Zuzana Spodniaková Vladimir Vysotsky: a Hamlet with a Guitar

82 Zuzana Spodniaková 83 European Journal of Media, Art & Photography Media / Art / Culture Vladimir Vysotsky: A Hamlet with a Guitar instead of a Sword It has been four hundred Understanding Hamlet means un- of the 1970s. He has inspired and Zuzana Spodniaková and fifteen years since William derstanding the era. (...)3 influenced a number of Hamlet gen- Shakespeare (1564 – 1616), English Hamlet became a witness of his erations to come, even beyond the so playwright and poet, wrote one time in one of the most important borders of the time. Vladimir Vy tsky: A Hamlet with of the world’s most brilliant works productions of the second half of Vysotsky who performed Hamlet of dramatic literature at the turn the 20th century4 of the Moscow two hundred and twenty-one times ns of 1603 –1604, which is among the Theatre of Drama and Comedy in nine seasons, became one with a Guitar i tead of a Sword most staged and most translated on Taganka Square, with Vladimir him and slipped into the character: theatre pieces in Western culture. Vysotsky (1938 – 1980), foremost “Sometimes, it seems that it is not For over four centuries, the story Russian actor, poet, and performer the actor rendering Hamlet, but of the Prince of Denmark has been of his own songs,5 in the lead role. rather the Prince of Denmark is be- shedding light on changes and de- Though loved both as a man and an ing reincarnated in Vysotsky – actor, velopments in the theatre, in the artist by the people, he was banned poet, menestrel.”8 In the history of Abstract approach of its creators to its inter- and stifled by the leaders of the rul- the theatre, such an intense connec- The study focuses on the re-enactment pretation and to staging concepts, ing political regime, because in his tion between the actor and his role of the acting interpretation of the role its reception by viewers or critics, creation he would speak the truth which merged into a single soul and of Hamlet based on the eponymous whilst alerting to the transformation about the regime, and in his lifetime, body, with the bond persisting even tragedy of William Shakespeare, as of both society and the values of he was considered a symbol of the off stage, has perhaps not been wit- rendered by Vladimir Semyonovich Western culture. “Shakespeare’s era, a “singing nerve of an era.”6 The nessed and, therefore, it deserves Vysotsky (1938 – 1940), Russian actor, play Hamlet is what the audience, staging of Hamlet “has always been our attention today. poet, and performer of his own songs, critique, publishers, translators, a barometer of Soviet society”7, and Lyubimov’s production was pre- staged by the Moscow Theatre of readers have made of it. There are the theatre’s chief director and artis- miered on 29 November 1971. It was Drama and Comedy on Taganka Square. The role is portrayed as what the tens, hundreds, thousands of Ham- tic director Yuri Lyubimov was well a theatrical and social event and the 1 history of the theatre reckons to be an lets...” Over time, the main hero’s aware of what Vysotsky as Hamlet fact that Hamlet was to be rendered the generations of other performers character has been transformed into would mean to the Soviet audience by Vysotsky had been long spoken extraordinary inherent linkage between of Hamlet who, through theatre art, a symbol of his time. In his produc- of.9 He was cast in the role after the actor-poet and his role to which have reflected the transformations of tion,2 contemporary Russian director seven years of performing with the he was transfigured in his perception Western culture for over four centuries. of society, even off stage. The study Yuri Butusov had the actors (includ- Taganka Theatre. For years, Vysot- 3 BUTUSOV, Y. In ABAKSHONOK, reflects on this merging in the light Key words ing the actress) alternate in the role sky had been pleading Lyubimov to of the artist’s personal relationship N., TSAREVSKAYA, E. (eds.): Zolotaya maska. William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Vladimir of Hamlet. He claims that “Hamlet Rossiyskaya nacionalnaya teatralnaya premiya stage Hamlet with him in the title with his role, through his own quest Semyonovich Vysotsky, Yuri Lyubimov, has long been a myth, not a human i festival. 25. [Festival programme booklet ]. role. However, the stage director for Shakespeare’s interpretation in Moskva : Zolotaya maska. Rossiyskaya nacionalnaya the Moscow Theatre of Drama and being. It is a spiritual substance, void teatralnaya premiya i festival, 2019, p. 45. was reluctant to list the play in the collaboration with the director, down to Comedy on Taganka Square, the Soviet of age or sex, of no weight or scent. 