A New, Hitchcockian Noir HAMLET at the Mark Taper Forum

Center Theatre Group presents the premiere of a new, Hitchcockian noir take on Hamlet by William Shakespeare, from director Robert O’Hara. The production will run May 28 to July 6, 2025 at the Mark Taper Forum, as the sixth offering of Center Theatre Group’s One CTG. One LA. Season, from Artistic Director Snehal Desai, Managing Director/CEO Meghan Pressman, and Producing Director Douglas C. Baker.  

The Hitchcockian noir Hamlet cast includes Patrick Ball (Frank Langdon on The Pitt on Max) as Hamlet; James T. Alfred as Head Attendant; Joe Chrest (Ted Wheeler on Stranger Things Netflix) as Detective Fortinbras; Fidel Gomez as Gravedigger; Ty Molbak (film Babylon dir. Damien Chazelle) as Laertes, Rosencrantz; Ramiz Monsef (Letters of Suresh by Rajiv Joseph at Off-Broadway Second Stage; Archduke at the Mark Taper Forum; Vicuña at the Kirk Douglas Theatre) as Polonius; Coral Peña (For All Mankind on Apple TV+, Our Dear Dead Drug Lord at Kirk Douglas Theatre) as Ophelia; Jakeem Powell (Rustin, Gimme a Break, This American Wife) as Horatio; Ariel Shafir (Ivan on Only Murders in the Building Hulu) as Claudius;Jaime Lincoln Smith as First Player, Attendant; Gina Torres (911 Lonestar, Tommy Vega / FOX, Jessica Pearson on Suits USA Network) as Gertrude; and Daniel Zuhlke (Lucifer dir. Sam Hill Netflix; The Deuce HBO,The Affairdir. Jeffrey Reiner Showtime) as Guildenstern. 

“I’m delighted to announce the cast that will bring Robert O’Hara’s brilliant reimagining of Hamlet to life,” said CTG Artistic Director Snehal Desai. “With Patrick Ball, who is shining in the hit series The Pitt, Coral Peña, who CTG audiences will remember from Our Dear Dead Drug Lord two seasons ago, as Ophelia, and the extraordinary Gina Torres as Gertrude, Robert has assembled an exceptional ensemble. It’s been fifty years since we have presented this classic play at CTG and this sultry production will infuse the Taper with sharp-laced wit, blood, and ghostly intrigue, offering a Hamlet like nothing you’ve ever experienced. I can’t wait for audiences to see it.” 

The legendary story begins: “So … once more… tell me about this Ghost.”  But Ghosts are tricky things. Especially in a world of madness, murder and mayhem.  A rich entitled Prince goes on a ferocious rampage that will lead to a massacre in the living room.  Is he a tragic hero as we’ve often been told? Or a royal blooded serial killer?   

It’s been a half a century since Hamlet was done at the Taper. O’Hara, the Tony-nominated visionary who directed the landmark box office hit Slave Play—the most Tony-nominated play in Broadway history—returns to Center Theatre Group to one of the most famous tales ever told.  He previously directed Slave Play in its world premiere at New York Theater Workshop.  

O’Hara’s directing credits include the world premiere musical Bella by Kirsten Childs at Playwrights Horizons, Macbeth at Denver Center for Performing Arts, world premieres of Nikkole Salter and Danai Gurira’s In The Continuum, Gurira’s Eclipsed at the Kirk Douglas Theatre, Tarell McCraney’s The Brother/Sister Plays (Part 2), Colman Domingo’s Wild with Happy, as well as his own plays, Mankind, Bootycandy, and Insurrection: Holding History. 

In this new Hitchcockian noir adaptation we will step into a Shakespearean noir through a forensic investigation of the ultimate crimes of passion.  O’Hara said, “I’m terribly excited to be closing out Snehal Desai’s first season with Hamlet. I’m diving deep into my love of Alfred Hitchcock, David Lynch, Salvador Dali and Perry Mason to tell this story.  I like my Shakespeare tragedies lean, brisk and intense.  There will be blood.”  

The creative team of Hamlet includes Dramaturg and Associate Director Nicholas Polonio; Set Designer Clint Ramos; Costume Designer Dede Ayite; Lighting Designer Lap Chi Chu; Projection Designer Yee Eun Nam; Sound Designer and Composer Original Music Lindsay Jones; and Hair, Wig & Makeup Design by J. Jared Janas. 

2024/25 Season programming at the Mark Taper Forum is made possible through the generous support of the S. Mark Taper Foundation. Additional season support is provided by Perenchio Foundation. 

Tickets for Hamlet are available through CenterTheatreGroup.org, Audience Services at 213.972.4400 or in person at the Center Theatre Group Box Offices at The Music Center, 135 N. Grand Avenue in Downtown LA 90012.  

Center Theatre Group, one of the nation’s preeminent arts and cultural organizations, is Los Angeles’ leading not-for-profit theatre company, which, under the leadership of Artistic Director Snehal Desai, Managing Director / CEO Meghan Pressman, and Producing Director Douglas C. Baker, programs the Mark Taper Forum and the Ahmanson Theatre at The Music Center in Downtown Los Angeles, and the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City. Center Theatre Group is one of the country’s leading producers of ambitious new works through commissions and world premiere productions and a leader in interactive community engagement and education programs that reach across generations, demographics, and circumstances to serve Los Angeles. Founded in 1967,  Center Theatre Group has produced more than 700 productions across its three stages, including such iconic shows as Zoot Suit; Angels in America; The Kentucky Cycle; Biloxi Blues; Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992; Children of a Lesser God; Curtains; The Drowsy Chaperone; 9 to 5: The Musical; and Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo. CenterTheatreGroup.org 

The S. Mark Taper Foundation, founded in 1989, is a private family foundation dedicated to enhancing the quality of people’s lives by supporting nonprofit organizations and their work in our communities. The S. Mark Taper Foundation is committed to grantmaking that aligns with the values of diversity, equity and inclusion.

Bank of America is Center Theatre Group’s 2024/25 “One CTG” Season Sponsor. Bank of America believes in the power of the arts to help economies thrive, to educate and enrich societies, and to create greater cultural understanding. For over 20 years, the company has supported Center Theatre Group’s innovative Education and Community Partnerships programs and world-class productions.   

American Express is the official payment partner of Center Theatre Group. 

Show and Ticket Information:

HAMLET (A Hitchcockian Noir Adaptation)

Mark Taper Forum/Center Theatre Group
135 North Grand Avenue, Los Angeles CA 90012

Wednesday, May 28 to Sunday, July 6, 2025
Tuesday through Friday evenings at 8:00 p.m.; 
Saturdays at 2:30 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.; Sundays at 1:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m
Prices — begin at $40.25
Website — CenterTheatreGroup.org
Phone — Audience Services at 213.628.2772 
In person — Center Theatre Group Box Office (at the Ahmanson Theatre) at The Music Center, 135 N. Grand Avenue in Downtown L.A. 90012
Groups —CenterTheatreGroup.org/Tickets/Groups-and-Corporate-Offers
Access — Center Theatre Group offers a number of services to accommodate persons requiring mobility, vision, and hearing access. 

For more information, please visit CenterTheatreGroup.org/Access.