Hamlet

De: William Shakespeare

Narrado por: Josh Stamberg, Stephen Collins, JoBeth Williams, Stacy Keach, Alan Mandell, Emily Swallow, Matthew Wolf

Shakespeare’s timeless story of revenge, corruption, and murder is considered one of the greatest works in the English language. Prince Hamlet sets out to avenge his beloved father's death at the hand of his uncle Claudius - but Hamlet's spiral into grief and madness will have permanent and immutable consequences for the Kingdom of Denmark. Composed over 400 years ago, Hamlet remains one of the theater’s most studied and performed works, and is presented here in a stunning, sound-rich, full-cast recording.

Recorded at The Invisible Studios, West Hollywood, in August 2011.

Lead funding is provided by the Rosenthal Family Foundation.

Director: Martin Jarvis

Producing Director: Susan Albert Loewenberg

Mark Capri as Ambassador/Others

Josh Clark as Voltemand/Others

Stephen Collins as King Claudius

JD Cullum as Laertes

Stacy Keach as Ghost

Henri Lubatti as Rosencrantz/Others

Alan Mandell as Polonius

Jon Matthews as Guildenstern/Others

Darren Richardson as Player Queen/Others

André Sogliuzzo as Reynaldo/Others

Josh Stamberg as Hamlet

Emily Swallow as Ophelia

JoBeth Williams as Queen Gertrude

Matthew Wolf as Horatio

Associate Producer: Christina Montaño

Recording Engineer/Sound Designer/Editor: Mark Holden for The Invisible Studios, West Hollywood

Foley Artist: Tony Palermo

Original music composed and performed by Mark Holden and Michael Lopez.

Public Domain (P)2012 L.A. Theatre Works

Excellent

A fantastic performance of one of my favorite plays. Solid in virtually every way. For the particular, there will always be things to criticize, but I think any fan of this play will not be disappointed.

Good Lord!

This is far and away the best version of Hamlet I've ever heard. I am confident you will enjoy it.

One of the Best

If you are looking for a quality presentation of Hamlet, this is it! The reading is very well done and the pace moves quickly as not to bore the reader (10th grade students). I have used the audio every year now for 5 years and have not found a better one to use with our books. There are very few lines in this audio that are not in our book and the students react very well to the readers. It is hard to make kids like Shakespeare, but at least I stand a chance with this audio version. We do stop very often to discuss the language and what is going on, but as they get used to the language we can move further each time before discussion is needed. Very well done narrators, Bravo!

Much Ado About Nothing

Hamlet is one of those works that seems to be praised more for its legacy than its actual impact as a story. It wasn’t the language or the Shakespearean style that bothered me—I just didn’t find the plot all that compelling. For me, it felt like it was trying too hard to be profound, and in the end, it came off more disjointed than enthralling. I know it’s a classic, but sometimes I think we convince ourselves we should like something because it’s famous, not because it truly resonates. Personally, I didn’t enjoy it, and I’m okay being in the minority on that.