Peter J. Davison.(Theatre/Opera Production Design)(Interview)

Trust Peter J. Davison to put a new spin on a timeless classic. Take Hamlet or St. Joan and watch this British designer figure out how to shake new life into it. With a distinct knack for combining inventive elements (often bits and pieces from classical architecture), his design solutions give the texts new meanings. His New York debut in the spring of 1994 made audiences sit up and take notice of the imposing steel walls encasing the world of Diana Rigg in Medea. Last spring, Davison returned to Broadway with director Jonathan Kent's production of Hamlet, starring Ralph Fiennes, and once again proved his mettle as a contemporary designer with strong classical convictions.

"This production never stops for a scene change," says Davison about Hamlet. "It flows along in a filmic manner, with cuts from one scene to the next. lt also moves easily from indoors to out. It's romantic in a dark sort of way. It fades in and out of the abstract of classical," he notes. A painted backdrop reflects what the designer refers to as "a strong influence of 19th-century German Romantic painters." One central set accommodates the production's cinematic rhythm, but Davison warns that although it might look easy, "this is a difficult play with many problems to solve - especially getting all the doors in the right place, and with no stops." Responding to a directorial brief of "I want it dark," Davison chose dark wooden walls pierced by large doorways and tall shuttered windows as his architectural signature. Costume designer James Acheson added a touch of color to this almost monochromatic production with elaborate pastel gowns for Gertrude and bright orange and gold costumes for the …