Dogg's Hamlet, Cahoot's Macbeth

See it if If you stoppard at his zanniest. Funny with s twist to Shakespeare's vernacular. First short is a hoot, 2end ,not as.

Don't see it if Your a Shakespeare purist or if you do not like zany or absurdist theater.

See it if u want to see early Stoppard at his zaniest & typically subversive best in an expertly directed & well-performed pair of rebellious farces.

Don't see it if you aren't at least moderately familiar with Hamlet & Macbeth; you aren't willing to put in a little effort to follow a new language (Dogg).

Also Playing in rep with Havel: The Passion of Thought by (fellow Czech) Václav Havel, Samuel Beckett & Harold Pinter, this is a winner of a double-header by the ever-audacious PTP/NYC theatre company.

I highly recommend seeing the Havel companion piece, as Stoppard's Cahoot's Macbeth invokes the conditions under which Eastern European artists were forced to present their works during communist rule & to which Havel refers in his plays. (In fact, the playwright Pavel Kohout, who inspired Stoppard's Cahoot, is even referenced in Havel's Vanek plays.)... Read more Read less

See it if you like Stoppard or Shakespeare or bending the classics to new ends or the idea of striking a blow for human freedom.

Don't see it if you're not prepared to pay full attention: A few different realms clash, meld & morph & the rules change & you must be there to catch it all

Also “Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead” is the 1st Broadway show I saw as a junior in high school. I was enthralled. But my relationship with Stoppard has been a roller-coaster ride since. I love that he’s smart & witty, hate when he’s wordy, non-dramatic, tiresome in his cleverness. The script here is a miraculous confection, uncommonly punchy, holding a few different worlds in suspension, letting them each infect the other, shifting to a quasi-realist mode at halftime, only to let all the madness from part 1 come rushing back in, reframed now to a political end. Doggspeak plays Elizabethan English to a draw, yet everything’s changed. In the process Stoppard raids Shakespeare once again (brilliant reductions of the Bard’s 2 best-known tragedies), establishes his Absurdist cred more securely than ever (dragging us down his wildest rabbit hole) & strikes a blow for political freedom, with theater, glorious theater, as his weapon. Mixed cast (students & pros) & staging are superb!... Read more Read less

See it if A Bard-themed duo from Sir Tom. A play of wordplay where the language is "Dogg," and theatrical assembly is a crime against the state.

Don't see it if Originally written for pay-what-you-will crowd, playwright's keen wit still peeps thru.Wall motif.Cuttings from "Hamlet/MacBeth" are morsels

Also "Don't take standing room in your sitting room lying down/Gangrenous armpits dripping maggots"... Read more Read less

See it if Absurdist Shakespeare by Stoppard influenced by repressive governments and language as communication; terrific acting and direction.

Don't see it if you are not interested in the Theater of the Absurd, Shakespeare, Stoppard and/or history. See it if you want to learn Dogg.

See it if Dogg's Hamlet delightful, uniformly excellent cast plus Stoppard. The 2nd Act not quite so much fun, but the detective is deadpan perfect.

Don't see it if You dont like Stoppard. You dont like having to interpret a "foreign" language. You dont like your Shakespeare with a twist.

Also It was amazing, I felt I knew the players. They felt like "old friends" but as I read their bios--I didn't know any of them.

Everything is staged in the small Atlantic 2 theater yet it evokes very different sets-with minor tweaks.

I found the MacBeth much less successful
as the cast was not on the same page. This is of course a problem with direction.
But the detective was a standout.

Havel's MacBeth is far more openly political. He hits us a little too hard with the oppressive, authoritarian Czech government. Free speech was suppressed, indeed Havel himself was arrested repeatedly. Home invasions by Czech police were common so as true as these issues are the play, as performed, felt redundant and heavy handed. I would think that it is meant to be light and subtle. I have not seen this mash-up before and I hope to make it back before the run is over.... Read more Read less

See it if You enjoy the absurdity of Tom Stoppard. These two plays require attention and focus but the rewards are plentiful.

Don't see it if You don’t like one act plays or being challenged. You prefer straightforward adaptations of Shakespeare.

See it if You’re a serious theatergoer. This Stoppard duo is rarely performed and is worth your time.

Don't see it if You’re not in the mood to think about what you’re seeing and interpret it.

Also Be sure to read the director’s note in the program beforehand for crucial context.... Read more Read less

See it if Super clever and entertaining, polished and astonishingly good acting, thoughtful​ and provocative plot. Just super!

Don't see it if Doubles​ with another play-- complex --you can't sleep through this-- provocative and entertaining, funny and powerful. Just so good.

See it if You love Stoppard and his amazing wordplay. Or if you are interested in suppression of free speech, as we should all be. Worth seeing.

