"The cognitive dissonance between a work of art and a setting that inherently encapsulates the disparities at its heart is a jarring but ultimately effective tool...Director Jones also helmed a 2015 production, and the newly added American actors benefit from his intimate knowledge of the material...Cannavale brings an animalistic physicality to the central role...O’Neill’s cutting critique of American social and economic structures couldn’t be more relevant."
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"Never again are we likely to see such a massive, thoroughly designed, technically complex staging of an early 20th century expressionist play as the stunning production of O’Neill’s tragedy...Everything about it is huge: the venue, the mechanized set design, the scale of the performances and the main character’s agony and desperation...Cannavale gives a raw, layered and highly physical performance...The ensemble reinforces the play’s otherworldly style through synchronized movement."
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“Director Richard Jones gets to the essence of the playwright's intention by giving this expressionist work a staging that is both clear and confrontational…In this nightmarish realm, Cannavale is the only actor who seems convincingly human: O'Neill's salty prose feels at home in his mouth...We also feel implicated in his downfall thanks to Jones, who pulls no punches in this gorgeous and forceful revival…This revival could not have arrived at a better moment.”
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"A brilliantly staged and vibrantly performed production...There's plenty to keep you enthralled as you watch those eight scenes unfold in this stunning production...Though O'Neill's dialect is a challenging mouthful, Cannavale ably tames it, and at the same time meets the role's ape-like physical demands...It all adds up to his being an intensely heartbreaking, often gasp-inducing stage presence...The rest of the cast is also superb...A not-to-be-missed theatrical outing of this season."
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“A spectacular revival of Eugene O'Neill's masterpiece about identity and class struggle is stylized to the nines, yet misses the opportunity to be searing social commentary…Cannavale convincingly portrays the earnest hothead…Jones's interpretation of the text is a playwright's wildest dream coming true…It's difficult to recount all the good things about this production. However the lack of diversity onstage diminishes the play's potential for searing social commentary.”
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"Rarely does a production explode upon the theatre scene like O’Neill’s 'The Hairy Ape,' now receiving an extraordinary revival...It’s a sensational set, bringing an appropriately gargantuan scale to O’Neill’s tragic tale...The setting is vast, and the spectacle is breathtaking...This special combination of directorial vision, design brilliance, star power, and seamless ensemble work has brought forth a unique revival...The stunning images evoked here will long be remembered."
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“An exceptional revival…O’Neill has never felt so unique and powerful...Cannavale seems to be born to play this prototype to all the brutes that Cannavale seems to play…It’s a miraculous use of space…The environmental production is a non-stop wonderland of visuals and metaphors…These are the unique moments that we theatre junkies live for…It’s a challenging and miraculous in-your-face spectacle, filled with beauty, intelligence, and exploration, with a layer of judgment.”
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"High-caliber direction, design and acting...Richard Jones’ brilliantly bizarre production of the O’Neill play takes full advantage of the cavernous Park Avenue Armory space...Jones turns Yank’s journey into a road trip to hell, creating one amazing encounter after another. A noirish jazz-age dance number (Aletta Collins provided the frantic choreography) is followed by a riot in a cell-block...A daring example of unconventional theatrical forms."
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