The Hard Problem

See it if If you like some good acting or a story that only touches the surface.

Don't see it if If you want a deep, meaningful production. Characters did not move me in this directed play.

See it if you want a gripping play about altruism vs egoism, religion vs science, technology vs humanity, philosophy vs theory, & seeking forgiveness.

Don't see it if you're turned off by gratuitous (albeit brief) nudity; you don't like Stoppard's philosophical polemics & focus on intellect over emotion.

See it if in typical Stoppard fashion sets forth w elegance a major intellectual problem; O'Brien's direction is comparably elegant

Don't see it if Stoppard has NOT found a convincing theatrical vehicle to bring alive this perennial problem; more a forum for vigorous debate

See it if You want to see a Tom Stoppard play performed at Lincoln Center (I did). I expected more. Interesting issue but not well served by this play

Don't see it if You want to see a real play. This just seemed like acting exercises and a philosophical discussion. Artificial dialogue, not conversational.

Also I will say that my husband really enjoyed it. I wasn't totally bored but the discussion got very repetitious to me. And it seemed more like a discussion than a fully fleshed out play. There were a lot of people in the cast. Many had nothing to do but sit back and watch the action. Literally!... Read more Read less

See it if Innate or through action...what is inherently a person of merit? Stoppard uses actors for discourse & debate. Cerebral w/ cast doing best.

Don't see it if Rubik's cube. So intelligent, but if you don't live there, this will be a troublesome night out. Playwright deserves credit for this attempt

See it if Intelligent arguments about human consciousness. I found it hard to follow in the beginning. This play needs to be seen twice to appreciate.

Don't see it if You are tired after seeing a matinee the same day. Stoppard's plays demand full attention. The large cast was difficult to sort out.

Also Sorry that I was not more rested, and on my toes before watching this performance. The actors are incredible.... Read more Read less

See it if you are interested in conciousness vs. the brain - is it the same, different, mutually exclusive? Where does humanity, faith & love fit in?

Don't see it if you're more interested in action than ideas and lots of talk; Stoppard can be challenging to follow; the play is good but not his best.

See it if you like Stoppard and all that entails. Lovely performances and cool staging in an ultimately implausible story.

Don't see it if you don't like obtuse talky stories that wrap up like an unbelievable bow.

See it if You like cerebral plays that center completely around THE BRAIN. Good acting, staging, and fun characters

Don't see it if You don't like plays where you really have to concentrate on the ideas they are trying to get across. Or 10 minute long diatribes.

See it if you like excellent writing,clever staging,terrific acting.Dialogue is brilliant & witty, but also real. It discusses some serious topics.

Don't see it if predictable plot twists make you mad. This one is telegraphed from early on,but the rest of the play makes up for it.Set changes are clever

See it if A clever meditation on the nature of consciousness, and whether or not altruism exists. Makes you think about the questions posed. Neat set.

Don't see it if ...you’re looking for light entertainment. Stoppard makes you work.

See it if a fan of: Tom Stoppard’s works; immersive and intelligent writing; and/or works that seize upon you mentally, if not emotionally, too.

Don't see it if you can’t commit to an intermissionless show with an intelligent script that requires critical-thinking about self, beliefs, and the world.

Also Tom Stoppard’s genius continues with The Hard Problem, threading complexities with poeticism and humanism. “The hard problem” is the brain: what, how, and why it knows. Adelaide Clemens’ Hilary tries to make room for science and faith in a strained life, butting heads with peers who reduce life to pedantry, ridding it of altruism, miracles, and coincidence. There’s almost too much here: the personal, scientific, philosophical. A hedge-fund company finances brain studies, seeking to maximize its wealth, intimating people being reduced to machines just as machines are replacing humans. An unclear 5-year leap and paper-thin backdrops cheapening the density of the material are weak points. Ensemble members move props between scenes, sometimes flipping staging to mirror a different angle. They linger in the background like behaviorists taking notes (on the actors? Audience?). I’ve been letting THP percolate; reading the play would likely reveal more brilliant layers of Stoppard’s work.... Read more Read less

See it if love Tom Stoppard. This is more accessible than his other plays. Topics that probably everyone can understand and relate to.

