Isaac to Star in “Hamlet” at the Public Theater

Oscar Isaac is taking on The Bard’s work…

The 37-year-old Guatemalan-Cuban American actor, who most recently starred in the massive blockbuster Star Wars: The Force Awakens, will appear in Hamlet beginning in June at the Public Theater.

Oscar Isaac

Isaac will play the melancholy Dane, in a staging of the William Shakespeare tragedy by Sam Gold.

This Hamlet was announced last year as a production of Theatre For A New Audience, the eminent Brooklyn-based company that focuses on classics. Gold – who has a growing reputation for insightful productions of new work such as Fun Home along with a distinctly non-traditional approach to classics – withdrew the production from TFNA last June, reportedly due to concerns over support for his vision of the play. He and Isaac then brought the production to the Public.

Hamlet is slated to begin previews June 20, open July 13 and run through September 3, an unusually long run for the Public. Making his New York stage debut will be Keegan-Michael Key as Hamlet’s trusted friend Horatio. Also cast in the production are Peter Friedman (The Affair, The Path) as Polonius, Gayle Rankin (upcoming in the Netflix series Glow) as Ophelia, Roberta Colindrez as Rosencrantz, Matthew Saldívar as Guildenstern, and Anatol Yusef as Laertes.

David Zinn will design the set, with costumes by Kaye Voyce, lighting by Mark Barton, sound by Bray Poor and musical direction, composition, and performance by cellist Ernst Reijseger.