts to the test the mixture of 99% sensitivity and only 1% reason from which poor Hamlet suffers. Can he turn the interest around? no, unfortunately, everything will be resolved and the suicide will continue.

In a world defined by lies, surveillance and manipulation from Elsinore, as Radu F. Alexander’s play presents us, nothing is certain anymore. Not only Hamlet is tormented by the unknown. And Ophelia, who, in turn, is guilty of betrayal, of weakness before Polonius. She regretted her weakness and betrayal now in vain. As well as from double game Horatio’s childhood friend is also guilty. Horace is uncertain and unlikely. Claudius and Gertrude quickly and effectively sensed the vulnerabilities offered by his successor Polonius. Perhaps they do this also because Horatio should not leave Elsinore precisely in order not to share with the world the terrible events that happened within the walls of the fortress. The secret lies in the law that governs everything there. This fact was well known to Polonius, and his disobedience had already been paid dearly. About Polonius, who symbolizes what we might call, in a phrase made famous by Jan Cott big mechanism. The same Polonius is somehow humanized in Gertrude showing his love for Ophelia. And this humanization is in the antipodes, referring to the willful mechanical behavior of the character. Polonius is an official, he is a counselor, immortalized in office, scorned by Hamlet, instrumentalized by Gertrude and killed by Claudius. It became useless. He broke the rules. He spoke.

Radu F. Alexander once again analyzes the relationship between the main characters of Shakespeare’s play. He reconstructs their past, explores their psychology, explores the source of their evil or vulnerability. The play tells about the evil of the old world, which is symbolized by Gertrude, the old King Hamlet, Polonius and Claudius, but does not look too optimistically at the future. As if indirectly arguing with the optimistic ending King Lear. Hamlet initially refuses to participate, Horatio wants to run away, Ophelia is undecided in love. He vacillates between Hamlet and the rules of the court.

Am I perhaps going too far if I suspect that this skepticism that emerges from the pages of the play is a reflection of the realities of our time? That he feeds on the reality of the world of the 21st century? May be. However, I could not be more convinced that the playwright strikes the right balance between faithfulness and unfaithfulness to Shakespeare’s original text. Hence even the value of the work.

as i said Gertrude was published as a volume in 2012. The book was found in bookstores. It was available to anyone who wanted to read it. The play went to various theaters, in many places it caused enthusiasm. But it took him 11 years to see the lights of the ramp, confirming the sayings about waiting and a chance for fulfillment in Valerie’s wonderful poem.

In 2023 Gertrude finally the absolute premiere took place. And not anywhere, but on the stage of the studio hall of the National Theater in Bucharest. And not just in any case, but in a play directed by Silviu Purkerete, with scenography by Dragos Buhajar and with wonderful stage music written by Vasile Shirley. And not with just anyone, but with actors one at a time. Claudio Bleonc, Mircea Rusu, Marius Manole, Alexandru Potocean, Marius Bodoki, Paul Ciribute and Larry Georgescu. So, an all-male cast, like in Shakespeare’s time. Offer, smart play, overtime in between Hamlet-great Will and hypertext, as Genette would say, to Rad F. Alexander? maybe. But I am sure that the show Gertrude it’s very close to perfect. It reminded me of Phaedraan anthology performance of the same by the National Theater in Craiova.

Both then and now, the scene is dominated by black. Low light is of great importance. But didn’t George Banu write in his wonderful works night (Publishing house alarming, Bucharest, 2013) that the night is favorable for distortions? What drives the night to orgies? Or that an orgy is always a night affair? We have a show with Gertrude funeral orgy A huge hearse, on which the body of the old king is placed Hamlet. We see a bacchanalia of rejection and acceptance of Hamlet’s whimsical succession proposal. One of the best scenes between Marius Manole and Mircea Rusu. Banquet orgy – Gertrude, the supporting role, a major role in Claudio Bleonte’s career, is the one who serves the soup – complete, a sequence enhanced by Hamlet’s and Horatio’s devouring of the food. And, then, an orgy of tango for two. Tango created by choreographer Florin Fieriu, music by Vasile Shirley, flawless performance by Marius Manole and Alex Potocean. We have Hamlet who has to go from indifference to impulse, the impulse to revenge, and then the impulse to go to death, and this path is rigorously traversed by Marius Manole. And we also see a deformed, quasi-Rubensian Horatio, deliberately, in fact, deliberately played in a mocking tone, deliberately a bit of a buffoon, a condition that allows the character to do a lot. It’s about Horatio, played very well by Alexandra Potochean. We witness an orgy of the mechanical language of Polonius, impeccably played by Paul Chiributse. We see a stunning orgy of Gertrude’s manipulations. Or the exhumation and dissection orgy of the Father, in which we follow Marius Bodoki. In excellent shape, cleared of any traces of useless mimicry. Without grimacing and without falling into rhetoric. Also on the night when another Polonius is revealed, a human Polonius, thus Ophelia’s fault. The role that Larry Georgescu plays perfectly.

The great scenographer Dragos Buhagiar suggests exploring the space of the Elsinore Court in a direction opposite to the usual one. From the inside out. Only when the old King Hamlet, exhumed and dissected, bursts into the scene do we see the walls of the Citadel in the back of the scene. Although perhaps underrated. Until then, Bukhagiar plays with the curtain, creates slits, creates spaces. About conspiracies, about all kinds of secrets. From supervision. Places where no one is ever safe or alone. So says Polonius. Administrator. Manager. The next victim. He says this, anticipating his fate. Bukhagiar is an expert in image rhetoric. One is studied, developed, but by no means soulless, causeless, narcissistic.

Gertrude The premiere took place in the last days of the National Theater Festival – Read the whole article and comment on contributors.ro