Hamlet (St Ann's Warehouse)

See it if you'd like Hmlt thru new eyes. Glorious images! Negga's yg-male Hamlet is full of energy/humor. Duffin's Oph soars. Some immersive staging.

Don't see it if you want strg ensemble. Male cast disappoints. Too many males/not enough POC. But fabulous staging/Negga. Memorable. Words clearly spoken.

See it if Great acting with surprisingly wonderfully enunciation. Hamlet played by a woman was seamless. Clever, good looking sets. Enjoyable!

Don't see it if Too traditional. Lacking in creativity or innovation.

See it if fan of Ruth Negga & how well she plays an intelligent, petulant teen, discover different approach to Hamlet very well-staged, strong support

Don't see it if you do not wish to see yet another Hamlet, do not like female actors as male characters, 3+hr. length of play & language too daunting,

See it if The only woman I ever saw play a man well was Glenda Jackson. Similarly Ruth Negga's gender never interfered with my belief she was he.

Don't see it if You want bright lights and color. You dont like Shakespeare rearranged, cut and dry. You dont like modern dress Shakespeare.

Also This production is interesting. The staging is stark, dark and atmospheric. There is a gorgeous use of doors to allow for the change of scene. Song is incorporated into these scene changes and becomes part of the play. A chair, metal table and bed brought on and off (only ever one) create a perfect minimalist set for this unique version.

After some nonsense, Negga is revealed center stage. She is tiny but not insubstantial. Her Hamlet is not mad, he and Horatio set out to expose his uncle's perfidy. The soliloquies were like gems suspended. Her timing changed the sense of several, allowing me to hear them anew. (Alas. Poor Yorrick. I knew him.) B/t gems, too much dead air. Waiting for the next one.

The death scene was the most moving I've seen; love, brotherhood, waste and loss.

Loved Polonius, loved to hate Claudius. Gertrude in a different take was lovely. Horatio a believable friend. King's ghost ever present.

I hated overdone Ophelia.

I guess I really liked it.... Read more Read less

See it if You enjoy Shakespeare presented at it's best. Ruth Negga rocks as Hamlet

Don't see it if You are a Shakespearean purist

See it if traditional Shakespeare tragedy where title role performed masterfully; Negga performs with her whole body - eyes, face; articulates clearly

Don't see it if long at 3.5 hours.* Don't like dark minimalist staging. Don't want darkness or violence.

Also *totally mesmerizing first act where most of the dialogue/soliloquy is Hamlet's. A little slower second half although Duffin's Ophelia is a wow.
All ensemble very good.
Great set and lighting.
I do like this play in general and liked the Public' version very much but this is far, far better.... Read more Read less

See it if a fan of William Shakespeare’s plays and/or Hamlet who must see every interpretation; want to see Ruth Negga in her American theatre debut.

Don't see it if a Shakespeare purist who wants to see the exactly-as-written play (here, the show ends on an earlier line to give Hamlet the last word).

Also A 420-year-old story, every adaptation of Hamlet has to play it safe to be acceptable to purists or push the envelope into modern territory to make it unexpected and, sadly, sometimes unrecognizable. Gate Theatre Dublin’s version balances classic and contemporary, with costuming in the realm of “Shakespearean homage” with modern trappings, some nudity (Ophelia), and a gender-bending Hamlet. Ruth Negga, despite a petite figure (particularly notable when beside the tall, brawny actors playing Laertes and Horatio), offers a playful pluck we want from any Hamlet. The boyishness of her looks and moves (including cropped hair) prevent any scenes with her and Gertrude or Ophelia from feeling homoerotic. Neither do scenes with men feel sexual, either—there’s a saucy spunk here that works. The shift from grief to madness is also sublime. Even at 3.5 hours long, this Hamlet is trimmed from the original, giving more focus to the Danish Prince. Though far from “rotten,” it could be more fresh.... Read more Read less

See it if you like to see staged Shakespeare. It's well done, though not particularly outside the box.

Don't see it if you're not a fan of standard Shakespeare plays.

See it if You can be amazed that they find humor in Hamlet, don’t mind gender swaps, and are ok with 3 1/2 hours of Shakespeare. Ruth Negga astounds.

Don't see it if You need to wallow in Hamlet. In no means did they make this a comedy, but infused some moments with humor, and gave an all new Hamlet.

Also We saw an astonishing Jude Law production years ago, as well as Oscar Isaac at the Public (as well as Bernhardt/Hamlet:)) but this had me sitting forward in my seat to see what they’d do next. It took a few minutes to settle in to a woman playing the role, and then I was mesmerized. It’s completely worth it.... Read more Read less

See it if you want to see a well-acted version of the classic Shakespearean tragedy, anchored by a strong lead performance by Ruth Negga.

