Oleg Menshikov, artistic director of the Yermolova Theater and a People’s Artist of Russia, panned the Chekhov Moscow Art Theater’s production of Hamlet, starring Yura Borisov, a Russian actor who is now becoming a Hollywood favorite, having been nominated, but not winning, an Oscar for his role in a Finnish film Anora. The performance was not simply the usual “modernistic” interpretation, but also rather pornographic. Photos from Borisov’s Othello also indicate pornographic sensationalism in that as well.
The actor was particularly perplexed by the fact that the production used texts from different translators, and the performance itself was filled with improvisations, jokes, and skits. The audience was also surprised by Borisov’s character’s appearance—the actor appears on stage in a tight-fitting foil jumpsuit. In this production, Hamlet (Yura Borisov) rollerskates and plays ping-pong while wearing a tinfoil suit, while Queen Gertrude (Anna Chipovskaya) eats bananas while kneeling in front of a refrigerator. Menshikov is convinced that the shocking form conceals no profound meaning.
“I was further spurred on by a review I found online that it was, apparently, brilliant, and that not everyone could understand it. That there were hidden meanings there that only a highly enlightened mind could grasp. What meanings? There wasn’t a single thought there. Not even the beginning of a thought was there,” he declared.
