Breaking the Shakespeare Code NYC Reviews and Tickets

83%

(23 Reviews)

Positive

87%

Mixed

Negative

Members say

Great acting, Great writing, Intelligent, Clever, Absorbing

About the Show

"Breaking the Shakespeare Code" follows a man and a woman, who begin as teacher and student, as their lives converge personally and professionally over sixteen years.

Eighteen-year-old Anna approaches Curt, a callous young acting instructor at the women’s college she attends, to ask him to coach her for an upcoming audition. Though initially dismissive, he agrees to work with her only when she survives his challenges to her work on Julius Caesar’s Portia.

Member Reviews (23)

Pretentious, Soap opera, Artificial script, Unconvincing, Repetitive

See it if you like stories abt theater (actor/director). Some refs to Shksp; it helps to know the plays/chars, but isn't necessary. Barebones prodn.

Don't see it if you want a well-paced, insightful script w/people interacting as IRL. Or want strg staging (constant movemt annoys) or modulated acting. Read more

Great writing, Intense, Intelligent, Great acting, Clever

See it if you are familiar with Shakespeare's female characters and words and their role in this tense director-actor relationship over 16 years.

Don't see it if you aren't familiar with Bard's female characters and want a full grasp of the dialogue, also difficult due to acoustics, lights in eyes.

Resonant, Intricate, Quirky, Thought-provoking, Delightful

See it if Acting teacher withholds approval & pushes student to improve. Is their chemistry just fodder for their work, or is it something more?

Don't see it if You won't like trying to follow a feedback loop between the rehearsal room & the real world. Dialog muddled by poor acoustics. Read more

Intelligent, Busy, Thought-provoking, Ambitious, Clever

See it if you are interested in the way actors approach roles. Less about Shakespeare more about actors choices based on life experiences.

Don't see it if you have hearing issues. The actors are in constant motion to accommodate 360 degree seating so often speak with their backs to some seats

Great acting, Complex, Literate

See it if interested in theater, acting, student/teacher ever changing dynamics, clever dialogue & have some knowledge of Shakespeare's characters.

Don't see it if do not like black box theater in the round. Sometimes a strain to understand dialogue due to poor acoustics in theater( not fault of actors)

Intelligently written, Two great characters, Staged in the round, Must see

See it if Acting coach challenges girl to perform Shakespeare. She embodies the roles impacting him. After 16 years can they break roles and be real?

Don't see it if You don’t have to know Shakespeare’s characters, but it helps. Play is set in a rehearsal space and performed in one. Read more

Satisfying, Great writing, Entertaining, Delightful, Absorbing

See it if Actors parse Shakespeare in rehearsal. What’s not to like? Illuminating bits on what makes a script work as performance vs. literature.

Don't see it if Characters not as sadistic & exploitive as I assumed they’d be from the description. That could be seen as a shortcoming even though... Read more

Thought-provoking, Must see, Great writing, Great acting, Exquisite

See it if you want to see a brilliantly written piece with extraordinary acting.

Don't see it if you're triggered by mentee/mentor relationships Read more

Critic Reviews (3)

For a previous production

“Brotebeck has directed a brilliantly acted production of Minigan's intelligent play...Jonte and Weinert electrify the stage like a modern Beatrice and Benedick with their exquisitely nuanced performances and onstage chemistry...The play is a love letter to the power of Shakespeare's words as well as to the acting profession itself, and anyone who cares about either of these things will find this show exhilarating. Jonte and Weinert are the production's main attractions."
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For a previous production

“Minigan’s brilliant and demanding new play...’Breaking the Shakespeare Code’ is bold, brutal, brave, beguiling and brilliant. The structure is sturdy, the dramatic arc intriguing and it is a remarkable escape into reality. Brotebeck’s direction is fluid, sometimes frantic, and never frivolous: it always supports the script and the actor. The two actors attack their provocative roles with fierce commitment, each holding his or her own territory whilst always sharing the same battleground."
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For a previous production

“A play for theater people that is at the same time all about chemistry...‘Breaking the Shakespeare Code’ is an exciting, polished performance, one that takes the setting of a bare acting classroom and transforms it into a vibrant world of attraction and deception. It is a play that you need to have taken an acting class and read a few Shakespeare plays to really appreciate, but the energy of the piece carries it through regardless.”
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