Hamlet Off-Broadway Reviews

Okay, in my attempt to alert future audience members, I offer this spoiler: Hastie keeps it in. (Abeysekera speaks it ever-so-trippingly). But whatever his reason for placing it where he has is foolish. There’s plainly no excuse for disorienting an...

Okay, in my attempt to alert future audience members, I offer this spoiler: Hastie keeps it in. (Abeysekera speaks it ever-so-trippingly). But whatever his reason for placing it where he has is foolish. There’s plainly no excuse for disorienting an audience (excluding those for whom this is an initial Hamlet sighting) with so much attention diverted to fretting whether “to be or not to be” is ultimately going to be or not to be.

Apart from Mills, whose live-wired Ophelia is a vital presence, the company’s well-spoken performances generally appear a tad disengaged, as illustrated by Abeysekera’s energetic though very self-conscious Hamlet, who seemingly thinks only about ...

Apart from Mills, whose live-wired Ophelia is a vital presence, the company’s well-spoken performances generally appear a tad disengaged, as illustrated by Abeysekera’s energetic though very self-conscious Hamlet, who seemingly thinks only about his own feelings rather than about anyone around him. Blood spills but the emotional temperature remains low despite ominous sound effects, skittering violins and spooky red lighting. Of course, Hamlet remains fascinating all by its 426-year-old self and as somebody remarks, the play’s the thing, and the National Theatre capably serves it here.

Outside of Hamlet himself, however, much of this production is a fairly straightforward staging, albeit set in modern-day Denmark. But one directorial choice continues to replay in my mind. It comes back to Hamlet’s antic disposition and those fing...

Outside of Hamlet himself, however, much of this production is a fairly straightforward staging, albeit set in modern-day Denmark. But one directorial choice continues to replay in my mind. It comes back to Hamlet’s antic disposition and those finger guns he keeps throwing up throughout the first act. Just how in control is Hamlet of his own mind? This is the question Hastie leaves audiences to ponder.

A man wearing a white stocking cap is not the most eccentric aspect of the “Hamlet” revival that opened Monday at BAM’s Harvey Theatre after a run at London’s National Theatre. The headwear, however, does give us a clue to what Shakespeare’...

A man wearing a white stocking cap is not the most eccentric aspect of the “Hamlet” revival that opened Monday at BAM’s Harvey Theatre after a run at London’s National Theatre. The headwear, however, does give us a clue to what Shakespeare’s famous Dane would have been if Truman Capote had ever played the role. The only difference, Truman’s cap would have been cashmere. Abeysekera’s looks to be pure Polyester.

Abeysekera seems intent on shaving a full hour off the play single-handedly, even barreling through his “To be or not to be” soliloquy with such haste that it’s hard to believe he’s really reckoning with serious questions of mortality at all....

Abeysekera seems intent on shaving a full hour off the play single-handedly, even barreling through his “To be or not to be” soliloquy with such haste that it’s hard to believe he’s really reckoning with serious questions of mortality at all. The words rush by, and so does the sentiment and the sense of a connection to a character whose eventual downfall lands like anticlimax. This Hamlet doesn’t need vengeance. He needs Ritalin.