Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg opens season with dark "Hamlet" exploring war and totalitarianism

Director Frank Castorf opened the new season at the Deutsches Schauspielhaus in Hamburg with a dark staging of Shakespeare's "Hamlet." The production features a battlefield setting and incorporates numerous other texts, including Heiner Müller's "Hamletmachine," to explore themes of war and totalitarianism. Paul Behrens plays Hamlet, seeking revenge for his father's murder. The nearly six-hour performance, which includes Hamlet's complex relationship with Ophelia, is noted for its cohesion in the first half but becomes more expansive in the second.