Georgian silent theater makes a noise in the USA

American theatre critics are raving after Synetic Theater Georgian cofounders chose to make Washington their artistic home after the company performed a wordless adaptation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet in the US capital last week.

The performance was praised by experienced theater professionals, who said: "You don’t understand this Hamlet, you feel it in your gut.”

Synetic’s current revival of the infamous play – a multiple Helen Hayes Award-winner – was a silent rendition of the iconic tale of a grief-stricken prince torn between duty, love, conscience and fear.

"One of the joys of this production is to see how Synetic adapts an overly wordy, 4-hour monster of a script and distill it into a wordless hour-and-three-quarters, consisting of 14 scenes,” critic Andrew White wrote in his review.

The cast deserved positive evaluations too. Alex Mills as Hamlet, Irina Tsikurishvili as Gertrude, Irakli Kavsadze as Claudius and Irina Kavsadze as Ophelia, together with the supporting cast, made up a company that proved they owned the roles, with or without words, critics said.

Critic David Siegel said several scenes stood out for their clout.

"These include one between Mills’ Hamlet and Kavasdze’s Ophelia as they dance with their hands and fingers a breath away from each other, never quite touching, let alone kissing,” he said.

"One can feel the ache from Kavasdze as she wants to fully engage Mills in love but to no avail. There is but one tiny touch, a sweet movement by Kavasdze [as she] slowly sweeps a finger across Mills’ check over to wipe away a tear,” he wrote in his review.

"Synetic’s current revival of Hamlet is a reminder that [Paata and Irina] Tsikurishvili - Synetic’s cofounders - are committed to passing their skills on to a new, international generation of performers; and as their reputation continues to grow on the international stage, we are truly fortunate that they have chosen to make Washington, and especially that little wart also known as Arlington, Virginia, their artistic home,” read one of the reviews.

Paata and Irina Tsikurishvili moved to the US in the 1990s to pursue a career in theatre. Their creative vision resulted in the inception of Synetic Theater, which has been operating successfully for the past 12 years.

In January the Tsikurishvili couple were named as Washingtonians of the Year for outstanding service to their community. They were recognized by the Washingtonian magazine Broadway World for "being local heroes in their commitment to making the Washington DC community a better place through boundary-pushing theatre”.

To date, Synetic Theatre has earned 92 Helen Hayes Nominations and received 24 Helen Hayes Awards, garnering acclaim for its Silent Shakespeare repertoire and its text-and movement-based classical pieces.

It is estimated Synetic Theatre reaches more than 36,000 patrons annually through its productions, educational studios and community projects.