Why Hamlet Today?
At its core, Hamlet is not only the story of a young adult mourning their father, but of a society that has lost its moral center. As a corrupt leader rises and integrity erodes, grief becomes political, and political failure becomes heartbreakingly personal.
A taut, intimate Hamlet for right now, this bold five-actor production reimagines Shakespeare’s tragedy as a collision of private grief and public collapse. With just five actors playing thirteen roles, the story moves at breakneck speed, sharpening both the humor and the urgency of a world where something deeply corrupt has taken hold—and everyone seems willing to carry on as if nothing is wrong.
By turns funny, furious, and devastating, Hamlet asks an uncomfortably familiar question: how does something so wrong come to feel so normal? The stripped-down staging exposes how denial, complicity, and the desire for comfort allow rot to spread. In a moment when we mourn the loss of decency, truth, and ethical order, Shakespeare’s tragedy feels urgent, prescient, and impossible to ignore.
Who do you trust???
5 actors, 90 minutes
A taut reimagining of Shakespeare's legendary story of family, revenge, and the corrupting influence of power.
February 12 - March 8, 2026
Starring:
Valerie Terranova as Hamlet
Drew Hirshfield, Erica Knight, Lucas Pinner, Lisa VillaMil
Thursdays at 7:30pm*, Fridays & Saturdays at 8:00pm, Sundays at 3:00pm
*Special Older Adult Matinee time: February 19 at 1:00pm (all seats $15)
Group Outings and schooltime Student Matinees are available.
For more info, email us at info@lunastage.org
Special Events
February 21 | 7:00pm (FREE)
BARD Opening for The Bard!
Pregaming Hamlet at Luna Stage
An indie folk-rock band (featuring four dads from Montclair!) plays original, poetry-inspired music in Luna2 before the show!
February 22 | 2:00pm (FREE)
Hamlet-Inspired Woodwind Trios
performed by NJ Symphony artists
NJ Sympony artists perform Woodwind Trios that echo the drama, introspection, and emotional tension of Hamlet, and highlight musical styles of the period
Post-Show Talkbacks
February 27th | 8:00pm
Join us for a post-play talkback with Mindy Thompson Fullilove, dicsussing Hamlet through the context of families, cities, and change.
Mindy Thompson Fullilove, MD, DLFAPA, Hon AIA
Mindy Thompson Fullilove, MD, is a social psychiatrist and the Helen and Robert Fullilove of Community Health at the University of Orange. Since 1986, she has conducted research on AIDS and other epidemics of poor communities. with a special interest in the relationship between the collapse of communities and decline in health. She has published over 100 scientific papers and eight books. Among her books are the highly-regarded Urban Restoration Trilogy, Root Shock: How Tearing Up City Neighborhoods Hurts America and What We Can Do About It, Urban Alchemy: Restoring Joy in America’s Sorted-Out Cities and Main Street: How a City’s Heart Connects Us All. She holds two honorary doctorates and is a distinguished life fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and honorary member of the American Institute of Architects. In the Fall of 2023 she delivered the Flexner Lectures at Bryn Mawr College based on her new research and forthcoming book on the “Tao of K-drama.”