Mark Twain wrote: "There are five kinds of actresses: bad actresses, fair actresses, good actresses, great actresses - and then there is Sarah Bernhardt." In 1899, the international stage celebrity set out to tackle her most ambitious role yet: Hamlet. Theresa Rebeck's new play rollicks with high comedy and human drama, set against the lavish Shakespearean production that could make or break Bernhardt's career.
Theresa Rebeck is a playwright. She also works as a television writer. Her input went into popular shows such as Dream On, Brooklyn Bridge, L.A. Law, American Dreamer, Maximum Bob, First Wave, and Third Watch. She also wrote and produced Canterbury’s Law, Smith, Law and Order: Criminal Intent and NYPD Blue. Ms. Rebeck has an MFA in Playwrighting and a PhD. in Victorian Melodrama, from Brandeis University. She is a board member of the Dramatists Guild and has taught at Brandeis and Columbia Universities. She currently resides in Brooklyn with her husband Jess Lynn and two children, Cooper and Cleo.
I watched the performance first and can’t help reading the play myself. It’s funny and easy to understand and feminist. Uplifting but also a reading enjoyment. I love it.