Don't see it if you don't want to sit through three and a half hours of Shakespeare. The show has some strong moments, but it does drag in places.

See it if you think that there is something intriguing about a woman playing Hamlet There is nothing new except unnecessary filler dialogue. Tedious

Don't see it if You are looking for either a different take on the motivation or a brilliant portrayal of the characters. There is neither here. Pedestrian

See it if a well-acted version of the classic Shakespearean tragedy, anchored by a great lead performance by Ruth Negga.

Don't see it if long at 3.5 hours with uncomfortable seats without arms. Don't like dark minimalist staging. and a rearranged play

Also Ruth Negga is excellent and the play is a success unlike the Glenda Jackson version of King Lear on Broadway which was not and may have turned you off of a woman playing a Shakespearean lead... Read more Read less

See it if You want to see an excellent nuanced actress playing a very moving, intelligent hamlet and a very good cast and staging

Don't see it if If you dont like shakespeare and hamlet in particular-an over 3 hour play - or if youve seen too many hamlets and dont want to see another

See it if Ruth Negga is a revelation as Hamlet! But concept, the entire cast & staging underscore the power of a play you think you knew. Go!

Don't see it if You expect your Shakespeare done as if Shakespeare were still alive, instead of his plays.

See it if you want to see a compelling portrayal of Hamlet--I loved Ruth Negga's physicality and interpretation. I enjoyed the staging and lighting.

Don't see it if you can't sit still in a semi-comfortable chair with no armrests for 3.5 hours. also, the sound design was annoying/distracting.

See it if I’ve never appreciated the Lighting n Stagings before this one, it’s simply n effectively done. R Negga is not your usual melancholy Hamlet.

Don't see it if You can’t sit through a 3-1/2 hr Play with a dark n smoky production plus lots of opening n closing of doors.

See it if you want to be blown away by an amazing interpretation and direction by Yaél Farber.

Don't see it if you are a Shakespeare purist.

See it if You want to see a luminous performance by Ruth Negga almost obscured by cluttered and cliched staging/supporting cast.

Don't see it if You want visual coherence, you don't like unnecessary sexual violence imagery that doesn't have a CW for some reason, trump imagery.

Also Farber takes a few big textual swings with staging the soliloquies as monologues, and most of them are misses.

Unfortunately, those are the only real risks she takes in this production, which is otherwise a traditional staging meant to showcase Ruth Negga's charismatic Hamlet.

What's done to Ophelia in this production is thoughtless at best, and gratuitous for its own sake at worst. The portrayal of her uses inexplicable nudity and implied sexual violence that feel at odds with the text, and make her harrowing textual descent into madness feel like an afterthought.

The gravediggers/players/death figures are fantastic, but are deployed heavy-handedly, and feel like escapees from a yet-unwritten McDonagh play.

Quibbles: Why, in a world where every guard has an AK-47 like a UN Peacekeeper, does Hamlet wave a tiny toy knife? Why the Trump-Claudius?

Another entry in the big-money, high-concept Shakespeare Machine, but with a luminous lead performance that almost saves it.... Read more Read less

See it if Thoroughly riveting, this production is not boring or staid for a minute.

Don't see it if You like you Hamlet 100 per cent fsithful to the text, there’s an on stage catholic class priest accepting Claudius’s confession.

See it if No matter how many Hamlets you have seen, see this one. Hamlet and Ophelia are particularly great as is the direction and visual sense.

Don't see it if You don't like theater.

See it if Ruth Negga is fantastic. The supporting cast, too, is excellent. A moving and intense 3 1/2 hours.

Don't see it if This is a 3 1/2 hour production and you have to pay attention. The accents and the language demand it. So it's not an "easy" night out.

See it if You’re a fan of Ruth Negga and want to see a staging that brings on its own masterful atmosphere

Don't see it if You’re not a fan of modern dressed Shakespeare. Also know that it is a long evening

See it if You want to see an interesting interpretation of a classic. It's staged very well and uses all of that beautiful theatre to the fullest.

Don't see it if you're not prepared for a very long evening. It's well acted, but I wouldn't call it fast-paced (it was strange to me what was kept and cut)

See it if I loved everything about this show. I thought that the staging was wonderful and that Ruth Negga's portrayal of Hamlet was superb.

Don't see it if If you do not like Shakespeare you will not enjoy this production. If you do not like productions that run 3 1/2 hrs with one intermission

See it if You like innovative Shakespeare productions which remain somewhat classical in presentation and overall tone.

Don't see it if You like standard fare.