Is Hamlet a total head case? We talk to the director who has set a new audio version of the play in the Prince's mind.
Description
In this episode, multi-hyphenate theater man Jeremy McCarter talked to us about his new project: a six-part audio adaptation of “Hamlet” he wrote and directed for his own Make-Believe Association (you’ll find links to listen on your favorite platform on the company’s site).
McCarter’s adaptation streamlines Shakespeare’s play and places the listener inside the Prince of Denmark’s head — which is why you really want to listen on headphones, thanks to the superb sound design from Mikhail Fiksel, who won a Tony Award for his work on “Dana H.” in 2022. The cast is a stellar mix of New York and Chicago actors, including Daniel Kyri as Hamlet, Jacob Ming-Trent as Polonius, Sharon Washington as Gertrude and John Douglas Thompson as Claudius/Ghost.
But wait: yes, you have heard of Jeremy McCarter — he wrote the best-selling book “Hamilton: The Revolution” with Lin-Manuel Miranda! And before founding Make-Believe Association, he worked at the Public Theater, where he created and ran the Public Forum series. (Readers of New York magazine may also remember him as the critic who replaced John Simon in 2005.)
This is an enlightening episode about the art of adaptation, most particularly in an aural medium. Don’t take our word for it, though: check it out!
Thanks to Christian Huygen for our theme music.
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit marksvincentelli.substack.com/subscribe
United States
