Kicking off the fall semester was the Hofstra Drama Department’s first mainstage show, Neil Simon’s comedy “Barefoot in the Park.”

The stage is set: a dark black box in which a single golden incense lamp hangs, billowing smoke illuminated by white light from above. Slowly, characters come from the wings to mourn the loss of King Hamlet, still body beneath a plastic sheet on a cold, metallic table. In the single spotlight from above, surrounded by darkness on all sides, Hamlet lets out a single, silent scream of agony in loss.

The Hofstra drama department kicked off their 71st annual Shakespeare Festival with the main stage production of “Troilus and Cressida,” an adaptation of Homer’s Greek classic, “The Iliad.” The Shakespearean drama opened last Friday night at the John Cranford Adams Playhouse at 8:00 p.m.

Eight times a week on the Shubert Theatre stage, Harper Lee’s classic novel, “To Kill a Mockingbird,” comes to life. While the novel is well-known and loved by many, the Broadway production of the novel is still in its infancy. It opened on Broadway over a year ago on Dec. 13, 2018, and since then it has already become the highest-grossing American play ever. 

Alanis Morissette’s 1995 debut album “Jagged Little Pill” has returned to the music scene, but now on Broadway. The cast and the story of the imperfect Healy family, along with Morissette’s incredible songwriting, show the importance of family and the understanding that everyone has perfect imperfections that make them unique. 

Mystery, shock and emotion: These are all words that one could use to describe “Fefu and Her Friends.” Within the course of a single day, lead character Fefu and her seven female friends journey through the many twists and turns of their crazy relationships with one another, while simultaneously attempting to remain sane.

“American Son” is one of the latest original films from streaming giant Netflix. Starring Kerry Washington and Steven Pasquale, the film follows a hysterical African American mother trying to find her missing son.