It has been announced that the stage production of "Hamlet," starring Kabuki actor Ichikawa Somegoro, which ran from May to June of this year, will be broadcast and streamed on WOWOW in September. This time, Somegoro takes on the role of Hamlet, a role previously played by his grandfather Matsumoto Hakuo and his father Matsumoto Koshiro, in his first straight play appearance and first leading role.
This production was directed by British director David Leveaux, with translation by Kazuko Matsuoka. Leveaux approached this work as an opportunity to re-examine the relationship between Shakespeare and modern society, not simply recreating the well-known masterpiece, but as "our story"—a story of living alongside anxieties about the future. Particularly noteworthy is the ending, which is a shocking conclusion unlike any previous production of "Hamlet."
Somegoro said that the struggles of what to choose and what decisions to make overlapped with those of the character, and that he spent intense time in rehearsals, becoming one with the character. Leveaux described Somegoro's performance in this production as "a Hamlet like I've never seen before" and "a person who is truly living in this modern age."
The role of Ophelia, Hamlet's love interest, is played by Ami Touma, who is making her stage debut in this production. In addition, Ken Ishiguro, Hikaru Yuzuka, Zen Kajiwara, Ryoga Ishikawa, and Kazo Yokoyama also appear in the play.
◇Story
Hamlet, the Prince of Denmark, is deeply troubled by the sudden death of his father, the king, and the subsequent remarriage of his mother, Gertrude, and the ascension of his uncle, Claudius, to the throne. One night, the ghost of his father appears to Hamlet. Told that he was poisoned by Claudius, Hamlet vows revenge and feigns madness to gauge the reactions of those around him. Tormented by suspicion and paranoia, and with his relationships with his lover Ophelia and his friends becoming increasingly complicated, Hamlet attempts to expose his uncle's crimes through a play, but his actions trigger a chain of tragic events...
