“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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“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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"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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“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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