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Hamlet Reviews
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overrated Review by: , Nov 26, 2009 |
| Thought most of the acting and many choices were decent, with all the legacy of this play you should really be trying something more interesting (ie experimental) or emotionally interesting. This might have been more of a directing issue. Can't say there was anything very memorable about this. Makes me pine for Liev Schreiber or Ralph Fiennes. |
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My recommendation:
Don't go
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Recommended for:
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Bravo for Jude Law Review by: EPR, Nov 19, 2009 |
| I love Shakespeare and Hamlet is no doubt one of my favorite plays ever. I'm glad that I saw this show with such a brilliant actor as Jude Law. He really encarnates Hamlet and his peformance is flawless. The rest of the cast is good but I think this play deserved a better staging and choreography. |
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must see!
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Hamlet is a Classic !! Review by: , Nov 18, 2009 |
| Just Coming from Hamlet on Broadway...Thanks God Shakespeare is nor alive !!!....Jude Law does a GREAT PERFORMANCE, but in general the Script is Terrible....!!!..Costumes and Stage out of the time !!! |
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My recommendation:
Don't go
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| 4 |
Jude Law great as Hamlet---Take 2 Review by: NedRacine, Nov 2, 2009 |
For what it's worth, I want to add to my previous post "Jude Law great as Hamlet". As it turned out, I posted prematurely by accidentally hitting the enter button and did not get to finish my review.
I paid full price for this show and feel I received my money's worth. And I rarely pay full price without complaining!
Ned Racine |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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| 5 |
Jude Law great as Hamlet Review by: , Nov 1, 2009 |
I didn't know who Jude Law was, so going in I had no prejudice about him either for or against. But I found him to be outstanding as Hamlet. His acting did include strong gesticulations, but they added to his portrayal of his thoughts,emotions,etc. The other players were good, but not quite on the same level as Law.
The stage design was an interior of a castle. Lighting and especially Sound were complementary. I ... read more found the modern costumes not to be too distracting, but would have preferred 1600 period attire.
My only real disappointments were technical: In 2009, can't the ghost of Hamlet's father look more like a ghost? How about projecting a hologram? And if that is not technically possible, at least douse the ghost with some white talcum. And when ghosts walk around (rather than float) like you and me, it tends to reduce the fear factor. Also, a prop altar or confessional kneeler would have enhanced the Uncle's prayer scene. But the snow was cool!
All in all, I enjoyed it thanks largely to Jude Law. If you like Shakespeare, go see this, maybe his greatest tragedy. |
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| 6 |
Stupid Cupid Strikes Again. Review by: wendyB, Oct 30, 2009 |
| No sooner had the hare-brained MARY STUART closed at the Broadhurst than we get the equally hare-brained HAMLET. In each we are promised historical Shakespeare, but what we get is New York 2009. Because I was an A+ student I know that MARY STUART confronted QUEEN ELIZABETH in 15th century England, not on Madison Avenue last Spring. Similarly, HAMLET worked his problems out in 16th century Denmark, not this Fall in Central Park. Using ... read more Brooks Brothers suits, white shirts and neckties for costumes in these plays was a stale and silly idea 40 years ago, just plain silly these days. |
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My recommendation:
Don't go
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Business Associate
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| 7 |
To go or not to go that is the question..... Review by: lovable lee, Oct 20, 2009 |
| Jude Law and the cast of Hamlet are as brillant in their performance as the Bard's words allow. This superior performance is a must see. |
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| 8 |
Great Night, Sweet Prince - Highly Recommended Review by: BroadwayBabySawIt, Oct 1, 2009 |