4 In 1977, the production was awarded repertory as he was unable “to see” the final stage form of the production Grand Prix de la critique for the best foreign era He is among the main protagonists Vysotsky in the lead role. Unless and its period meaning in artistic and performance at the Paris Festival d’Automne. historical-social contexts. The study of the world culture, an eternal 5 In 1976, Vysotsky was awarded Grand thinker, an eternal victim – Hamlet Prix at The Belgrade International Theatre Festival provides an overview of numerous BITEF, for his rendition of Hamlet and in 1980, he testimonies of the then critics and of will remain a mystery forever. He was also awarded a prize at the Theatre Encounters Festival in Warsaw. the opinions of theatre scientists and is the one who challenges the era. 8 LYUBOMUDROV, M.: Princ Gamlet 6 YEVTUSHENKO, Y.: Poyushchiy i starshina Fedot Vaskov. In Vecherniy Leningrad, theoreticians reflecting on Vysotsky’s nerv nashey epokhi. In SAFRONOV, A. (ed.): 6 July 1972. Cit. according to KUZNETSOVA, acting. It highlights innovative trends Vospominaniya Vladimira Vysotskogo. Moskva : E.: Vysotsky v teatralnoy kritike. In KRYLOV, A., Sovetskaya Rossiya, 1989, p. 356. in acting and directorial approach SHCHERBAKOVA, V. (eds.): Mir Vysotskogo: 7 TUROVSKAYA, M.: Hamlet: la mort Issledovaniya i materialy. Moskva : GKCM V. S. which tied into the traditions of the 1 BŽOCHOVÁ-WILD, J.: Malé dejiny est là, elle est à l‘oeuvre. In PICON-VALLIN, B. Vysotskogo, 2000, p. 86. 20th century Russian school of acting Hamleta. [A Short History of Hamlet]. Bratislava : (ed.): Lioubimov. La Taganka. Paris : CNRS Éditions, 9 The premiere commenced with a fifty- Slovenské národné divadlo a SLOVART, spol. s. r. o., 1997, p. 324. Cit. according to LINDOVSKÁ, N.: minute delay, after bringing order in the auditorium, while modernising them with their own 2007, p. 13. Príbeh režiséra, príbeh Taganky, príbeh divadla a as the number of theatre-goers had by far exceeded artistic methods. They have affected 2 Teatr im. Lensoveta (Lensoviet Theatre), spoločnosti... In Slovenské divadlo, 1999, Vol. 47, No. the theatre seating capacity, despite that, many Petersburg, premiered on 22 December 2017. 1, p. 100. prospective visitors refused to leave. » 84 Zuzana Spodniaková 85 European Journal of Media, Art & Photography Media / Art / Culture Vladimir Vysotsky: A Hamlet with a Guitar instead of a Sword the stage director was able “to see” theatre as a largely comic actor – in- of the play. Vysotsky prepared for al principles and theatre aesthetics be performed by an actor known as an actor in a role, he would not be itially, I performed comic roles and his role seriously. He would study – Hamlet “was put on, or, perhaps a man with the guitar, as someone cast in it. While Stanislavsky used sang all sorts of humorous songs materials about Shakespeare and more accurately, regained the na- who writes verses and sings himself, to tell the actors “ne veryu” (“I don’t with the guitar, because it’s possible Elizabethan theatre and he had ture of town squares.”17 Vysotsky so he’d already be the vehicle of an believe”), Lyubimov, for a change, in our theatre – was suddenly cast a great number of books covering went further in these traditions. It image.”21 The poet’s identity was an would say “ne vizhu” (“I don’t see”). in the roles of Galileo and Hamlet. I the topic housed in his private li- is through the connection between integral part of his being “in the very Eventually, Lyubimov reached don’t think I managed it all at once, brary. His goal was to render what Shakespeare and street and square psychology of his being, he is a poet. out for Hamlet because the State but rather by the director watching he believed to be “the best role of theatre that theatrologist Natalya It is a trait of his human nature.”22 He Department of Culture did not me for a long time to see whether world drama”15 as brilliantly as no Krymova deliberates the reason was “a poet born out of theatre” 23 approve of his idea to stage a com- or not I could make it. There seem one else could: “I volunteered for for casting Vysotsky, “the author of and, at the same time, an actor born position of several of Shakespeare’s to be two reasons for this. For Yuri the role myself. I had wanted to play market vaudevilles,”18 in the role of out of poetry. A year after the pre- plays. By that time, Vysotsky had Lyubimov, the actor’s talent isn’t the it for long, I’ve seen almost all of our Hamlet, thereby linking up with her miere, he wrote his own poem Moy gained experience and he demon- most important thing, although the Hamlets. To play him not just differ- hypothesis of Vysotsky as the vehi- Gamlet [My Hamlet, 1972], which he strated a wide range of expressive actor’s talent is important, too, but, ently from others, but (what I be- cle of skomorokh heritage.19 never set to music for his feeling of means of acting, he asserted himself above all, he’s interested in human lieved then) as Shakespeare would At the same time, by staging reverence.

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