Hamlet (Public Theater) NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (140)
See it if You like to see Shakespeare in a non-classical production. Oacar Isaac and Keegan-Michael Key add a new perspective to Hamlet.
Don't see it if You like your Shakespeare exactly as written, stage notes included.
See it if you love a modern take on a classic and appreciate blind casting. This does a beautiful job with both.
Don't see it if you're a traditionalist. This is presented a bit more modern than you may care for.
See it if Inventive and impressive, crackerjack cast start with a "lets put on a play" attitude and unleashes a touching funny and powerful production
Don't see it if with all the role switching its not the ideal first HAMLET to experience; removal of typical 3 hour time limit makes for a lengthy outing
See it if you want to see an interesting approach to a classic play and Oscar Isaac be amazing. Also, if you enjoy laughing during "tragedies".
Don't see it if you prefer your Shakespeare to always be "standard" or do not like Shakespeare plays to begin with. Also if you prefer shows with big sets.
See it if you enjoy being reminded why we keep doing Shakespeare, and you want to see a group of distinctive actors freed to make exciting choices.
Don't see it if you have very specific ideas about how Shakespeare should be done, or you think anything weird or outside-the-box is a "gimmick."
See it if you love the play Hamlet and want to see it done beautifully with great actors. This was truly masterful.
Don't see it if you don't like Shakespeare or very long plays
See it if you'd like a fresh, intense and intimate staging of one of the greatest English plays.
Don't see it if you think the Fortinbras scenes are the key to the play.
See it if You are open to a fresh, modernized take on the classic
Don't see it if You are a purist - or think you will struggle with a production of Hamlet delivered with a healthy dose of humor
Critic Reviews (37)
“'Hamlet' benefits from the wide berth Gold gives his well-spoken actors to explore the play’s rawest emotions and most confounding contradictions, however outrageous the exploration may become...Though the line here between polished work and mere scene work feels as if it’s being crossed and recrossed, the choices illuminate enough corners of the tragedy to make this an engagingly provocative stop on your own lifelong 'Hamlet' journey."
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"An audacious, highly stylized production that is technically faithful to the text, but flaunts tradition in almost every other respect...If any version can ever be called a definitive 'Hamlet,' this one isn’t really in the running; Gold’s staging is too cheeky, and his tone careens too wildly between farce and tragedy...But there’s a method to his madness, too, and enough eternal magic in the material to make four hours feel fully, smartly spent."
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"This production of Shakespeare’s timeless revenge tragedy is stripped down and intimate...Isaac makes for a handsome and lyrical Hamlet...The production is almost always interesting, but it lacks a coherent vision and becomes too consumed by experimental tactics. Perhaps Gold and Isaac can continue developing it and bring it back in a year or so."
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"While there are some extremely clever touches on Gold's part for those well-versed in the play, the uninitiated may have no idea what's going on...But for those who know the text, these are ingenious, outside-the-box choices that do a thought-provoking job of deepening the material even further...As for Isaac himself, he's exactly what we could want out of a Hamlet...It's worth the character confusion, the odd comedic choices, and all four hours, just to watch Isaac's expert performance."
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"An extremely entertaining production that's full of cleverness (admittedly, sometimes too-cleverness) that whizzes by its running time of nearly four hours...Despite some unpredictably over-the-top ideas, the fine ensemble never loses touch with the serious emotions of Shakespeare's masterpiece. This may not be a 'Hamlet' for first-timers, but it's fun, daring and just a bit weird.”
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"Before it collapses in a heap of mannerisms and conflicting acting styles, Gold's contemporary take on 'Hamlet' manages some remarkable effects...Isaac is frequently an inspired Hamlet...Yet for all of the production's very real accomplishments, so much is lost...This is ‘Hamlet’ as a contemporary dysfunctional family drama...Gold's approach is subtractive, and, surprisingly, he has little to add; this 'Hamlet' is filled with weird touches that, in sum, reveal a director with little to say."
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"The gimmicky physical production seems to have gotten most of the attention, while Shakespeare's play gets lost in the shuffle, popping through only occasionally...There's precious little to be found here that contributes to our understanding of the play; every gimmick in use could be thrown at any production of any play, with the same nonsensical effect. It most certainly is a head-scratcher."
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"Deeply satisfying: coolly conceptual but grounded in palpable, messy passions, with Shakespeare’s miraculous text spoken with clarity and power...Gold’s 'Hamlet' is the most family-obsessed I can recall...As rendered with genuine fire and smoldering intelligence by Isaac, Hamlet comes across first and foremost as a grieving son...The language is front and center, spoken with admirable lucidity and clarity...A 'Hamlet' that engages the audience’s imagination and intellect."
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