Amleto, La Veemente Esteriorità Della Morte di un Mollusco

Alternative title: Hamlet, The Vehement Externalism of a Mollusc’s Death
Synopsis: A re-interpretation and deconstruction of Hamlet by Renato Castellucci. Amleto has only one performer, a child, who recites extracts of text, only one of which is recognisably from Hamlet. It is a study of autism and is divided into five sections - the first four corresponding to characters from Hamlet with a matching stuffed and filthy toy. 1. Hamlet and the father with the stuffed bear. 2. Hamlet and Horatio with a stuffed parrot. 3. Hamlet and Ophelia with the talking doll. 4. Hamlet and the mother with a stuffed kangaroo. Part 5 is Hamlet and his death. The bear can be seen to represent an impressive authority figure, the parrot echoes what Hamlet says, and the doll is fed with a spoon symbolising Ophelia’s infantilised state. Hamlet’s kangaroo-mother (complete with baby in pouch which Hamlet throws away) is subjected to a violent interrogation by Hamlet with her head stuck through the springs of a bare bed frame, a frame which Hamlet later connects to an electrical circuit causing it to glow.
Language: English
Country: France
Medium: Video
Technical information: Colour / Sound
Recording date: Nov 2004
Duration: 80 mins

Director

Music

Cast

Paul Tonti	Hamlet
Paul Tonti	Horatio

General: The actor Paolo Tonti is not himself autistic.
History: First produced by the Societas Raffaello Sanzio at Modena, February 1992. The video recording catalogued is from a performance at the Ateliers Berthier in November 2004 as part of the Festival d’Automne à Paris.
Stills: The stage is divided into sections by wires and car batteries.
Reviews: For an excellent and detailed analysis of the work see Escolme, Bridget. Talking to the Audience: Shakespeare, Performance, Self. (Oxford and New York: Routledge, 2005). p. 141-3.

SHAKESPEARE