It’s that rare evening of theater where something that was already familiar becomes new, yielding unexpected meaning and feelings.

It’s not as if I’ve made a study of “Hamlet.” But I’ve seen probably a dozen different versions, on stage and film. That’s something you do on purpose, because not many people do it voluntarily (and I consider that a failure of the American education system).

Still, when I saw Paul Giamatti play “Hamlet” recently at the Yale Repertory Theater in New Haven (a sold-out run that ends this weekend), I felt like I was hearing Shakespeare’s language for the first time. (More…)