Twelfth Night (The Public Mobile Unit)
Closed 1h 30m
Twelfth Night (The Public Mobile Unit)
83

Twelfth Night (The Public Mobile Unit) NYC Reviews and Tickets

83%
(47 Ratings)
Positive
96%
Mixed
0%
Negative
4%
Members say
Entertaining, Funny, Delightful, Clever, Great acting

About the Show

The Public Theater's Mobile Unit presents a stripped-down take on Shakespeare's gender-bending, heart-mending comedy in a new production reset in Florida in the mid-90s.

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Show-Score Member Reviews (47)

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HLS
80 Reviews | 18 Followers
99
Delightful, Refreshing, Hilarious, Great acting, Entertaining

See it if you want to see a wonderful, super fun 90-minute Twelfth Night. Fabulous direction. Fantastic performances. Maybe my all-time fave Olivia.

Don't see it if I guess if you hate Shakespeare for some reason? It's FREE. You should see it. Read more

62 Reviews | 37 Followers
95
Absorbing, Edgy, Great acting, Great staging, Refreshing

See it if you enjoy Shakespeare set in modern times, thus making it more relatable and easier to comprehend

Don't see it if You don't enjoy Shakespeare, or believe it should be kept in the 1600's style

59 Reviews | 16 Followers
95
Delightful, Hilarious, Refreshing, Inventive, Madcap

See it if you love great Shakespeare, or want to find out why people do. Modern and vibrant, with tour de force performances and great added music.

Don't see it if you prefer "traditional" Shakespeare, or you look at the poster for this show and don't think "aw hell yeah, I wanna see THAT 12th Night." Read more

60 Reviews | 34 Followers
95
Absorbing, Clever, Hilarious, Must see

See it if You want to see a refreshing production of a Shakespeare play, done in accessible manner, by a company with an admirable raison d'etre.

Don't see it if You have a cold, dead heart. I'm grateful I got the chance to see Twelfth Night! Really, maybe if you truly don't want to see a comedy.

461 Reviews | 97 Followers
90
Delightful, Enchanting, Entertaining, Exquisite, Hilarious

See it if You enjoy Shakespeare done MASTERFULLY. A brilliant take on the story, with characters so funny and alive it was impossible not to go again.

Don't see it if You don't like your Shakespeare re-imagined for modern times. Or Shakespeare at all. Or wonderful actors portraying super fun characters.

152 Reviews | 28 Followers
88
Entertaining, Funny, Clever

See it if you like Shakespeare, wish you liked Shakespeare, or are open to changing your mind about liking Shakespeare. This show is fun!

Don't see it if honestly, I can't think of a reason not to see it. It's hard to imagine that you won't enjoy it, and you can't beat the price! Read more

85 Reviews | 6 Followers
85
Clever, Entertaining, Funny

See it if You are interested in a contemporary twelfth night

Don't see it if don't like Shakespeare

123 Reviews | 52 Followers
85
Entertaining, Hilarious, Quirky, Refreshing, Great acting

See it if you want a modern twist on the play and want an accessible, funny version of the classic. it's really easy to keep up with!

Don't see it if You prefer a darker take, love traditional Shakespeare, don't like Latin music interspersed with the scenes, want a large scale production.

Critic Reviews (10)

The New York Times
April 28th, 2017

“This frantic staging does offer some amusements…But it also suffers the fate of many an outreach show produced by institutional theaters including the Public: It’s not as good as the usual fare…It’s a convoluted and ridiculous plot that demands clarity in performance but mostly doesn’t get it from this erratic production, whose pared-down script adds to the confusion…The lively Latin and house music is entertaining…But there is an overwhelming forced merriment in the pursuit of laughs.”
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BroadwayWorld
May 3rd, 2017

“A funny and colorful freestyle riff on Shakespeare's romantic comedy…With the complicated plot compressed to an hour and a half, there's little time for subtext, but the company is obviously having a blast playing the comedy's broad strokes in a festive atmosphere of frozen drinks and poolside fun. It's a terrific intro to Shakespeare for kids and other first-timers.”
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Lighting & Sound America
May 9th, 2017

“A fast, funny production that is designed to let Shakespeare speak to modern audiences…The approach works because it is solidly grounded in the text, and because the words are so well spoken….A couple of staging bits go a little far over the top for my taste, but never mind: This festive production is both an engaging introduction to Shakespeare for the inexperienced and a thoroughly enjoyable updating of an old favorite for the initiated."
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Talkin' Broadway
April 27th, 2017

"Unrelieved, and unrelievable, madcap abandon, with each new scene and complication colliding with the one before it as though it's trying to outswim a shark. This robs the play of a lot of its elevated poetic nuance, and makes the fun almost entirely visceral...It works for what it is: an ultra-quick and dirty distillation...The play can be more textured than this incarnation, but...when you're basking in the beaming rays it delivers, chances are you won't find that much to complain about."
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CurtainUp
May 2nd, 2017

“Although this production goes way over-the-top at times with its comic energy, the acting troupe really connects with the audience…What does come across is Shakespeare's vivid language…A few principals carry the play through to its moving denouement...The rest of the cast either overplay their comic roles or overdo their characters' quirkiness...Happily, 'Twelfth Night' is pretty much an unsinkable play. This production, though flawed, deserves a bravo."
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Theater Pizzazz
May 1st, 2017

"Not only one of the best versions of this beloved play, but any of the Bard’s other works you’ll have to opportunity to see in your lifetime. It isn’t merely that this Caribbean-themed, laugh-a-second show is stylistically fun, but also because it perfectly captures the story’s complexities, nuances and gorgeous language, making the contemporary setting fit naturally with its 17th-century dialog...This production is astonishing in that it features one praise-worthy performance after another."
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Front Row Center
April 28th, 2017

"A devil-may-care production, hysterically funny, rapid-fire acting at a neck-breaking pace…One of Shakespeare’s best comedies...You’ll be delighted with gorgeous Cuban music and dance, costumes and chunks of iambic pentameter spoken in Spanish. ‘Twelfth Night’ has never been so sexy and raunchy and funny. Olivia played by Ceci Fernandez is Carol Burnett slapstick and Carole Lombard screwball charm all in one."
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Stage Buddy
May 1st, 2017

"A fantastic and high-energy production...The impeccable cast members rove throughout the space...The audience surrounds the 'stage' facing each other and house lights are never turned off, so there is a sense of community and shared experience. And what an experience it is. Boisterous, bawdy, uproarious and colorful, the Mobile Unit’s 'Twelfth Night' is Shakespeare at its most youthful...This production provides pure escapism for 90 minutes of sexy, 17th-century century fun."
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