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

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

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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