This one deserves a post of its own.
Hamlet at St. Ann’s Warehouse. Hamlet means a lot to me. It was my father’s favorite play. He taught the play for years to his English classes. We saw many productions together and separately, some great, some less so, but he was always open to a new approach, a different staging, a particularly notable performance. He would have been blown away–as I was–by this one. Ruth Negga plays Hamlet in a production brought to New York from the Gate Theatre in Dublin. She is astounding. Her performance captures the complexity of the character, the range of emotions, that make Hamlet’s behavior understandable, human. The most familiar lines seem to take on a fresh meaning, even as you smile to hear them. According to the program, Ruth Negga played Ophelia in a production at the National Theatre in London a number of years ago. If only she could have played both roles. That would be something. Nothing against the other actors in this production—some were very strong. The sets and the production design were also outstanding. They made use of the entire theater, which made sense dramatically. The only false note was some brief gratuitous nudity intended to convey madness. The play was almost 3 ½ hours—even for a great production, very long—but I would gladly see it again. It is only in New York for another week but if you have the chance, see it.
Next up: City/Game at the Museum of the City of New York, a new Emma, and Cyro Baptista at Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola. Maybe some books.
I am sorry to have missed this production! How did this one compare to the Hamlet we saw with Oscar Isaacs?