A Midsummer Night's Dream (Public Theater) NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (233)
See it if You love to be entertained, like physical staging, and/or shakespeare comedies
Don't see it if You prefer something more serious
See it if you want to see another SITP Public Theater winner. This is just how MSND should be, great acting and staging, just MAGICAL.
Don't see it if you don't like Shakespeare done imaginatively.
See it if You enjoy whimsical, modern Shakespeare, or want to seen a downright incredible cast.
Don't see it if You're not a Midsummer fan, or you have problems with modern takes on shakespeare. This is a flawed show but it does its best to make up.
See it if you want to have a thoroughly enjoyable evening at the theater. This production was enchanting from start to finish.
Don't see it if you believe that theater should only be political and dark. Read more
See it if You want to see a great production of a Shakespeare play in the perfect setting of Central Park.
Don't see it if You don't want to queue for the tickets. Read more
See it if you enjoy the nuances of physical comedy used to portray the words of Billy Shakespeare
Don't see it if you aren't open to a fun/over the top rendition of Shakespeare Read more
See it if Magical production with good casting. Terrific ashford was on point with every move. Very fun evening. The singer was great and added verve
Don't see it if You need Shakespeare to be just traditional. The sets were magical and the language very easy to follow though
See it if you are in the mood to have your spirits lifted and your funny bone tickled!!!
Don't see it if you don't enjoy the taking of a classic story and modernizing it with a new perspective.
Critic Reviews (42)
"As directed by Lear deBessonet, the production showcases a proclivity for slapstick humor, which mostly works in a funny charming manner. It has an identity problem, though, that doesn’t quite know what kind of show this lot is putting on...Lots of choices of casting and style are questionable, although brave for the most part, with some of the ideas working. And others don’t quite hit the sweet spot."
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"Burstein...more or less upstages everybody else...Ashford’s performance as Helena upstages the rest of the quartet of lovers...Maybe it would be more polite, perhaps even more accurate, to say these performers stand out, rather than that they upstage...All this talk of upstaging may give the wrong impression. 'Midsummer' in Central Park offers the kind of fun and free summer evening’s entertainment that the Public has been providing at the Delacorte for 56 summers."
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“While Lear deBessonet's colorful version may not fully capture the play's romantic lyricism or its magical allure, it largely makes up for those drawbacks in its infectious exuberance and joie de vivre…deBessonet stresses the play's comedic values over its poetic ones, but the payoff is inconsistent…too much of the humor is forced rather than organic…Clint Ramos's costumes run the gamut from the ordinary to the extraordinary…deBessonet elicits a clear story line and well-spoken language.”
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"Often hilarious, ultimately touching, and consistently magical production of this beloved work...Like with many Shakespeare in the Park productions, there’s a certain amount of multi-cultural, gender-bending casting, but it rarely distracts here...While there’s not a weak performer in this large ensemble—including the inimitable Kristine Nielsen as a rather unusual Puck—perhaps the real star of the production is costume designer Clint Ramos...A 'Dream' you’ll never want to awaken from."
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"The best, the most exhilarating free Shakespeare from the Public in a long time...It’s a troupe of equals, although there may be a first among them: Annaleigh Ashford, as the frantically lovelorn Helena...Perhaps second among equals is Danny Burstein...DeBessonet’s numerous jolly good notions are too many to list in their entirety, and why give them all away? But one of the best is casting senior-citizen thespians as Titania’s ubiquitous fairies and setting them free to cavort."
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"This resolutely upbeat Shakespeare in the Park production is so broad, you could drive an 18-wheeler through it...The performances are as bright and over-the-top as Clint Ramos’ costumes...After a while, Ashford’s efforts only bring diminishing returns...Nielsen looks uncomfortable with the language and over-relies on her usual bag of tricks...As diverse as this 'Midsummer' looks and sounds, it is uniform in tone, reducing the play to a one-note romp."
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"Look for the delightfully adorable Ashford and Burstein to steal every scene and your hearts...For me, this production seemed a little unmagical and disjointed...The costumes look like they were badly sewn, with no color sense or time reference...Davies-Lashley provides lovely vocals, but they come out of nowhere...Also dances happen for no rhyme or reason. Just to watch Ashford and Burstein strut their stuff, it’s worth seeing this production."
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“A jazzy, sweet, altogether delightful staging of William Shakespeare’s 'A Midsummer Night’s Dream.' With storybook visuals, smart directorial touches, and a frisky, diverse ensemble, this ‘Dream’ is the sort of wonder-struck, bighearted spectacle Shakespeare in the Park was created for...DeBessonet has a terrific group of actors at her disposal…DeBessonet does a marvelous job conjuring and maintaining a sense of wonder and enchantment.”
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