Hamlet (Classic Stage Company) NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (121)
See it if you've never seen Hamlet.
Don't see it if you're not a fan of Shakespeare.
See it if you like shakespeare and great actors
Don't see it if you don't dig the bard
See it if You want to see a strong directorial vision applied to "Hamlet" or you wish to see a tour de force performance by Oscar Isaac as the Dane.
Don't see it if You don't like to see a director mess with Hamlet as typically staged.
See it if Don't see it. It was one of the worst Hamlets I've ever seen.
Don't see it if You like Shakespeare. It was slow and didn't do justice...
See it if you want to see strong performances by the entire cast.
Don't see it if you don't want to see an abridged version of Hamlet.
See it if you dig Shakespeare. It is his seminal piece of literature and worth seeing just for the "To be or not to be" monologue.
Don't see it if If you don't understand Shakespeare. If you get confused or focused on the language used you should try it anyway though.
See it if You know what it feels like to be lost and morally disoriented in a superficial world.
Don't see it if Shakespeare isn't your thing.
See it if See at the Globe in London; by far the best of the bard. Hamlet is such an intriguing character, literally took my breath away
Don't see it if At least try it out once. Shakespearean speech might not be your "thing" but Hamlet certainly will be!
Critic Reviews (9)
"The concept behind this stylish-looking modern-dress production directed by Austin Pendleton essentially presents the action as a long dramatic hangover after the wedding celebrations for Claudius and Gertrude...Unfortunately, by the end of this respectable but sluggish production, which runs over three hours, you may feel as you do after attending one of those overblown weddings that seem to go on for days, and sometimes do. In other words, dazed and ready for bed."
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"The less said about this current production of Hamlet, the better...Sarsgaard, whether by his own purpose or pushed by the director, plays Hamlet as dim of wit and halting of speech. There’s no depth of feeling between him and Horatio, let alone his mom or Ophelia. It’s all so languorous and sloppy that by the time the stage is littered with bodies — silence, finally! — we can only welcome Fortinbras with a quick salute — and a quicker exit."
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"Something’s rotten in Denmark — and it’s the Classic Stage Company’s anemic and dour version of “Hamlet.”...The acting throughout is as pale and monochromatic as the white floral canopy hovering over guests...Polonius is overdressed and bored in a morning coat, as though he was expecting a snazzier affair. Audiences at “Hamlet” will relate."
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"The least you can say about Peter Sarsgaard’s performance as Shakespeare’s vengeful prince is that it’s fully committed — in every sense of the word. The Hamlet he portrays in Austin Pendleton’s modern-dress production isn’t so much melancholy as mentally unbalanced and likely delusional...he projects a fretful, anxious energy — Hamlet’s coke habit probably doesn’t help...But the show as a whole is less coherent than Sarsgaard’s interpretation, and deflates when he’s offstage."
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"Excellent new production...Clarity reigns in this simple and effective staging. This is by no means an action-packed "Hamlet." A general lethargy pervades, but it is never boring. In fact, we can't look away. This is a testament to Pendleton's surefooted vision of a house on the brink of demise.".
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"Classic Stage Company’s “Hamlet” might just be the definitive “Hamlet” for the twenty-first century. Staged with shimmering creativity, the iconic Shakespearian tragedy bristles with a contemporary edge firmly rooted in tradition...under Austin Pendleton’s transformative direction, it transcends Elizabethan revenge tragedy and with surgical precision cuts deeply into Hamlet’s ennui and his alienation from life. This is a “Hamlet” not to be missed."
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"Now, at last, a Hamlet for our own era: emoji Hamlet...Peter Sarsgaard’s dynamic, but ultimately wearying Dane never met a state of mind he couldn’t adopt and then abandon. His prince is sad and happy, sane and crazy...Everyone knows Hamlet by now, which is lucky, as it would be very difficult to parse if you didn’t come in with some sense of the plot...Even amid the swordfights and the poisonings and martial conquest, something was tiresome in the state of Denmark."
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"An atmosphere of fearlessness hangs over the new production of Shakespeare’s "Hamlet" at Classic Stage Company. Star Peter Sarsgaard and director Austin Pendleton take a naturalistic approach that proves a good fit for the relatively loose, sometimes almost improvisatory flavor of the play...I had to think about it for a while. I’ve decided it worked."
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