A Midsummer Night's Dream (Public Theater) NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (233)
See it if You want to experience pure joy
Don't see it if No reason
See it if You want a funny night out with a fab cast.
Don't see it if You don't have a love for modern updates of the bard. Read more
See it if You want to see the best of The Bard, put on by the best of NY Theater, performed by outstanding actors, in beautiful Central Park.
Don't see it if You think you don't like Shakespeare, but that's only because you haven't seen it performed live, and well! go see any Shakespeare you can!
See it if You have or have not seen Shakespeare in the Park. Go!
Don't see it if There's no reason not to see this. Well, it's over now, but go see Shakespeare in the Park next year, no matter what
See it if Simply Joyous; Superb cast of veterans and newcomers
Don't see it if already closed - hopefully the Public has a videotape that can be viewed
See it if An amazing experience with a stellar cast, wonderful staging, rich costumes and sets. I loved everything about it. It was cool out as well!
Don't see it if You don't like the bard ...
See it if you want to see a little magic in Central Park; you want to laugh at an amazing cast lead by all-stars Annaleigh Ashford and Danny Burstein
Don't see it if you don't enjoy any cuts in your Shakespeare; you are only a fan of the tragedies
See it if you enjoy Shakespeare and comedy. This is a wonderful production of one of Shakespeare's funniest and romantic shows - all happy endings!
Don't see it if you don't enjoy Shakespeare or hate physical comedy. Also, some of the comedy may be a bit inappropriate for kids (but may go over heads).
Critic Reviews (42)
"Ms. deBessonet has brought to the play the high spirits and communitarian pageantry that made her previous park outings...so embraceable....Unusually well cast, her production is full of sharply etched if sometimes unsubtle comic performances...What the production lacks in depth and subtlety it makes up for in clarity and swiftness...For all that, I missed the moments when, in some productions, Helena’s desperation lands a punch in the gut."
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"Huggable and kind-natured...Annaleigh Ashford, as Helena, offers a divinely funny portrait of romantic desperation—she works offbeat wonders on every line—and Shalita Grant’s Hermia slides memorably from pertness to fury...Clint Ramos’s fanciful costumes and Justin Levine’s brassy-funky ’70s-flavored score add to the swirl of pleasure. DeBessonet's production welcomes the spirits of community theater and theater community. You leave with a lovestruck smile."
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"As directed by Lear deBessonet, this 'Midsummer' is not so much play as pageant, a Technicolor mishmash...There are plays that are pure, delightful fluff. 'Dream' doesn’t have to be one of them. There is a there there. And it’s angrier, dirtier, sexier and therefore much, much funnier than the glitter-bomb that’s currently exploding at the Delacorte...The production is not without fun — it just feels rather desperate to ensure that you are in fact having fun every minute."
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"A high-spirited hodgepodge that glides along with just a few hiccups and so-so performances. At 2 3/4 hours, the show comes close to overstaying its welcome. But sustained laughter and amusement compensate...Ashford oozes hilarity from start to finish as the besotted Helena...Two more standouts are Danny Burstein, who serves up thick slices of ham as Nick Bottom...And Jeff Hiller, an ace comic actor makes a big impression in the small role of the artisan-actor Flute."
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“Who’d have thought that the Rude Mechanicals would rescue a floundering production…Whatever overall concept deBessonet had in mind for this production is lost in a muddle of performance styles…The antics of the lovers are all at odds...While the acting tends to sitcom style, none of it comes from the same sitcom…Unlike those self-conscious young lovers, the Rude Mechanicals never play to the audience or force a laugh."
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"A delightfully frothy theatrical palate cleanser...Delivers loads of antic fun, even if there are times when the kitchen-sink approach borders on overkill...Shakespeare's convoluted story line...is rendered here with uncommon clarity. But while the performers prove highly adept with the poetical language, the action is as much physical as verbal...While not all of the performances are effective, the standouts in the ensemble provide ample compensation."
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"A bright and jubilant staging of the perennial romantic comedy...Except for a few distinct touches—older actors playing the fairies, a tree house containing a live band and ad-libs directed to the audience, to name a few—deBessonet’s production is relatively straightforward...This shifts the focus to the terrific performances of Phylicia Rashad, Danny Burstein, Kristine Nielsen, Shalita Grant and Annaleigh Ashford."
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“‘Midsummer’ most certainly entertains in exuberant fashion; and if not a perfect production, its spell of enchantment makes for a near perfect midsummer night...Director Lear deBessonet assembled a dream team of talents to strut their stuff...The performances are sublime…If it all seems a hodgepodge, it is but a delightful one that holds pleasant surprises…If there were occasional misses, it mostly hit the bull's-eye aiming for both heart and funny bone."
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