OKLAHOMA CITY — Oklahoma City Ballet opens its 2023 season with Stephen Mills’ “Hamlet.” Based on the Shakespearean drama, the contemporary ballet was choreographed by Austin-based ballet director and choreographer Stephen Mills.
The show promises all the beauty and drama of Shakespeare and ballet combined, along with costumes inspired by the looks of fashion designer Giorgio Armani and music by renowned composer Philip Glass.
“Hamlet” tells the story of a young prince who goes home from university to Denmark and finds his father the king has died, and his uncle has taken the throne. The young prince must grapple with demons both internal and external as he fights to regain his rightful place as king.
The traditional Shakespearean play features some of the most quotable lines of Shakespeare and ends with one of the most epic finales in the history of the stage and written word.
In the ballet, the dancers will perform and convey the emotion and story with their graceful movement and sensual body language. As they dance to the accompanying music, the story of “Hamlet” will be told and remain as powerful as ever.
“Hamlet” is dark and sweeping, an epic tale that explores the ideas of mental health and family bonds.
Though Shakespeare can be hard to follow, the themes of this story are universal and relatable. Witnessing the story told through dance adds another layer of depth and richness to the already emotionally charged tale.
Shakespeare’s works lend themselves beautifully to new interpretations, and this ballet will be an unforgettable experience. “Hamlet” is arguably the most understandable of Shakespeare’s works. Anyone who’s seen Disney’s The Lion King is somewhat familiar with the story, as the animated feature film is based on “Hamlet.”
This ballet is filled with romance, violence, forbidden love, and tragedy
Jo Lynne Jones, Executive Director of Oklahoma City Ballet
“This ballet is filled with romance, violence, forbidden love, and tragedy – the perfect formula for an unforgettable performance. It is a familiar story told through world-class choreography” said Jo Lynne Jones, Executive Director of Oklahoma City Ballet. “It is simply breathtaking.”
A media preview performance in early October featured an hour-long sneak peek into the show.
“This is where the sausage gets made” joked guest choreographer and stager Michelle Martin. A frequent collaborator of Stephen Mills, the Austin-based Martin told the audience that “Hamlet” was “probably her favorite” of all of Mills’ works, noting that “Hamlet” has been staged 13 times previously, with other companies around the U.S. and in Germany.
The intimate crowd was then treated to a snippet of the full-scale ballet and got a chance to glimpse a work in progress. Even at rehearsal, the show is already moving, emotionally charged and soul-clenching. The music of Philip Glass is haunting and suspenseful and builds tension as Hamlet draws closer to his fate.
The full staging features looming steel beams, a simplified, industrial set, and leans on the drama of silhouettes and flowing costumes. Shakespeare is often staged in various timeframes, and this version is created to seem suspended in time.
The show promises all the beauty and drama of Shakespeare and ballet combined.
If anything is essential in “Hamlet,” it’s the final sword fight. Swashbuckling will ensue and this sword fight is indeed a graceful dance between two rivals.
As the show continues to take shape, the dancers work on building their characters. A short talkback between the dancers after the rehearsal conveyed the search that every performer must undergo while building their character. As Hamlet tries to find who he is and what he wants, the audience goes along with him. As Martin pointed out before closing, “Art is a collaboration between the performer and the viewer.”
The viewers of this dance are in for a treat this October. “Hamlet” at OKC Ballet combines the art forms of theatre, music, and dance to create a truly moving piece of art.
“Hamlet” begins Friday, October 27, and performs through Sunday, October 29 at 2:00 p.m. Single tickets may be purchased by calling Oklahoma City Ballet at 405-848-TOES (8637) or online at www.okcballet.org or by calling the Civic Center Box office at 405-297-2264.
All performances take place at the Civic Center Music Hall, 201 North Walker, Oklahoma City. Oklahoma City Ballet is also offering a lottery for this production, in which winners pay just $15 for tickets to “Hamlet.” Patrons can enter the lottery online at https://www.okcballet.org/lottery/. The digital lottery opens October 16th and winners will be announced on October 23rd.
Adrienne Proctor is a theater and arts writer in Oklahoma City. She's been contributing to the arts reporting space since 2017.
