12 Ophelias @ McCarren Pool - July 14, 2008 (specialkrb)

Twelve Ophelias centers on Hamlet's Ophelia coming back to life, out of the water, to try to overcome her history and forge a new destiny for herself. She finds herself in an Appalachian Elsinore, Denmark by way of Deliverance--where Gertrude runs a brothel, Hamlet and Horatio slum it, and nothing is what it seems. In this squarely American and gritty interpretation of the Hamlet myth, Twelve Ophelias asks how it is possible to break old cycles and start afresh when the past so completely permeates your life.

The production follows on the heels of the Public Theater's presentation of Hamlet in Central Park, creating an inter-borough dialogue--Hamlet's in the Park, Ophelia's in the Pool.

Twelve Ophelias features a live and local roots/bluegrass band, The Jones Street Boys, performing new original music, and showcases a host of talented young performers and designers. The production also highlights the McCarren Park Pool itself as a fascinating part of our urban landscape by placing the performers and audience amidst an Appalachian shanty-town installed inside the empty pool. [Broadway World]

Twelve Ophelias performs the following days at 8pm: Monday, August 4, Wednesday, August 6, Friday, August 8, Monday, August 11, Thursday, August 14, Saturday, August 16, Wednesday, August 20, Thursday, August 21, Friday, August 22. Performances take place at the McCarren Park Pool, Lorimer Street, at Bayard Street, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Tickets are free and may be reserved at www.theatermania.com.