The Hard Problem

See it if you like Stoppard (this is sooo Stoppard), you like seeing intellectual debates in shows, you’re interested in cognitive psychology.

Don't see it if You need something plot-based.

See it if This play is theater crack. Another smart, intelligent play from master playwright Tom Stoppard.

Don't see it if you already know you don't like Tom Stoppard plays but if you haven't seen one - go see it.

See it if For intelligent well acted, professional quick paced Stoppard play. Clever impeccable staging-thought provoking play.

Don't see it if don't like thought provoking plays where dialogue has to be closely followed.Don't like to leave theater with food for thought or discussion

Also Left with desire to "revisit' & see play again (not a bad thing) In first previews, hearing system not working, attributed to missing every line of dialogue. Didn't detract from getting the big picture & understanding play.... Read more Read less

See it if You enjoy an intellectually stimulating piece about consciousness, scientific but humanizing. Stoppard shines

Don't see it if You dont enjoy plays that require you to think.

See it if You are a hard core Stoppard fan. Shows that challenge your brain to follow them are your thing. This is a tour de force of uses of language

Don't see it if Plays where the plot is secondary to the ideas and themes are not your thing. You are looking for satire and comedy.

Also This is a play that you will get more out of if you do one or both of 2 things; either read it before you see it or plan to see it twice !... Read more Read less

See it if you like plays that make you think, a fan of Stoppard, combo of character-unfolding storytelling mixed with psychology/philosophical debate

Don't see it if you're not in the mood for lengthy debates on the human mind, consciousness & God.

See it if you like Tom Stoppard and the theater of ideas that is his stock and trade or if you like plays that ask questions about the world around us

Don't see it if you have trouble following complex ideas onstage or don't like plays that can be called "talky"

Also Coincidence or miracle? That seems to be the central question asked during the course of this play. If you're a Stoppard fan, you're going to want to see this as the ideas in this play make it one of his more humanistic works. That said, this is far from Stoppard's best although it has many qualities to recommend it given the calibre of his writing even on an off day. An overly fussy production with too much furniture being moved on and offstage, the staging can seem distracted, as if moving a lot of actors-moving-scenery around made up for the lack of action. However, the biggest problem here is Adelaide Clemens, the lead actress, who is not quite up to the task of playing a character of strong belief without making her seem a bit torpid. Her low key performance does nothing to keep the audience engaged in spite of fine turns from actors like Chris O'Shea and Jon Tenney.... Read more Read less

See it if You enjoy the work of Stoppard or want to experience his work for the first time. The performances are excellent,especially A.Clemens.

Don't see it if You have a short attention span.Stoppard's work's always require one to pay strict attention in order to appreciate the themes discussed.

See it if You like Stoppard on the topic of consciousness and cognitive Thinking. Really a thought-provoking evening

Don't see it if You don’t want to think and ponder and just want to be entertained. After all, this is Stoppard

See it if You are a fan of Tom Stoppard and enjoy his thoughtful and clever plays.

Don't see it if You expect Travesties or Arcadia.

Also Although this is such a well written play, it is more sentimental than his other plays which surprised me. However Stoppard’s beautiful way with words is still evident.... Read more Read less

See it if you're a fan of Stoppard, enjoy heady plays with themes & secrets, good ensemble acting, questions of sex & relationship, funny as well

Don't see it if You don't like Stoppard's use of big words & concepts which can hide the basic plot, talk about the mind vs machine, coincidences

See it if you want quintessentially Stoppard play re science vs faith, nature vs nurture. Intelligent, but feels like late-night grad student debate.

Don't see it if you're not prepared to think about philosophy, science, consciousness, and god. Terrific acting in academic, intellectually-grounded play.

See it if Another intellectual Stoppard brain teaser. Not as much fun as Travesties, nor as clever as Arcadia. Still, it's briskly stimulating.

Don't see it if you don't like Stoppardian non-stop word play, you may find it "all talk, no action." Some gorgeous talented actors do the talking, though.

See it if you like intelligent theater that makes you think. You will, with the actors, struggle to understand human consciousness.

Don't see it if you are looking for light fare, easy laughs.

See it if You love Stoppard with a humanistic touch

Don't see it if You cannot deal with discussions of faith versus science.

See it if Interesting show about what really makes a person. Kind of nature vs nurture battle but in a research setting with an adoption story thrown.

Don't see it if It’s a little heady and a little intellectual. Some gratuitous nudity-depending on where you are sitting in the theater. A little predictabl

See it if You like a think piece.

Don't see it if If you just go to shows to have fun.

See it if you enjoy exploring the hard problems of nature vs nurture and consciousness through an interesting and, at times, funny play.

Don't see it if you don't enjoy thinking during a play and prefer to be entertained.

See it if You enjoy the blend of drama and intellectual discourse.

Don't see it if You enjoy high impact dramatic action.

Also I found this to be one of Stoppard’s more accessible plays. Very nicely staged and well acted.... Read more Read less

See it if You appreciate Tom Stoppard.

Don't see it if If you want a simple straightforward story.

See it if you like philosophical discussions that have no clear cut answer. A group of young people who very efficiently change the scenery throughout

Don't see it if you like a quick phased show that goes somewhere. This one does not.

See it if You want to have a sneak peek of PhD's geek and academic life.

Don't see it if You are a quant. As a programmer, I don't feel very comfortable seeing the play because it shows despise to quant.

See it if You like Stoppard, as I do, and want to see everything he writes.

Don't see it if you want to see Stoppard at his best or semi-best. Rambles, introduces unimportant events. One guesses big reveal early on, too obvious.

Also This play, about the mind and what is consciousness, certainly is thoughtful and has never been done before, but he misses the mark. He is one of the greatest playwrights but falls short on this one. Stoppard's brilliance does not shine through. Oh Tom!
The characters are not particularly interesting, the scenes are short, it is repetitious, the sets are sparse...Oh Tom!... Read more Read less

See it if If you are a fan of dense scientific writing that hinders the plot. Nice interesting unlikable characters. Tom Stoppard

Don't see it if if you want to spend 90 minutes listening to intense neurobiolgical discussions. or discussions on altruism vs human consciousness. Long

See it if You need to see everything Stoppard has written...

Don't see it if You are expecting a great Stoppard play that intertwines disparate ideas in exciting and thought-provoking ways.

Also We saw this two weeks after seeing a totally extraordinary production of Tom Stoppard's play "Hapgood" at the Lantern Theater in Philadelphia and the contrast was significant. "Hapgood" is a sharp, witty, and stupendously clever shape-shifter of a play; "The Hard Problem" seemed banal by comparison. The acting and production were fine -- it just seemed that there wasn't as much "there" there as we've come to expect from Stoppard.... Read more Read less