Warlikowski's Hamlet Returns to Opéra Bastille with John Osborn in Title Role
The Opéra Bastille is staging Ambroise Thomas's opera Hamlet, under the direction of Krzysztof Warlikowski, with set designs by Malgorzata Szczęsniak and conducted by Michael Schønwandt. The production features John Osborn in the role of Hamlet, Adela Zaharia as Ophélie, Clémentine Margaine portraying Queen Gertrude, and Laurent Naouri as the ghost. Warlikowski presents an elderly Hamlet in a psychiatric facility, alters the timeline, and showcases a ghost dressed in a rhinestone-adorned Pierrot outfit. The narrative kicks off with the murder of the king and the subsequent coronation of Claudius. Osborn is recognized for his command of French diction, while Margaine and Zaharia are commended for their performances. The orchestration incorporates violins, harp, winds, brass, and saxophones, with Ching-Lien Wu directing the chorus. Review by Hélène Kuttner.
Key facts
- Ambroise Thomas's Hamlet is staged at the Opéra Bastille in a production directed by Krzysztof Warlikowski
- John Osborn sings the title role, the first tenor to do so as Ambroise Thomas conceived it for the 1868 premiere
- Adela Zaharia sings Ophélie, Clémentine Margaine is Gertrude, and Laurent Naouri plays the ghost
- Michael Schønwandt conducts the orchestra and Ching-Lien Wu leads the chorus
- Malgorzata Szczęsniak designed the sets
- Warlikowski inverts the drama's chronology, opening in a psychiatric clinic twenty years after the king's murder
- John Osborn succeeds Ludovic Tézier, who sang Hamlet three years earlier
- The opera was first created in 1868
Entities
Artists
- John Osborn
- Adela Zaharia
- Clémentine Margaine
- Laurent Naouri
- Krzysztof Warlikowski
- Malgorzata Szczęsniak
- Michael Schønwandt
- Ching-Lien Wu
- Ludovic Tézier
- Ambroise Thomas
- William Shakespeare
- Hélène Kuttner
Institutions
- Opéra Bastille
- Opéra national de Paris
- Artistikrezo
Locations
- Paris
- France