Chicago Shakespeare Theater presents
Comedian and improviser David Carl in
DAVID CARL'S
CELEBRITY ONE-MAN HAMLET
★★★★ Carl’s 90-minute solo is as much fun as its title suggests...
It's crazy hilarious.
Time Out New York
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Chi, IL LIVE Shows On Our Radar:
A riotously funny breakout hit from New York Fringe
part of Shakespeare 400 Chicago, July 12–17, 2016
On the occasion of the 400th Anniversary of Shakespeare’s legacy in 2016, Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) welcomes New York Fringe Outstanding Solo Performance Award-winner David Carl and his hilarious David Carl's Celebrity One-Man Hamlet as part of the year long Shakespeare 400 Chicago celebration. Co-created by Carl and director Michole Biancosino, David Carl's Celebrity One-Man Hamlet depicts Shakespeare’s Hamlet as one imagines Busey might—unhinged and full of detours to his movies and personal grievances. Deemed a “deliciously deranged… head-spinning performance” by The New York Times, this offbeat spectacle is featured in the theater Upstairs at Chicago Shakespeare for only eight performances, July 12–17, 2016.
Carl performs as Busey in a fury of tragically epic madness. Having triumphed in Celebrity Big Brother, survived Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, and taken on Meatloaf and Donald Trump, the eccentric, cult classic film star now undertakes his biggest challenge yet: performing all the parts in Hamlet with outrageous songs and homemade puppets. Carl channels the ultimate “Hamlet-ized Busey” in what the Georgetown Voice has deemed “the best impersonation of Gary Busey the world will ever know.” This riotous one-man show comes to Chicago as part of the diverse lineup of Shakespeare 400 Chicago.
Acclaimed by critics, Shakespeare scholars and fans of Busey alike, David Carl’s Celebrity One-Man Hamlet was a breakout hit in the New York comedy scene and received Outstanding Solo Performance at New York Fringe. It garnered four stars and a critic’s pick designation from Time Out New York, and the New York Post proclaimed that it is “so demented a concept that it actually works.” The production also traveled to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2015, where The Scotsman called it a “defiantly unpretentious reimagining of Shakespeare’s tragedy.”
Comedian, actor and improviser David Carl is a dynamic performer on comedy stages across New York City, and has been featured in television and film. Co-creator and director Michole Biancosino is a Co-founding Artistic Director of the award-winning Project Y Theatre Company, where she develops and directs new work. Biancosino is the recipient of numerous grants and awards for her productions. David Carl’s Celebrity One-Man Hamlet is presented by Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Richard Jordan productions, PM2 Entertainment and Project Y.
Show Dates/Times
Tuesday, July 12, 2016 – 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, July 13, 2016 – 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, July 14, 2016 – 7:30 p.m.
Friday, July 15, 2016 – 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 16, 2016 – 3:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.
Sunday, July 17, 2016 – 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Tickets: start at $35
For more information about the production, visit www.chicagoshakes.com/gary.
ABOUT CHICAGO SHAKESPEARE THEATER
CST is a leading international theater company, known for extraordinary productions; unlocking Shakespeare’s work for educators and students; and serving as Chicago’s cultural ambassador through its World’s Stage Series. Throughout 2016, CST is spearheading the international arts and culture festival, Shakespeare 400 Chicago, a citywide celebration of the playwright’s 400-year legacy. CST serves as a partner in literacy to Chicago Public Schools, working alongside English teachers to help struggling readers connect with Shakespeare in the classroom, and bringing his text to life on stage for 40,000 students every year. And each summer, 30,000 families and audience members of all ages welcome the free Chicago Shakespeare in the Parks tour into their neighborhoods across the far north, west and south sides of the city. Reflecting the global city it calls home, CST is the leading producer of international work in Chicago, and has toured its plays to Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America and the Middle East. Under the leadership of Artistic Director Barbara Gaines and Executive Director Criss Henderson, CST was the recipient of a Regional Theatre Tony Award. Its work has been recognized internationally with three of London’s prestigious Laurence Olivier Awards, and by the Chicago theater community with over 80 Joseph Jefferson Awards for Artistic Excellence. CST’s work with Chicago Public School students and teachers was recognized by the White House in 2014 with the National Arts and Humanities Youth Program Award. www.chicagoshakes.com
ABOUT SHAKESPEARE 400 CHICAGO
Shakespeare 400 Chicago is a yearlong international arts festival in 2016 celebrating the vibrancy, relevance and reach of Shakespeare as the world commemorates the four hundred years since the playwright’s death in 1616. Spearheaded by Chicago Shakespeare Theater, the festival unites 60 of the city’s world-class institutions, and welcomes scores of leading artists from nations around the world including Australia, India, Mexico, the United Kingdom and beyond. Events spanning theater, opera, music, dance—even cuisine—celebrate, interpret and reimagine Shakespeare’s work. Shakespeare 400 Chicago will engage more than 500,000 Chicagoans and visitors to our City through 850 events. With leading support from the Julius Frankel Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the Pritzker Military Museum & Library, this quadricentennial celebration is the world’s largest and most comprehensive celebration of Shakespeare’s enduring legacy. www.shakespeare400chicago.com
