Called "A force of nature" by The New York Times Bedlam Theater brings Hamlet and Saint Joan to ArtsEmerson.
MARCH 7th through the 25th, ArtsEmerson proudly welcomes the return of New York’s Bedlam for Hamlet and Saint Joan in repertory. Not familiar with Bedlam? You should be.
Featured twice on The New York Times’ “Top Ten Best Shows” list, Bedlam’s productions dynamically pull viewers into direct contact with the dangers and delicacies of life through a steadfast commitment to developing an immediacy in the relationship between actor and audience member. While the Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre is capable of holding 1,100, Hamlet and Saint Joan are staged intentionally as intimate experiences, with a maximum capacity of just under 400. Each production also features a section of Bedlam’s infamous “moving seats”, in which audience members move on and off stage after each intermission.
Prince Hamlet is depressed. Having been summoned home to Denmark to attend his father’s funeral, he is shocked to find his mother already remarried — to his father’s brother, Claudius. Worse still, Claudius has had himself crowned king despite the fact that Hamlet is heir to the throne. No wonder Hamlet suspects foul play. Bedlam brings their unique performance style to Shakespeare’s greatest play — arguably the greatest play in the English language — and four actors perform all 25 roles!
In this epic story, Shaw paints Joan of Arc not as a saint, witch or madwoman, but a farm girl who is an illiterate intellectual, a true genius whose focus on the individual rocked the Church and State to their core. Four actors perform all 24 roles in Bedlam’s production of George Bernard Shaw’s Saint Joan, declared “Irresistible! Ferocious!” and “A force of nature!” by The New York Times.
The two productions feature a brand new cast of 4 intensely talented actors, playing a total of 49 characters for two riveting, stripped down stagings, both directed by Bedlam founder Eric Tucker.
The productions run three weeks, March 7 through 25, 2018 at the Emerson Cutler Majestic Theatre, located at 219 Tremont Street in Downtown Boston. Tickets range from $20-80 and may be purchased online at www.ArtsEmerson.org, by phone at 617.824.8400, or in person at the box office. Student, senior and group discounts are available.