Old Hats NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (205)
See it if I don't like slapstick, but this show was so clever and so funny and the comical timing was brilliant.
Don't see it if You don't like to laugh...
See it if you like clowning, great music and audience participation. These are two pros who know how to charm an audience within this genre.
Don't see it if you're looking for a profound message or if you don't like slapstick. Don't sit in the front if you don't want to be part of the action.
See it if you want a chance to see two masters perform together (for possibly the last time?).
Don't see it if you don't like laughing.
See it if you are a fan of physical comedy that borrows from commedia dell' arte (props over scenery); and if you love inspired clowning by Bill Irwin
Don't see it if largely non-verbal comedy bores or irritates you, or you're not a fan of Chaplinesque short bits or don't especially like physical comedy.
See it if I was leery because I don't like clowns, but the Bill Irwin/David Shiner team won me over. Shaina Taub is a lot of fun as well.
Don't see it if The idea of a wholesome vaudeville act with song and physical comedy doesn't appeal to you.
See it if you're in the mood for hilarious physical comedy and clever music. The guys were great and I loved Shaina Taub's fantastic music.
Don't see it if you're looking for a show where you can sit grumpily for two hours. That's pretty much impossible here.
See it if You enjoy physical comedy. You regret not being alive for vaudeville. You like to laugh. You can enjoy throwback theater.
Don't see it if You don't like physical comedy. You don't enjoy great music/great bands. You need more of a cohesive story or serious plot line.
See it if you want a night filled with laughter and comedy gold. It's fun, has great music by Shaina Taub, and you'll leave smiling.
Don't see it if clowning or audience participation aren't for you. It's a funny, silly show, but you have to be in the mood for it.
Critic Reviews (38)
"Irwin and Shiner remind us here that clowning is no theatrical step-child but a full-fledged member of the arts...This clown show raises the bar on clowning, with its acrobatic finesse and intellectual bite. Irwin and Shiner put a spade to their clowning roots here and grow a brilliant new piece that has one foot in the past, one in the present, and surely plants them in the genealogical line of great clowns like Harpo Marx, Buster Keaton, and Charlie Chaplin."
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"If you’ve never seen Irwin and Shiner before, for heaven’s sakes stop reading and order tickets immediately. If you have, be assured that it’s more of the same, with neither performer losing an ounce of energy or grace, and much fun to be had watching the pair try to one-up each other in juggling hats and dishes or currying the audience’s favor...It’s hard to imagine these mad hatters ever going out of style."
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"What is better than leaving the theatre smiling and feeling like a million bucks? Not much, my friends. There should be a Nobel Prize for making people laugh. When you laugh you have to let go. You have to open up and let all the goodness in. When you laugh you are vulnerable and filled with joy. When you laugh you are at the mountaintop of being alive. Get on over to this show!!!"
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"Battling cosmic forces beyond them is one of the things that make Bill Irwin’s collaborations with David Shiner so much more than mere clowning around. That’s not meant to take anything away from the clowning itself, which is the irresistible core of 'Old Hats...' 'Old Hats' remains the mostly silent testament of two vaudevillians to the curative power of slapstick over the winter blues. It’s sheer pleasure."
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If Nellie McKay did not already exist, Bill Irwin and David Shiner would have had to make her up for their delirious joy of a show, 'Old Hats.' The slinky and game singer/satirist is that good a fit with these irresistible masters of new/old existential baggy-pants vaudeville. As for the fellows, well, it isn't much of a stretch to believe they actually could pull McKay -- and her upright piano and her shark brain -- out of one of their magician hats or their clown trunk."
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"Bill Irwin and David Shiner have distinguished individual careers as two of the world's greatest clowns. But when they team up, a special synergy happens. Rather than compete, each seems to feed off the talent of the other, enjoying the partnership of a fellow master...Irwin and Shiner perform more in tandem than I remember from the earlier shows, combining their skills at adding layers of artistry to their physical clowning abilities."
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"In case anyone wondered if these terrific clowns are still as good, stop worrying. They are non pareil. (There’s nobody like them.) They still display the body jokes, the loose physical movements and juggler style tricks that they are known for...But the skits are not just physical, they are social and political, all staged with finesse by director Tina Landau...They may be 'old hat, but this terrific production is very very new!"
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"The show felt strained by its musical interludes. Although hipster chanteuse Shaina Taub is utterly electric onstage, her edgy presence never fit the classic feel of the rest of the show. Don't get me wrong, if I ever manage to run off and join the circus, I sincerely hope Irwin and Shiner -- the Lords of Misrule -- are there, but 'Old Hats' could use a few more new tricks."
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