A Midsummer Night's Dream (Public Theater) NYC Reviews and Tickets

"The most fascinating, heartfelt, thoroughly entertaining attraction playing in New York this summer...The Public Theater and director deBessonet emphasize magic and mirth in this vibrant production...Adding to the enjoyment of an already great play are uniformly excellent performances from the cast...The physical comedy is cranked up to a ten...Two-and-a-half hours melt away like a particularly pleasant dream, one from which you feel slightly sad to wake."
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"DeBessonet has all sorts of interesting ideas...I'd be lying if I said that all of this comes together in some intellectually coherent way--the production often feels blown this way, then that, willing to pursue all sorts of notions without a clear sense of how to put them together. And yet, what shouldn't work somehow does: this is a 'Midsummer' that, for all its laughter, is oddly, persuasively, wistful...I'm willing to bet that you'll feel thoroughly satisfied."
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"A joyful, crowd-pleasing Mardi Gras of a production...Even if some of the slapstick and mugging can seem a bit much at times, only a genuine curmudgeon or Shakespeare absolutist is likely to be able to resist the spell of this most gleeful of productions...All told, it's hard to imagine a more pleasing antidote to political malaise than this stellar production by the Public, a real treasure of 'A Midsummer Night's Dream' in an ideal setting."
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“Unseen for a decade at The Public Theater's Free Shakespeare in the Park, the new production of ‘A Midsummer Night's Dream,’ directed by Lear deBessonet, is lavish to the eye and ear. What it is not is funny, being very low on the laugh quotient. While the actors, including such Tony Award winners as Phylicia Rashad and Annaleigh Ashford and nominees De'Adre Aziza, Danny Burstein, Shalita Grant and Kristine Nielsen try very hard to tickle the funny bone, the results are in vain.”
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"The magical combination of one of Shakespeare's best plays, an inventive staging by director deBessonet, and a charming ensemble cast transports us...A smart approach, accentuating the surreal elements and heightening its humor. If 'Caesar' showed the timeliness of Shakespeare's work, this production powerfully demonstrates its timelessness...A true ensemble effort...It's a perfect way to experience this delightful, diverting production of one of Shakespeare's most treasured works."
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“A magical presentation of the Bard’s most unique and ethereal comedy. Innovative director Lear deBessonet has added some unusual tweaks to the fanciful journey into the forest, creating an even more wondrous and special atmosphere…One outstanding and often magical performance after another, so much so that the play merits multiple viewings...'A Midsummer Night’s Dream' is a perfectly executed, ethereal escape from the all the world’s troubles.”
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“This production hit the target and far exceeded my expectations. This show pulls us out of our respective realities for a few hours and sends us away a bit lighter because we have laughed so freely – perhaps for the first time in a long while...This is what is so pleasing about this production: Every single person seems to be having a really good time. We can’t help but feel that tingle in the fronts of our faces as these actors drink each other in and we follow them on a trippy ride.”
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"Captures all the magic of Shakespeare's beloved comedy...I'd be remiss if I didn't give credit for the vibrancy of this production to a cast of spirited actors...What's most delightful about this production: it perfectly captures the magic and wonder of Shakespeare's fantastic fairy tale without following religiously the tropes of previous productions of the play. The result is that this performance comes off as both highly original and true in the most important ways to Shakespeare's script."
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