"There are more things in hell, Horatio, than are dreamt of in your philosophy." This gleeful distortion of Hamlet's admonition could fairly be posted over the entrance to Zombie Joe's Underground itself as a tidy summary of the company's functional ethos. And it also well encapsulates playwright Richard Nathan's riotous new parody of the ubiquitous tragedy, now titled "Hamlet, Prince of Darkness," which ZJU is presenting at 11 p.m. every Friday night through the end of June.
'Hamlet, Prince of Darkness' Haunts North Hollywood
Hamlet @ Theatricum Botanicum
Alone, on a dark stage with just a symphony of crickets in support, Mike Peebler slowly intoned the most important soliloquy in the English language. "To be or not to be," he asked the audience, and, though most could recite the speech by heart, we waited breathlessly for the answer. So it went in Topanga Canyon one summer's eve, where Hamlet, a play performed so often it risks cliche, unfurled through two-plus hours on the strength of a splendid cast who played off each other to create a stirring quilt of a drama. And the good news? They're their all summer.
Jonas Oppenheim Wants Hamlet to Shut Up
Jonas Oppenhein is a theatre director on a mission. He wants to tell the story of Hamlet without a single one of Shakespeare's famous words. Last year Ross Lincoln called Oppenheim production of Earth Sucks "kinda brilliant". So this time around we wanted to find out why he is screwing with Sharkespeare.
Pencil This In: White Russians and Dostoyevsky Discussion, Santaland Diaries Opens
A Noise Within is hosting White Russians and Discussions tonight following the 8 pm performance of a new adaptation of Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s Crime and Punishment. The Russian-themed reception features guest speaker Ed Bacon, Rector for All Saints Church in Pasadena, who will discuss the story of Lazarus, and the ways in which its tale of rebirth intersects with the central figure in the play. Tickets: $44.
Pencil This In: Wednesday
The D5 gallery at Bergamot Station Arts Center in Santa Monica hosts the political art exhibit Change America. The featured works emphasize the theme of change which has underscored the current Presidential race. Additional works offer a scathing view of the current administration and the effects of their actions on America.

