Julius Caesar (Hamlet Isn't Dead) NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (14)
See it if you'd like to experience a "Julius Caesar" that feels effortlessly contemporary.
Don't see it if you are expecting the standard ideological face-off between Brutus & Antony to be the night's central thread. Read more
See it if you want to see a director, Emily Jackson, master a script.
Don't see it if you want a 20th or 21st century version of Shakespeare. This more the comedy that the Bard intended. Read more
See it if You enjoy clever staging & non-traditional casting of this Shakespeare classic. Caesar & Brutus are women, which is so compelling.
Don't see it if You don't like surprises in your Shakespeare. Switching up the gender roles is just one fascinating change done with this show.
See it if You like intimate staging or non-traditional casting. The cast gives incredible performances and the live music lends a great energy.
Don't see it if You do not enjoy Shakespearean language or just Shakespeare in general.
See it if You enjoy new takes on Shakespeare, gender swapping roles, live rock music, exciting fight sequences, & a beautiful transformative space
Don't see it if If you hold the Bard’s work precious, or don’t like: live music, fights, or love gorgeous stained glass church windows as a background
See it if You like the play. This is a loyal concept and cut and performed with the utmost commitment by its performers.
Don't see it if you are looking for true star-turns. Read more
See it if You are a mega Shakespeare fan. It always great to see his work re-imagined. It was all about the acting and the intensity between them.
Don't see it if You don't like seeing Shakespeare in modern dress and delivered to the audience (at times).
See it if You want to see accessible Shakespeare that maintains its complexity, but removes elements that don’t resonate. If you like refreshing takes
Don't see it if You don’t want to see any genderbending, you hate music integrated into performance, you must have psychological realism.
Critic Reviews (3)
“Jackson inverts the Balcony Theater so that the audience is seated in the pit, looking up...allowing for dynamic level-playing...The stage pictures created against this are clear and interesting..The playful approach to the text by the performers, tossing in sotto voce asides during each other's speeches...Because it's a weightier story, it undercuts (at least for me), some of the moments of rhetoric for which this play is known...The cast is versatile and playful.”
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“Everyone in the cast spoke with clarity...They knew what they were saying and the result was a conversational tone...The somewhat spare venue...was effective and well-used...The performance seemed to lack gravitas...The gender changes may have influenced my impression...I don’t know why it was done. It didn’t illuminate any feminist issues. It didn’t offer any additional insights...The War of Phillippi, as choreographed by Pragel, was simply breathtaking.”
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“What works, works brilliantly...Pragel's fight direction was smart, cinematic, and spectacular...It was apparent that several times actors were simply left to sit on the steps and deliver the text...A physical abandonment that...somewhat muddied relationships between sets of characters...Sometimes the clown elements felt out of place...This production had several electrifying moments, and the whole concept came together...A riotous good time and a smart presentation."
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