By Ruthie Fierberg
Acclaimed actor Kathryn Hunter has a longstanding history with Theatre for a New Audience, and now returns to her stomping grounds for their latest production: The Emperor. Running through September 30, the play—based on the book by Polish journalist Ryszard Kapuściński—serves as a sort of biography of Ethiopia’s emperor Haile Selassie via accounts of 35 of his servants.
Playwright Colin Teevan has adapted the work to feature 11 servants, all played by Hunter. The production reunites the team from TFNA’s Kafka’s Monkey, one of Hunter’s earlier appearances with the company. Here, she recalls some of her most defining TFNA moments—including her unforgettable aerial entrance as Puck in Julie Taymor’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.