Don't see it if Want fluff, skip this. Need to come with your brain and pay attention.

See it if You like Stoppard or can forgive the artificial dialogue and lectures that typify his work.

Don't see it if If stagey staging, spokesperson characters, and coincidental plotting will irk you.

Also I’m not a Stoppard fan but liked this one more than most. I knew what to expect and appreciated when the emotional content exceeded my expectations.... Read more Read less

See it if you are interested in the idea of consciousness and can handle the science.

Don't see it if you have issues with accents or understanding scientific arguments.

See it if You like Tom Stoppard plays. You ever took a metaphysics class. You want an exploration of consciousness and the sublime with lots of words.

Don't see it if You don't like drama as a prop or justification for explorations of thought. You don't like Tom Stoppard plays. You're easily bored.

Also After seeing this play, I want to marry Tom Stoppard, but I'm not sure it was a very good piece of theater. The ideas are fascinating, even riveting, and Stoppard really leans into the centrality of coincidence to drama in ways overwraught enough to be endearing if not quite clever.

The basic structure of Aristotelian narrative is there (sorta) but I didn't care so much about the middle or the end. The meat isn't the plot, and the characters are rather lean. Sadly, the ideas are not enough for a wholly satisfying meal. Lots of philosophical thought problems are bandied about, namedropped artfully, but the central problem, the hard one, "does God exist and if not how are we" is slyly elided.

We are graced with stand-ins for various positions (aka characters) all of which are relatable to a degree (at least to me) and all of whom sound plausible, even if none of them sound convincing.

Is it any wonder (spoiler) the central character becomes a philosopher?... Read more Read less

See it if Interesting discussion asking are we merely the sum of chemistry, phsyics, and math or is the sum more than its parts?

Don't see it if Entire play of PhDs arguing in boughie academic talk annoys you. Mostly scientific debate, little plot development / real emotions.

Also Ticket from LincTix for $35.

See it if Brilliant Stoppard wordplay and dazzling exploration of consciousness as told through the story of a young psychologist, faith & philosophy

Don't see it if You can’t take a serious journey exploring the mind/body problem, morality in love & business, philosophy, faith and scientific exploration

See it if plays about complex ideas and complicated people that demand your careful attention and twist your emotions appeal to you

Don't see it if you want an easy night of superficial entertainment.

Also Excellent acting but in comparison to the original London production very over-produced in terms of stage business. Less furniture and scene changes would have been better. And please, no fake British accents. This can be done with American speech. Nothing in the text requires it to be about Brits and few of the actors handled the accents well.... Read more Read less

See it if You are okay seeing a lesser Stoppard work that is not as deep,as it seems it aims to be.

Don't see it if You don’t like verbose plays that telegraph what will happen failrly early on.

See it if You want entertaining theater, that delves into extraordinary questions, while not forgetting to entertain. An ephemeral Adelaide Clemens.

Don't see it if You don’t want to be challenged, on questions of science and religion, nature vs nurture... Or, if you need a big show in a big theater.

See it if It's a good play, but its not a good Tom Stoppard play--nothing challenging, none of the Stoppard weirdness. Excellent cast except the lead

Don't see it if Are expecting Vintage Tom Stoppard

See it if you are huge fan of Stoppard and have to see everything he does. This is very smart like all his shows. The directing is clever.

Don't see it if you expect theatre to be emotionally affecting. This has no real heart, seems like a lecture. Even Stoppard fans will be disappointed.

See it if you are a fan of Tom Stoppard, smart writing, or Addie Clemens. She really shone in this production.

Don't see it if you are looking for something light. This has heavy dialogue that makes you think. You need to pay close attention.

See it if You like plays about ideas, lots of ideas, we're talking the problem of human consciousness, algorithms, mapping the brain and adoption.

Don't see it if You like your plots emotional without intellectual baggage and lots of talk. You like drama about people rather than ideas.

Also I like Tom Stoppard's plays but I was hesitant about seeing this one as it seemed formidably "cerebral" (that word again). But actually it was very accessible and wrestled very cleverly with some important ideas.The nature and uniqueness of the human brain. But the characters were flesh and blood not just symbols for points of view. It was good to stretch the old noggin.... Read more Read less