Dookoła trzech Hamletów. Teatr Polski w Warszawie 1922–1939–1947

The Polski Theatre has presented Shakespeare’s Hamlet to its audiences three times so far, in 1922, 1939, and 1947. The production of 1922, directed by the theatre manager Arnold Szyfman, constituted a decisive element of the counteroffensive mounted against increasingly heavy attacks of the critics. They all accused the theatre of lowering its artistic level. The Shakespearean counterstroke was received warmly, in hopes of change for the better. Unexpectedly, the premiere of Hamlet directed by Aleksander Węgierko, which took place on 4 April 1939, was overshadowed by political life, as the threat of war was looming ever larger and Great Britain had just provided Poland with the guarantees of military help. Thus, contrary to the producers’ intentions, many reviewers interpreted the play, and Fortinbras’ army march against Poland especially, in the context of the current political situation. As a result, the artistic qualities were often overlooked. Another premiere of Hamlet, on 17 July 1947, again directed by Szyfman, inaugurated the final of the all-national Shakespearean Competition, which was to show the condition of theatre companies in post-war Poland. The Competition was taking place in a tragically ambiguous situation. On the one hand, it was supposed to be a sign of Polish ties with European culture while on the other hand, it was organised in a country being, for all practical purposes, under Soviet occupation, in the circumstances of increasing Communist terror. This time, however, due to censorship, the theatre reviews were devoid of clear political references. The production received positive but not enthusiastic reviews even though it won the greatest number of awards in the competition. Tadeusz Kończyc, one of the 1939 reviewers, remarked that, despite difficulties, the greatest theatres once in a while “come back to Hamlet as to a fount of powerful and everlasting impressions”. The Polski Theatre in Warsaw has not done so for 66 years.