As Public Theater Artistic Director Oskar Eustis writes in his note, after starring in the Public鈥檚 Two Gentlemen of Verona and Romeo and Juliet, Oscar Isaac went on to 鈥渆xtraordinary stardom and recognition,鈥� including 鈥渉is breathtakingly beautiful performance in Show Me a Hero, one of the great television achievements of the millennium,鈥� for which he won a Golden Globe.
Isaac returns to the theatrical grounds that launched his career, currently playing the title role in the Sam Gold-directed Hamlet. The show runs through September 3 at the Off-Broadway venue. But Isaac isn鈥檛 the only one in the cast who balances stunning stagecraft with boundary-pushing screen work. From new hit series like I Love Dick and Glow to old faithfuls like Law & Order: SVU, here鈥檚 why you may recognize some of the faces in Shakespeare鈥檚 masterpiece鈥攁nd how you can continue to watch them deliver great performances after you鈥檝e left the theatre.
For tickets and information for Hamlet, .
ROBERTA COLINDREZ, Rosencrantz
I Love Dick, Amazon
From Transparent creator Jill Soloway comes this edgy new series about a frustrated filmmaker played by Kathryn Hahn, struggling in her marriage, who finds herself drawn to the macho and magnetic professor, Dick, played by Kevin Bacon. Colindrez, who originated the role of Joan in Fun Home at the Public, plays Devon in the new series. A struggling artist, Devon is a gender fluid character, and Taking the stage as half of the Rosencrantz and Guildenstern duet set to spy on Hamlet (and eventually escort him to England), Colindrez will no doubt have her own spin on the classic character.
RITCHIE COSTER, Claudius
Shades of Blue, NBC
Coster plays Michael Bianchi on the show starring Jennifer Lopez and Ray Liotta (and with recurring star Tony nominee Santino Fontana). In the show following Lopez as the female officer working undercover for the FBI to report misconduct in her own unit, Coster plays the Brooklyn mob boss who makes deals with cops to make evidence disappear. The actor previously appeared on the second season of True Detective and in the feature film Creed. No doubt these villainous tendencies will emerge in his portrayal of the newly crowned King Claudius.
PETER FRIEDMAN, Polonius
The Path, Hulu
Known to theatre fans as the original Tateh in Ragtime, Friedman was last on Broadway in 2004鈥檚 Twelve Angry Men. But Friedman splits his time on Hulu鈥檚 The Path as recurring character Hank Armstrong. (Fun fact: His Ragtime co-star Brian Stokes Mitchell is also a recurring character on the streaming series.) The second season dropped this past January. As the advisor to King Claudius, he鈥檒l bring wisdom and wit to the Public stage.
OSCAR ISAAC, Hamlet
Star Wars: The Last Jedi
Having graduated Juilliard in 2005, Public artistic director cast Isaac in that summer's production of John Guare鈥檚 Two Gentlemen of Verona. Since then, Isaac鈥檚 screen career has taken off, with lauded turns in Show Me a Hero, Inside Llewyn Davis, and more. Soon, he鈥檒l appear as Poe Dameron in the next installation of Star Wars. Isaac takes on the titanic role of the Prince of Denmark, devastated by his father鈥檚 death, his mother鈥檚 remarriage, and his uncle鈥檚 usurpation of his throne that all trigger the world鈥檚 most famous existential crisis.
KEEGAN-MICHAEL KEY, Horatio
Friends From College, Netflix
Playing House, USA
Since his Comedy Central show Key & Peele went off the air in 2015, Keegan-Michael Key鈥檚 career has taken off like a bullet. Cameos on Modern Family, bit parts in films like Pitch Perfect 2, current voiceover gigs on shows like Archer and Bob鈥檚 Burgers, all dot his r茅sum茅. But, now, Key returns to the place he thought he would spend his entire career: the Shakespearean stage. 鈥淢y plan was to do Shakespeare festivals for the rest of my life and work in regional theatres,鈥� Key . While he takes time to play Hamlet鈥檚 confidant, his new Netflix series Friends From College drops July 14 and he returns to Season 3 of Playing House, the comedy about two childhood best friends, Maggie and Emma, who move in together in their hometown to co-parent Maggie鈥檚 baby after her marriage falls apart. Key plays Mark, a local cop and Emma鈥檚 first love. For Hamlet, Key drops the comedy to play Hamlet鈥檚 only true friend.
