Hamlet (Public Theater) NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (140)
See it if you want to see great acting and innovative staging of a classic play.
Don't see it if you want a traditional reading/staging of Hamlet. Read more
See it if You appreciate Sam Gold as director, like modern-dress Shakespeare beautifully acted and imaginatively staged, sounding fresh and new.
Don't see it if You only like traditional Shakespeare, can't bear still another production of Hamlet, would think hypodermic needles as weapons bizarre,
See it if You want to see Shakespeare made fresh and accessible without dumbing it down; acting master class from Oscar Isaac in an intimate setting
Don't see it if You can't sit through almost 4 hours of Shakespeare; you don't like experimental staging Read more
See it if You are open to a different kind of Shakespeare experience. Brilliant staging, incredible acting. Not traditional, yet very accessible.
Don't see it if you are a traditionalist or have problems sitting still, staying off your phone, and not talking for up to 90min without a break.
See it if If you can get a free ticket to the park
Don't see it if If you don't like classic plays with contemporary settings. The show with intermission runs 2;45 minutes
See it if You're open to and can enjoy a modern approach to Hamlet. Want to be immersed , taken in, mermerized by Oscar Isaac's Hamlet. Worth the $$.
Don't see it if You can't sit for 4 hours. Can't get passed the modern clothes , and minimal staging. Need the classics undisturbed. No care 4 Shakespeare. Read more
See it if you like Sam Gold's minimalist direction and quirky choices to a classic. Oscar Isaac's performance is not overrated—he was exceptional.
Don't see it if you find Shakespeare plays boring, dislike director making bold and modern choices, or if 4 hours is too long for you to endure.
See it if You want to see great acting and creative staging and direction. Oscar Isaac is a reason alone to go.
Don't see it if You aren't open minded about quirky touches to classic theater.
Critic Reviews (37)
"Gold does indeed dish up plenty of decidedly newfangled ideas—some intriguing, others, far less so...The director's penchant for replacing all the trappings of a more fully furnished stage has its lowlights and highlights...Naturally, even the best and most interesting director's interpretation is only as good as the actors presenting them. Fortunately, this cast does very well indeed, even with Gold's more pretentious and controversial ideas."
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"It’s a brilliant contemporary take on this classic, with a genuine star in the lead and a genius directing...Oscar Isaac is riveting in the title role...He inhabits and invigorates the troubled young prince...Gold gives Friedman a lot of room. I’ve never seen Polonius played more engagingly...In this version, tragic or not, we laugh a lot...Grim, to be sure, but genuine fun in this go ‘round...It is too long, to be sure, but too good to miss."
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"Gold has created something that draws us in and brings us close. It’s like we see something old through new eyes, and the intimacy created makes us believe we can feel their breath and hear their sighs...Gold’s tremendous ability to find a unique and challenging way to rethink the classics is what compels this strong cast to create something so intimate and powerfully engaging...An inventive director with a seemingly exacting eye on the thing that matters most: the text."
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"Sam Gold aims to stir things up with this 'Hamlet,' and he’s using his playbook from past productions to do so...This is a production that values cleverness over emotional engagement. Yet, for all this fiddling around, and despite too many moments of director-engendered incoherence, Gold’s 'Hamlet' ultimately worked for me...Gold’s radical interpretation of the play did not for me undermine the power and clarity of Isaac’s Hamlet."
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"Often frustrating, sometimes illuminating...This 'Hamlet' keeps breaking, right along the dotted line between broad-brush hipsterism and intelligent economy...Gold’s production runs the full spectrum from sophomoric to deft...Gold’s production solves each scene separately with little connectivity to what’s on either side, so while Isaac quakes with emotion in moments of crisis, the show winds up feeling like a series of set-pieces rather than a journey."
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"Isaac has a slow-burn smolder and a confident clarity with the verse...This 'Hamlet' is even further deconstructed than Gold’s recent recent 'Othello.' Like the varied performance styles, it rarely coheres into a cogent interpretation of the play...Frankly, there’s a lot here that resists explanation...You won’t feel foot-dragging here, even though the pacing can race and slack. Instead, you get a production that questions and dares, teases and deflects. That’s exciting, but also frustrating."
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"There are some good creative moments…On the other hand Gold indulges in some utterly gross approaches that severely undercut the play…Isaac's Hamlet is a very energetic, even aggressive one. If you accept that concept and tone, Isaac does brilliantly and creates an especially dynamic Hamlet. However, that approach strips away the idea of a melancholy Dane…Isaac’s performance is a major one to see this season."
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"I liked almost nothing about this production...Everyone, with the exception of Isaac, has to take on double and even triple roles. It not only makes it hard to keep track of who is being whom but at times that casting decision really mucks up the storytelling...Sometimes the music drowns out the dialog. Other times, it's just annoying...Isaac gives an intense and intelligent performance but its power is often undercut by all the folderol...The rest of the cast is uneven."
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