A Shadowy ‘Hamlet’ at the Mark Taper Forum: An Interview with Joe Chrest

From May 28th through July 6th, the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles will unveil a daring reinvention of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, directed by Tony-nominated trailblazer Robert O’Hara. This world premiere adaptation, the first Hamlet at the Taper in half a century, is expected to transform the iconic tragedy into a taut, 100-minute noir thriller, steeped in the stylism of indelible detective tales of the cinema. The notions of vengeance and betrayal have been designed to feel more palpable than ever, within the suspense-laden shadows that will suffuse the stage.

In Shakespeare’s original production, Prince Hamlet of Denmark spirals into obsession after his father’s ghost accuses his uncle Claudius, the new king, of murder. Feigning insanity, Hamlet navigates a labyrinth of deceit, culminating in a deadly reckoning that leaves the court in ruins—a profound meditation on grief and justice. O’Hara’s take, however, casts Hamlet as a figure teetering between tormented avenger and cold-blooded predator, unfolding a crime saga in a domestic setting that pulses with psychological tension.

Starring Patrick Ball as Hamlet, Gina Torres as Gertrude, Coral Peña as Ophelia, and more, the cast is prepared to ignite this reimagined narrative with raw intensity and enigmatic allure, ensuring an experience that’s as unsettling as it is captivating.

Central to this dark investigation is West Virginia-native Joe Chrest, whose portrayal of Detective Fortinbras—recast from a minor role into a key observer—lends a probing gaze to the chaos that transpires. With a long career spanning the live theatrical stage, film/TV (most notably Stranger Things), and higher education (as a professor at Louisiana State University), Chrest is excited to bring his wares to this audacious offering. As this Hamlet electrifies the Taper, Chrest and his fellow performers invite audiences into a haunting, innovative exploration of a timeless story.

LAexcites recently caught up with Chrest to discuss his role, the noir-infused vision, and the thrill of reshaping Shakespeare’s classic.

You have a career spanning film and TV roles like Ted Wheeler in Stranger Things since the 1990s and live theatre since the 1980s. How did your previous experiences prepare you for tackling a character like Detective Fortinbras in a Shakespearean noir setting, and what new challenges has the role presented thus far?

Chrest: Well, I’ve been doing film and TV for a long stretch now but how I really got into this [business] is that I’m from the theatre. I’ve got a heavy Shakespearean background. In working with this director, Robert O’Hara, it takes me back to LSU where we had a director emeritus from the Royal Shakespeare Company, Barry Kyle, who started the Swine Palace Repertory Theatre where I was a founding member.

It’s uncanny—I’ve only been working with Robert a few days, but his vision, approach, etc., feels like I’m back there with Barry Kyle whom I’ve done 10-11 shows with. I love [Robert’s] approach, adaptation, and there are so many adaptations we see with Shakespeare and a lot of times they just throw on modern-day dress, or we’re in New York or Nazi Germany, but the way he’s doing this—I don’t want to give too much away—it’s one of the most exciting adaptations of a Shakespearean play and, he’s doing it to Hamlet, one of my favorite plays and characters.

How have you approached reshaping a character in Fortinbras traditionally seen as a peripheral figure in Hamlet? What unique perspective, or surprises without spoiling anything, does the role add to a rendition of Hamlet now featuring new scenes?

Chrest: I’ve played a lot of detectives on film and police as well as played pretty much every level of forensic scientist, but I think the thing about this role is that I’m piecing together the facts of what happens here. Being a big fan of film noir, I just love that whole style. When I saw the presentation on the first days [with Robert] with the art direction, the model, drawings, the look, music—everything has excited me before I’ve even entered the world. As an audience of film noir, my favorite movies tend to transport me to a world, or a place, which may not be what I’m used to. And I don’t need to know where it is, but just have a sense of place that excites me as a viewer like at the movies or in a play.

That will happen immediately when you come in right from the beginning. And I think that excites all of us and I hope it does the same for the audience. I would love to actually go see a show like this myself, but I’ll settle for being in it [laughs].

Do you think of your favorite films of this genre when inhabiting a part like this?

Chrest: The Philip Marlowe stuff, Dashiell Hammett. I love The Maltese Falcon and Humphrey Bogart—that’s the film that really started the whole film noir thing. I love The Third Man and Double Indemnity, which might be my favorite. And one I never heard of—The Big Clock with Ray Milland and Charles Laughton, which Robert screened for us as it’s one of his favorites.

Right after seeing The Big Clock, I moved into my place. Keep in mind the critical prop element in the film is a green clock—I’ve maybe seen one of those all my life. I go into my furnished place and right there is a dresser with a green clock! [laughs]

As an adjunct professor at Louisiana State University teaching film and acting, how did your academic perspective on performance influence your preparation for your character, especially in navigating the balance between Shakespeare’s original language and O’Hara’s modern adaptation?

Chrest: What it does is [impact] the approach. These Shakesperean plays have a lot of weird things happen which we take for granted. Certainly there’s a bizarre series of events that take place in Hamlet.

As an academic, we sit there and ask these questions and pick it apart almost forensically, and that’s what my character does with the play. There’s quite a bit of these WTF moments and I find it a little humorous as this guy trying to pick his way through it and put it back together. You’ll find I’m not just a straight-up detective and there’s a twist there—and that’s something I’ve always been cast as, as a red-herring type character. I’m a pretty easygoing, happy-go-lucky guy but there tends to be an edge to a lot of my work.

Working alongside a dynamic cast, including Patrick Ball, Gina Torres, and Coral Peña, what has the rehearsal process, if any so far, been like and do you foresee their interpretations affecting yours?

Chrest: We’ve had some table reads so far and have been working on the text as opposed to just reading the words. I haven’t been up on the stage with the rest of my cast but that starts tomorrow (Wednesday, May 7th).

Our characters are also so different. I’m such an outlier in this cast of characters so I don’t think it applies in this situation. When I come into the world, it’s jarring, I think. Everything shifts, too. I feel bad for tiptoeing around this as I’ve been doing the same with the show I’ve been involved with the last nine years (Stranger Things), so I have to try and keep some things a surprise.

As part of Hamlet’s return to the Mark Taper Forum after 50 years, what do you hope audiences take away from this bold staging?

Chrest: I think it really tells the story that Shakespeare intended to tell, honestly. Students can come and see this, including those with no familiarity with Hamlet, and really know what the play is about. There are many great versions, but I feel this tells the story as well as any of them and is probably the most interesting.

I think an academic would like it just as much as a young person. My son, who is in college, will totally dig it. This will open up interest in Shakespeare to a wide audience who may not normally get or understand it. In this case, they’ll get this one.

Anything else you wanted to mention that I didn’t ask about?

Chrest: My show Stranger Things, the final season, is coming out this year. One has to wonder if Hamlet will have more blood or season five of Stranger Things [laughs].

Cover image caption: Patrick Ball stars as the title character in William Shakespeare’s Hamlet at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles, CA. This version of Hamlet is adapted and directed by Robert O’Hara. Image courtesy of Center Theatre Group.

For more information and to purchase tickets to Robert O’Hara’s adaptation of William Shakepeare’s Hamlet at the Mark Taper Forum, visit centertheatregroup.org.