Mac Beth NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (137)
See it if You want an original take on Macbeth that plays deeply into the play's occult nature in a way you perhaps didn't expect!
Don't see it if You want traditional Shakespeare - this is very breathless and 90 min, no intermission Read more
See it if energetic; young actors pour themselves into their roles with both frolic & fortitude; interesting interpretation with plenty of humor
Don't see it if gets a little too gimmicky; back & forth between hi jinx and violence; could be confusing if not familiar w/the play - read the cliff notes
See it if You are already familiar with the source material and want to see a well-directed and unique adaptation.
Don't see it if You dislike heavily abridged Shakespeare. Are not a fan of modern adaptations of The Bard's work. Read more
See it if intriguing mash up of "Lord of the Flies" & the Scottish play shows how violence once unleashed can consume everything; shattering ending
Don't see it if energetic not great version of play; transition from childhood games to murderous actions much too abrupt
See it if interesting Macbeth, an interpretation I'm sure you've never seen before. Cool effects.
Don't see it if If you want a traditional production of Macbeth. Or if you want to be able to follow what is happening if you don't recall the exact details Read more
See it if you want to see the Scottish play performed by a group of high-school girls in a Cliff's Notes version.
Don't see it if you want to see a solid production of Shakespeare's classic. Too much script editing. Acting is very inconsistent. Read more
See it if you like clever reimaginings of Shakespeare.
Don't see it if you want a straight up version of the play, can't tolerate gore that is both funny and frightening Read more
See it if You like quirky inventive theatre. This is a great example of why Off-Broadway continues to move theatre into exciting places. Very original
Don't see it if If you don’t like classics such as Macbeth being placed in a blender and ground to a pulp.
Critic Reviews (31)
"The concept brims with potential, not all of which is realized...Beyond one shocking artistic liberty at the very end, 'Mac Beth' is essentially just 'Macbeth,' smartly shaved down to 90 minutes and seven actors. That's fine: It's a great play and Schmidt's inventive, seamless staging makes it soar...Feel less like a universal tragedy and more like a sensational segment on the six o'clock news, to be viewed with horror and then quickly dismissed as the irrational behavior of youth."
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“Psychologically intriguing Shakespeare adaptation...Newcomers to Shakespeare's tragedy will undoubtedly need to study up on the source a bit in order to fully appreciate where Schmidt and her collaborators take it, but in a contemporary culture where children are said to grow up desensitized to violence, ‘Mac Beth’ effectively uses a centuries-old play to deliver timely social commentary.”
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“Hanging its hopes on a single gimmick, this ‘Mac Beth’ is a high-decibel, low-insight evening that is most effective at exposing the limitations of its cast...Beyond the unusual casting concept, this is a straightforward reading...The action is filled with moments so borderline cutesy that they can't help but call attention to themselves...I struggle to recall another company so thoroughly tongue-tied...Thus, a rich text, loaded with emotional color, is flattened and made monotonous.”
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“The action is thrown onto us, as we become voyeurs witnessing the young women do the play, complete with...uninvited, but not unexpected, violence...Audience members are invited to use their imaginations...But what might be a challenge for audience members accustomed to traditional takes on Shakespeare, will satisfy those in search of meta-theatrical experiences, as the play becomes a deliciously wicked study on how well we can detect when someone is acting."
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"No light is being shed here, no new insights into the text is startlingly revealed. This 'Mac Beth' is simply a mistake, and the best thing to do about it is to wait for Schmidt to move on to her next project and for Red Bull Theater to move on to its next...Among these cast members, most with impressive credits, the stand-out is Mendes."
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"Because we’re clearly watching women, certain dialogue is more powerful than ever...We all know things come to a bloody end for Macbeth, and this 'Mac Beth' takes things even further. Whether the extra bit of made-for-Instagram violence works might depend on your tolerance for blood. Or horror flicks. Or it might depend on your knowledge of high school–age young women—a number of whom were at the performance I attended. Clearly, this 'Mac Beth' was on the level."
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"The inspiration for the current revival was the The Slender Man and West Virginia stabbings...The problem here is that if you have not read the notes before seeing the performance you would not guess at the interpretation. It is not until the final scene that this becomes clear with the culminating violence and one of the witches saying to the other, "We really did go on three," the notorious Twitter post of one of the West Virginia high school girls after their stabbing of their friend."
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"It is brash, irreverent, smart, and awash with new millennial flavor...What is particularly good about Schmidt's production is the way Shakespeare's language and emblematic imagery remains intact...The actors are to be commended for their energy and pluck, with many actors taking on multiple roles...The real surprise in 'Mac Beth' is that scene after scene something fresh will be revealed about the Scottish Play."
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