Liev Schreiber begins speaking the speech as the melancholy Dane in The Public Theater's Hamlet Nov. 30, following a delay of one week to iron out production elements of Andrei Serban's staging.

The first preview was to be Nov. 23, but now Denmark makes its debut Nov. 30, with an official opening of Dec. 19. Performances continue to Jan. 9 at The Public's Newman Theatre.

Schreiber (of cable's "RKO 281," the feature film "A Walk on the Moon" and The Public's Cymbeline and Macbeth) plays the tragic title character with Diane Venora (a past Public Hamlet veteran) as Gertrude and Colm Feore ("The Insider" and an alum of Ontario's Stratford Festival) as Claudius.

The third time's a charm for Venora at the Public: In 1982, Venora played Hamlet himself in a staging directed by Joseph Papp, and, in 1990, she played Ophelia opposite Kevin Kline, who also directed.

The new production at the Newman also features David Wilson Barnes, Christian Camargo (Horatio), Justin Campbell, Lynn Collins (Ophelia), Michael Early, Dion Flynn, Jonathan Fried, Andrew Garman, Adam Greer, Marc Gwinn, Francis Jue, Richard Libertini (Polonius), Hamish Linklater (Laertes), George Morfogen (The Player King), Robert Alexander Owens, Jeremy Shamos, Wendy Rich Stetson and Robin Weigert. Designers are John Coyne (set), Marina Dragichi (costume) and Michael Chybowski (lighting). Elizabeth Swados (Runaways, Doonesbury) provides original music.

Serban's Joseph Papp Public Theater/New York Shakespeare Festival credits include Happy Days, The Cherry Orchard, The Seagull and Cymbeline (among others). He is a respected opera director and heads the master of fine arts acting program at Columbia University.

Tickets ($45) are available at The Public Theater box office, 425 Lafayette Street in Manhattan, or by calling (212) 239-6200.