Don't see it if You don't enjoy shows that are rather absurdist, sometimes unclear, sometimes slow. But it is worth the effort it requires, in my opinion.

See it if You like Stoppard. You like wordplay. You like Shakespeare revisited.

Don't see it if You are easily confused or can’t pay attention to difficult word games. You want something straightforward and easy to follow.

Also Sheer brilliance - the writing (of course) and acting and staging. Very impressive.

I laughed A LOT. Others in the audience didn’t really follow so be warned.

Loved it.... Read more Read less

See it if a very intelligent and clever show.

Don't see it if you want a straight forward plot line.

Also this show is not for everyone but I found myself delighted. the first 20 minutes are spoken in a made up nonsense language (think Clockwork Orange) ....and segues into a very funny and clever Hamlet performed by an excellent cast. The guy who plays Hamlet is very good and funny. After intermission you are treated to McBeth which then segues into a detective coming on the stage and interrogating the actors. Somewhat funny but also chilling in seeing what it is like in a fascist state. Tom Stoppard is brilliant!!... Read more Read less

See it if you enjoy Stoppard both when he is being silly (first act) and when he is making more serious political points (second act).

Don't see it if you would be annoyed by hearing actors speak a nonsense language, or you don’t have at least some familiarity with Hamlet and Macbeth.

See it if if you love language, Shakespeare and Stoppard

Don't see it if you know nothing of Hamlet and Macbeth. The plays rely on minimal literacy with the two plays.

See it if you enjoy plays about language used for subverting political repression.

Don't see it if the combo of absurdity (DH) & mostly realistic action (CM) might seem labored & tenuous (I believe an argument can be made.)

Also The connection between the two plays, other than Shakespeare (and Beckett less directly), is embodied by Easy, the delivery guy. In DH, he is befuddled by the language called Dogg. In CM he has become fluent in it. It made me wonder how long it would take the sinister Inspector in CM to learn it, thereby undermining the efforts of the artists who've been straining to liberate themselves and all Czech artists from the oppressive regime.... Read more Read less

See it if You enjoy Stoppard; intelligent Theater

Don't see it if You were looking for a show with big production values. This is a wonderful intimate production.

See it if You are a fan of Stoppard, or you like your Shakespeare served in an enigma.

Don't see it if you're expecting a literal version of either play.

See it if You are a fan of how Tom Stoppard plays with language in the most delicious and thought-provoking ways, or slab, plank, cube

Don't see it if You don't like unconventional theater or nontraditional narratives or Shakespeare, or almost Leamington Spa

See it if you're a Stoppard completist (and Dogg's Hamlet is genuinely quite good). You don't mind some uneven acting.

Don't see it if Dogg's Hamlet is well worth the (discounted) price. Reading the play prior to the show will help a lot (the original script provides

Also translation from Dogg to proper English; one can enjoy the play without that but it's helpful). The abridged Hamlet is quite good. The second 5-minute version is a riot.
Cahoot's Macbeth, on the other hand, is very disappointing. Political satire there is way too straightforward to be effective or engaging; the acting in the Macbeth proper is rather lackadaisical. The last 5 minutes or so are fun but not enough to compensate for the previous 45.... Read more Read less

See it if you are familiar with Tom Stoppard's work and the political climate today and when it was written. Its fun and weird, but never boring.

Don't see it if If you don't like comedy and clever use of words and sounds. Mini versions of Macbeth and Hamlet with a twist.

See it if you want to not miss Potomac Theatre Company's annual & indispensable stint in NYC. Stoppard's one-acts are an enervating delight here ...

Don't see it if amidst all the pleasure you don't want to think a bit ... or if Tom Stoppard has consistently proven to be an adversary to you.

Also … and sit as close as you can in order to fully immerse yourself in the world created here by this skilled company ...... Read more Read less

See it if you don’t need to “get everything” to be entertained by interesting , well delivered dialog and acting.

Don't see it if you don’t know the Dogg language and need this skill to enjoy a clever play.

See it if you want to see two Stoppard classics performed by solid casts with stellar directing.

Don't see it if you don't read up on the history of the plays.

See it if you like intellectual challenges. Physicist-friend & I struggled. We also laughed...and loved the Shksp. Pits authoritarians vs. resisters.

Don't see it if you want clarity. Even after reading some explanations on-line, I don't fully understand. But there are delights. Well-staged and well-acted

See it if you like a very non traditional play. The Macbeth play follows the Hamlet. I was very confused by the Hamlet play.You need to see the 2nd.

Don't see it if you like a traditionally told play. Don't expect to see Shakepeare's plays. They are used for a political purpose.

Also I highly recommend you do a little research on these two plays before you see them to really understand and appreciate Stoppard's message.... Read more Read less