Macbeth (Classic Stage Company) NYC Reviews and Tickets
Member Reviews (73)
See it if Doyle's "lean & hungry" staging moves like a stealth missile w/judicious pruning & economic ensemble igniting dark tragedy Leads outstanding
Don't see it if Doyle's usual clipped staging can cause grief (for purists) or confusion (for novices) but gets job done w/scenes of quick shocking violence
See it if Great acting by Macbeth and Lady Macbeth. Love the thrust stage and CSC is an expert with it. Fun finding a witch or her words,
Don't see it if 9 actors play more than 25 roles but with almost same costumes. 2 great female actors play 2 1/2 male roles. . Set is a throne and... Read more
See it if you enjoy Shakespeare but aren’t in the mood to sit through a three-hour play. This abridged 100-minute version is quick and impactful.
Don't see it if you don’t like Shakespeare or prefer to experience his works staged in full.
See it if John Doyle and the terrific Stoll and spouse distill a brief, bare Scot tragedy with gender-flipped roles and shades of grey/noir wardrobe.
Don't see it if Having apparently exhausted musical/political dramas, the Doyle factory sets its crosshairs on steamrolling the inevitable Shakespeare canon
See it if you’ll enjoy many excellent Macbeth scenes even if the show as a whole stretches credibility bcz the collapse of Macbeth’s reign is so rapid
Don't see it if Anyone going to CSC likely has a few Macbeths under their belt, but I’m still not sure if all of Doyle’s intentions were made clear Read more
See it if you don’t mind a shortened form of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth that barely gives you time to breathe between scenes; a fan of the actors.
Don't see it if seeking traditional Shakespeare; don't like /confused by actors in multiple roles; aren’t a fan of CSC’s spare sets and garish lighting. Read more
See it if dark Shakespeare tragedy stripped down to essentials in a 1hr 45 min production; an excellent Stroll who shows the character's changes in*
Don't see it if don't want violence, minimalist staging, want more of the original play presented; don't like actors coming from multiple sides of theater Read more
See it if You want to see every Macbeth. Corey Stoll good.
Don't see it if You want the complete Macbeth-this version is cut. No scenery at all. Hard to hear, audience on three sides. Confusing sometimes who’s who. Read more
Critic Reviews (16)
CRITIC’S PICK "A Decent Man Turns Murderous Tyrant: A bracingly lucid Corey Stoll embodies Shakespeare’s thane who, step by step, cedes his soul to his own darkest impulses."
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2/5 stars: "Coldy lit and swathed in drab tartan, Classic Stage Company's Macbeth resembles an especially severe fall runway show. Color, emotional and otherwise, is out. Stage blood on the hands of its doomed thane (Corey Stoll) is the first sign of life in director-designer John Doyle's odd and funerary production."
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"John Doyle’s Blankie 'Macbeth' and Zawe Ashton’s Memorable 'for all the women…'"
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"Real-life spouses Corey Stoll and Nadia Bowers play Shakespeare's murderous couple, directed by Tony Award winner John Doyle."
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"Corey Stoll Is a Modern 'Macbeth' in a Medieval World: Classic Stage Company mounts a revival of the Scottish play."
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"Something Edited This Way Comes as John Doyle Directs Corey Stoll, Nadia Bowers in 'MACBETH'"
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"John Doyle's new production of 'Macbeth' is sleek, stripped down, and ready for action; having gotten one of William Shakespeare's darkest tragedies into fighting trim, however, he seems to have no idea what to do with it."
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"Corey Stoll begins well but, approximately 30-40 minutes into the piece, he lapses into a contemporary delivery of his lines that's soon followed by anachronistic gestures and body language. One suspects Stoll, who's a talented actor, has a Macbeth within him, but it's not this misguided production."
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