...

Stein purposely "lulls" the audience by following the all-too-familiar narrative structure. In contrast with the Prince, who is lost in conjectures, we know everything in advance and are not expected to make any striking discoveries. Stein is not dramatizing hell. He's making theatre. And his Hamlet springs not from the lineage of humanists, but from the milieu of actors. ... The Hamlets of 1998 describe the uncertainties of the souls. The characters of the Princes "born" in Moscow (Yegeny Mironov, Konstantin Raikin) are hard to comprehend, just like it is hard to comprehend our present time of trouble. We don't know whom to fight against or whom to avenge for. We pronounce countless "words, words, words" and are unable to figure out when this infernal "initial event" began or where it is taking us.

If someone doubted that Yegeny Mironov is all but the best Russian actor of his generation, he has now become fully convinced of it. In full conformance with the character of the Prince of Denmark, Mironov's Hamlet is now resolved, now full of doubt, miserable and strong, childishly naive and painfully wise... In Stein's interpretation he is a vigorous and agile young man confronted with the wicked, treacherous and brutal world of the "fathers" that eventually destroys him.

As regards Mironov, he appears as an effective driving force for the almost four-hour-long performance, even though Stein had enlisted an ensemble of outstanding actors from different Moscow theatres whose physical presence alone can inflame the audience. But even such unique actors as Irina Kupchenko (Gertrude), Aleksandr Feklistov (Claudius) or Yelena Zakharova (Ophelia), who can single-handedly enrapture the audience in Stein's production, make a unified and perfectly coordinated ensemble. The outstanding performers in this charming old-fashioned production made the audience feel genuine elation.

Stein's perfectly ordered and rational directing that typifies German style miraculously harmonizes with the highly emotional performance manner of the Russian actors. ... Very carefully and with a good deal of respect for the original, Stein has blown the age-old dust off Shakespeare's Hamlet and related a story for all times, including the present day. ... Stein gives no answer of how to live in this insane world, where a human life is not worth a penny.