Hamlet://Macht.Schatten.Play

Hamlet: The mythical power of this most elemental of all dramas requires a contemporary form.
Peter Müller and Stefan Wey have conceived an aesthetic that is truly unique.  They have revamped one of the oldest forms of puppetry, shadow theater, into a cinematic experience. Using the most up to date lighting technology Müller and Wey, prize-winning puppeteers from East Berlin’s famed “Ernst Busch” Conservatory, create images colossal in their suggestive powers, yet minute in detail.
At the same time they break with tradition: they are not working behind the curtain, but in front of it.
This ingenious use of Brechtian techniques allows the audience to see how the images are created while simultaneously being drawn into the grim world of Elsinore Castle. Visual effects otherwise known from the world of film unfold before the eyes of the audience. Zooms, tracking-shots and focus shifts are created through innovative use of light.

Scorned love, fratricide and a mischievous court define the world of Denmark’s Prince:  the Tragedy of Hamlet casts a long shadow.

11.03.2013
To be or not to be: shadow to shadow! Peter Müller and Stefan Wey with their magnificent, deep and, in the literal sense of the word, beautiful production "Hamlet://Macht.Schatten.Play".
Theatre can be so beautiful, even if it is extremely dramatic and deeply sad. Two performances could now be seen at the T-Werk, well attended and much acclaimed. A magnificent, deep and, in the literal sense of the word, beautiful production!
.... In this way you can always see both at the same time, the play level of the puppets - and their shadows. You experience movements such as camera movements, revolving stage effects, focusing from small to large and vice versa, just like in the cinema, but live and soothing. The economy of the stage sets is also disarmingly beautiful.
- A universe opened up, a miracle of art! Meanwhile, not only once is the action interrupted with epic wit. This relaxes, brings a well-considered measure of cheerfulness into the performance. Everything remains playful in this splendid production, lightly led and full of depth. A masterpiece!

17.08.2013
Apart from the gripping material that captivates the audience at all times, this is mainly due to the duo's special art of acting, which features real fireworks of visual effects that often resemble tracking shots, so that one often feels more like a film than a stage performance.


16.10.2012
Peter Müller and Stefan Wey can confidently be called grandmasters of shadow theatre.
Their 110-minute Hamlet performance is not only powerful in format and depth, but also impressively multi-layered. With their different shadow dimensions, perfect image changes, close-ups, detailed panoramic views and downright camera movements, they open up perspectives that quickly cast a spell over the audience. This Hamlet is ultra-modern. Cinematically influenced and yet with classic aesthetics. Also because Müller and Wey - with some excursions into their own comedy - honour the linguistic model of William Shakespeare and in many parts literally present it. Vocally, the duo is also surprisingly versatile. Some scenes also require an almost sporting performance by both actors. "The rest is silence."
But the audience in the Stadtgarten did not want to submit to this dictate:
Minute-long applause was the well-deserved reward that Peter Müller and Stefan Wey received for this
really unique Hamlet performance.


19.10.2012
He has a large court and a long tradition, the Prince of Denmark. So the two actors offered
Peter Müller and Stefan Wey many variations, technical tricks and cheerful insertions for a grandiose performance.
Each prop is used with precision, is occasionally commented on and sometimes serves the purpose of cheerfulness, like the umbrella with water dispenser at the beginning. The actors complement their puppets perfectly. If the one offers the head, the hand comes from the living person and due to the oversize of the shadows and the perfect distance to the lamp this is hardly noticeable. The mere guidance of the lamp by a few static figures conjures up a wild battle on the screen, in which horse and rider gallop past the spectator, and the use of the turntables gives the puppeteers the opportunity to become active at completely different places on the stage and even appear as shadows behind the curtain. The scene is magnificently realised when Hamlet brings the comedians to the court..............


"Theatre-goers who are curious about a special event far away from the usual performance should not miss this play".

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

Performances

11.9.2010 Theater Erfurt  (Oper)
12.9.2010 Theater Erfurt  (Oper)
24.9.2010 Theater Erfurt  (Oper)
01.10.2010 Theater Erfurt  (Oper)
16.3.2011 Eupen (Belgien)
17.4.2011 Bayer Kultur Leverkusen
22.5.2011 Festival Nürnberg, Tafelhalle
10.6.2011 Theater Erfurt 22:15 Open Air
18.6.2011 Theater Erfurt 22:15 Open Air
19.6.2011 Theater Erfurt 22:15 Open Air
21.6.2011 Theater Erfurt 22:15 Open Air
22.6.2011 Theater Erfurt 22:15 Open Air
28.6.2011 Theater Erfurt 22:15 Open Air
25.6.11 Budweis (Tschechien)
28.6.2011 Theater Erfurt (Oper)
16.9.2011 Husum
14.10.2011 Viersen Stadthalle
18.2.2012 Amsterdam Theater Bellevue
14.9.2012 Coesfeld Theater
17.10.2012 Schwäbisch Gmünd Stadthalle
8./9.3.2013 Potsdam T-Werk
12.3.2013 Ansbach Theater
14.3.2013 Marl Theater
3.5.2013 Mainz  Kammerspiele
17.8.2013 Idar Oberstein Theater

Hamlet://Macht.Schatten.Play was selected for the series "Junges Theater 2012/13