Hamlet (Public Theater 2023) NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (203)
See it if You loved the Kenny Leon production of Much Ado a few years ago, enjoy new takes on Shakespeare, and enjoy outstanding performances.
Don't see it if You are a Shakespeare purist who dislikes cuts to the material and is not fond of deviations from the text for modern interpretation.
See it if You want to see a very accessible Shakespeare production. Brilliant on so many levels.
Don't see it if You absolutely loathe Shakespeare.
See it if you want to see Hamlet done the way it should be done
Don't see it if you want 19th and 20th century Hamlet (hint: it was written on the transition to the 17th century) Read more
See it if you want to see a Shakespearean play the way Shakespeare intended it (other than a modern analogy suggested by the set).
Don't see it if you are hoping for a modern reimagining that diverts from the source material to ask thoughtful questions about today (like Fat Ham) Read more
See it if You enjoy Shakespeare and don't mind updated settings.
Don't see it if You don't enjoy being outdoors.
See it if You like modern versions of classic Shakespeare plays. Kenny Leon is a brilliant director, and this is set in modern day.
Don't see it if You want to see the typical period costumes and sets normally associated with Shakespeare.
See it if you're happy to see Shakespeare brought to life, even if reduced to two and a half hours. Or if you're new to Shakespeare.
Don't see it if you're a purist and stricken to notice a classic line omitted (Hecuba) and a farewell disastrously rewritten (Claudius's farewell to R&G). Read more
See it if They provided contemporary Black American elements while preserving the original Shakespeare. Talented actors who made the Shakespeare clear
Don't see it if Production might bother purists.
Critic Reviews (18)
“This ‘Hamlet’ has been placed in a frame that doesn’t match what the production actually delivers, leaving me glad to have seen it but wishing for something more congruent.”
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"4/5 Stars! "Leon's take on the classic...is set squarely in today's tumultuous America; if it’s not entirely convincing, it feels urgently contemporary...A trio of superb actors keeps it compelling...This Hamlet may not rip your heart out, but gets in your head."
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“Director Kenny Leon doesn't unearth much new insight into this story from the modern setting, however, instead electing to stage a fairly run-of-the-mill ‘Hamlet’ that happens to be in contemporary dress and feature (truly beautiful) gospel and rap music to ground this production in Black culture.”
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“Although led by an able Ato Blankson-Wood, this is a ‘Hamlet’ that, like its main character, can’t make up its mind about what it wants to say or do.”
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“Ato Blankson-Wood, in the title role of ‘Hamlet,’... A quietly charismatic actor who easily commands attention, he delivers Hamlet’s famous soliloquies directly to the audience, his piercing eyes almost defying you to look away. ”
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“...the infusion of fresh musical styles are welcome, lively touches, but can’t make up for a staging that feels undercooked. It may not be as rotten as the state of Denmark, but the time is definitely out of joint.”
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“In fact, seen simply as a straight interpretation of ‘Hamlet,’ Leon’s production generally delivers the goods, in large part because of the performers...Even if it promises more than it delivers, this ‘Hamlet’ still offers the considerable pleasures of seeing Shakespeare done in trustworthy, reliable, and sometimes inspired hands.”
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"Ato Blankson-Wood -- a polished, technically skilled actor -- has his moments…but the actor never gets past his character's surface disaffection; whenever it looks like he might break through to a deeper, more probing anguish, he skitters off in another direction. It's not an unintelligent performance, but it is surprisingly unfelt, leaving the production without a center. When Claudius and Gertrude appear to be the central characters in Hamlet, something really is off in the state of Denmark."
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