Yukio Ninagawa's quest for the perfect Hamlet: Why his eighth production is not his final one
"There are, of course, very great pieces – the ancient Greek tragedies, for example – but they are no match for Hamlet." We are in the Saitama Arts Theatre, his base just north of Tokyo, and Yukio Ninagawa, the internationally acclaimed director, is reflecting on why he keeps returning to this play. His eighth stab at it (surely a record) had opened the previous night. Don't imagine, though, that he's through with it yet.