As You Like It (The Public Theatre) NYC Reviews and Tickets
About the Show
Production Covid-19 Safety ProtocolsMember Reviews (65)
See it if If you like modern Shakespeare.
Don't see it if If you like traditional Shakespeare. As simple as that.
See it if A fun, fresh, musical As You Like It interests you. This inclusive joyous take has everything from Hamilton beats to a boy band. Super fun!
Don't see it if You are a Shakespeare purist. This will annoy you. I enjoy the Public Works cast, but if you expect perfection you may be disappointed. Read more
See it if One of the best SITP I've seen. Light, fun, good music.
Don't see it if You don't like modified Shakespeare. They take liberties.
See it if a big joyful outdoor show with lots of dancing and singing seems like fun. The energetic performers of all ages are very appealing.
Don't see it if you are a Shakespeare purist. Some speeches have been made into songs and some have been cut.
See it if you’re looking for a more accessible way to enjoy Shakespeare. His original text is mixed with modern music. Taub’s score is catchy and fun.
Don't see it if you’re a Shakespeare purist who can’t bear to see any modifications to his work.
See it if The wonderful Shaina Taub's musical version of Shakespeare is delightful. The Bard's plot is followed and some of the poetry remains.
Don't see it if I loved how two of the couples were made to be same-sex. Touchstone courts Andy (not Audrey) and it's Phoebe and Sylvia (not Silvius),
See it if Rebecca's WONDERFUL singing. Definitely ❤️ vibes throughout with some fun songs. Super community oriented & feels throughout the production.
Don't see it if Plot's a little hard to catch with community members playing transitional scenes. Outdoor theater means some cancellations bc of weather. Read more
See it if You want to see a lighthearted Shakespeare adaptation that radiates joy. You were a fan of Shaina Taub's 12th Night.
Don't see it if You dislike Shakespeare adaptations that are deeply abridged and deviate from the original text. Read more
Critic Reviews (14)
"A stage bursting with performers diverse in age, race, size, habit and circumstance, an audience distributed across a similar spectrum. 'As You Like It' offers that rare thing — a New York theater that looks like the city itself and feels like a promise of what the city, at its best, could be."
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"4/5 Stars! Taub and Woolery's musical adaptation takes lavish liberties with Shakespeare’s comedy, which may dismay some textual purists. But this version embraces the show's reputation as a crowd-pleaser by not only catering to a crowd but including one, too...If you prefer your classics traditional and slick, beware. But for the rest of us Groundlings, this truly feels like Shakespeare for—and by—everyone."
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"This clear-eyed production - sees the forest for the trees as themes of identity, change and the great circle of life are delicately woven through script, music and performances."
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"Even at its most irreverent, this 'As You Like It' distills the myriad pleasures of the original into a production that honors it even as it transforms it."
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"Taub's 'As You Like It' score bursts with flavors — fitting for a work that prizes diversity...The production is wrapped up in a tidy package."
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"It is hard to think of a recent production of the play itself that was as satisfying as this. If it has any drawback, it is the fact that it makes audience members envious that they are not part of the large and diverse ensemble of community members."
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"What's even more energizing about this production is witnessing Taub back in her creative element... 'As You Like It' epitomizes all the things that remind us why she is such a special artist."
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In a way, this As You Like It contains, in a single production, everything about the Public Theater: the devotion to Shakespeare; the knack for social commentary; the ardent interest in new writing, especially innovative musical theatre; and the outreach to the widest possible community. And, in its firm belief that an earthly paradise is within our grasp if only we come to our senses and love one another, it recalls such NYSF landmarks as Hair and the musical Two Gentleman of Verona … It is a vision of hope, an invitation to joy.
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