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New York's Bedlam Shakes Up The Boston Theatre Scene

  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…

 

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.

 

“A force of nature!” – The New York Times

 

“What distinguishes Bedlam,” shares ArtsEmerson Artistic Director David Dower, “is their total infatuation with words. Some ArtsEmerson performers dazzle by flying on silks or vaulting off poles. Others make magic with music or technology. Bedlam sets the imagination soaring with their playful, daring dedication to text. It’s why they are on such a fast rise, nationally, and beloved here in Boston. Coming off their romp through Jane Austen across the river, they arrive at The Majestic with Shakespeare and Shaw in their handbags. I can’t wait for audiences to experience their joyful ingenuity around these classic plays.”

 

About Hamlet

The Cast of Bedlam
The cast of Bedlam, photo credit: C. King Photography

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!

 

About Saint Joan

The Cast of Bedlam, Photo Credit: C. King Photography
The Cast of Bedlam, photo credit: C. King Photography

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.