"Criminally enjoyable...And aren’t we happy that Mr. McDonagh, who of late has mostly been otherwise engaged with movies, has reclaimed his mantle as the great deceiver of contemporary theater?...Directed with gleaming precision and grinning relish by Matthew Dunster...A happy-creepy reminder that Mr. McDonagh can still work his double-edged, sinister magic on a stage, making breathless, alarmed, and deeply satisfied dupes of us all."
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"Fans of the Irish-English auteur will be reminded of the qualities that make his work pop. Nasty humor twines with sadism...Rather than pushing that potential into new territory, he falls into comfy conventions that he winks at, but which also function as excuses for a thin and implausible story. Dunster’s production adds to the sense of artifice, with lurching shifts of mood-lighting and a physical space that works directly against the attempted comic suspense of the play’s denouement."
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"Once again under the assured direction of Matthew Dunster, the play is right on brand for its author: sly, plot driven, and morbidly funny, with a masterly ear for regional voices and an array of plum parts for actors. While more deliberate and less full-on explosive than some of McDonagh’s earlier work, 'Hangmen' still taps into the undeniable satisfactions of clever plotting and strong character work."
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"A galvanizingly black farce...A deadly serious play that is also chokingly funny...Glitteringly well-staged...Not since Robert Mitchum slithered onto the screen in 'Cape Fear' has there been a villain (if that’s what he is) quite so charismatically repellent as Mooney...McDonagh wants you to think, and it is his genius to do so by first making you laugh yourself silly. 'Hangmen' succeeds triumphantly on both counts."
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"McDonah is in comfort zone with his thoroughly entertaining but not completely airtight play 'Hangmen'...Flynn enthralls even when the script fails to make a case for some of his illogical actions...Under the direction of Mattnew Dunster, the whole ensemble is killer...There have been better McDonagh plays in New York...But 'Hangmen' comes out swinging and despite questions that arise about why some characters do what they do, the play ropes you in."
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"Under the fastidious direction of Matthew Dunster, the ensemble work is slickly well-oiled in the best tradition of barroom plays...Despite the howling laughter earned at the expense of these northern bumpkins and their semi-literate discourse, there’s a black storm cloud behind McDonagh’s surface wit...It’s a treat to watch these antagonists, played with excruciating edginess by Addy and Flynn, circling one another with murder in their eyes."
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"A delectably dark comedy about injustice, revenge and man's instinct for violence, state-sanctioned or otherwise...Those bristling themes make this expertly crafted play a lively companion piece to McDonagh's 'Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri...McDonagh is back in top form here...If the later plotting becomes less precise, the dialogue crackles, the running jokes are devilishly good, and the characters are incisively drawn, providing choice fodder for an electric ensemble."
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"Martin McDonagh’s old-fashioned, engrossing and extremely entertaining new play...'Hangmen' is unquestionably one of the most exciting Off-Broadway productions of the season...This is a meticulously-plotted work containing interesting, well-developed characters and built upon elements of black comedy, pub drama, physical farce, whodunit mystery, action thriller, and legal drama...Finds the ideal balance between roaring entertainment and grim uneasiness."
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