| We've seen lots of Hamlets in NY. We have seen Ralph Fiennes, Michael Stuhlbarg, Richard Burton, and others in the role. So we can safely say - Get thee to the Broadhurst Theater! There must be something in the air there, because a great production of Mary Stuart at this theater has been followed by a great production of Hamlet. The men in this production are superb, really first rate. We have to single out Ron Cook as Polonius (later ... read more as the hilarious Gravedigger), Richard Eyre as the Ghost, and Kevin McNally as Claudius, all amazing - each a master class in acting. And Jude Law rates among the best Hamlets we've seen. His Hamlet is fresh, exciting - you hear the familiar lines as if they are being said for the first time, a real rarity for the part. We liked the flashes of humor, the way Hamlet's speeches still flow when directed to the audience, and his physical presence, for the most part - sometimes the hand gestures were over the top, but this is a tiny negative compared to the towering portrayal of a man torn by grief and betrayal - you really feel these emotions too. Bravo, Mr Law. The Best Actor Tony for this season is yours, and well deserved. You have pulled off an amazing feat - a Hamlet that still surprises us and pulls us into the story, someone that we despair with and care about, and ultimately mourn. The familiar speeches ring new and true, and the amount of prepatory work that went into the happy conclusion is impressive, leading to an evening that is an invigorating, emotional roller coaster for the audience. This Hamlet illuminates the text, and the ever so familiar story, so that if you are seeing Hamlet for the first time at this production, you are starting with the best, at least on the male side. On the female side, it's disappointing - we found that the actresses playing Gertrude and Ophelia seemed to be from a different production, they were not inhabiting the roles so much as reading their lines to us, and doing lots of annoying over emoting, and this imbalance was the biggest negative of the evening. We have no idea why Hamlet has any affection for either one, and their speeches slow down an otherwise fast-moving, great evening. The other negative was the extreme cold in the theater - that snow on stage is real, and so is the wind chill factor in the seats! But overall, we highly recommend this excellent production to all theater lovers, bring sweaters, gloves and a scarf to get through the 3 1/2 hours (we needed them), and please encourage others to go and support great work on the Broadway stage. We noticed that there were lots of empty seats in the mezzanine on a Thursday night, and that is a terrible shame. If you are thinking of going, please do, you won't be disappointed. If you are an actor or an acting student, or want to understand actors, please make sure that you see this Hamlet, the male actors are inspiring and masterful. A memorable evening, for many very right reasons. PS Thanks to the theater staff for their vigilance in stopping texting during the performance, your efforts are much appreciated. |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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Spouse/Partner
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Recommended for:
Romantic Date, Business Assoc., Seniors
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| 9 |
Loved it! Review by: elaineldzin, Oct 1, 2009 |
| Brilliant! A contemporary approach to Shakespeare. Jude Law gave a phenomenal performance! Have never really followed his acting career but was immensely surprised with his stage ability. Intense, emotional, humorous - a talented actor. We should see more of him on Broadway! The three and half hours flew by. |
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My recommendation:
must see!
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Large Group
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| 10 |
Brilliant Interpretation!! Review by: auds, Sep 30, 2009 |
| Three and a quarter hours worth of Hamlet sounds like a long time to sit...but it was well worth it. Jude Law gave a brilliant interpretation and brought a fresh perspective to the role. I have to tell you I hadn't read hamlet in over 35 years so I bought a book from Borders which containted the text in both traditional and modern english. A good refresher. If you like Shakespeare, make sure you go see this!! |
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My recommendation:
Make an effort to see
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| 11 |
ACTING! GENIUS! Review by: Trainerbillc, Sep 17, 2009 |
Saw Hamlet Sunday the 13th. Beautifully designed, great costumes, evocative set, appropriately moody lighting; very nice to look at.
However, I don't know why they went with the acting and directing they chose. Jude Law is so over the top, chewing up the scenery, that it becomes distracting. I understand Hamlet can be played many ways depending on the actor, but this was just too angry, and barely introspective. He is also overdirected,... read more, there's a gesture or mime for every word and phrase. It reminded me when Family Guy makes fun of William Shatner. And all of the supporting actors just kind of fade, none of them are fully fleshed out. Polonius was all wrong. I saw Alvin Epstein play him in the TFANA production last season and he was such a wonderfully querulous, meddlesome old man that you felt sorry when he was killed; not here! They did treat that scene in Gertrude's chamber in a very cool way, I have never seen it staged like they did it here, but that was the most interesting thing about the production.
The audience ate it up, lots of laughing and reactions, multiple curtain calls, standing ovation, blah, blah, blah. I can't recommend it though; I won't say run the other direction, it's not great, but Shakespeare is like pizza, or sex. Even when it's not great, it's still pretty good. However this is not worth the price. If they discount or you can get someone else to pay for it, go for it. |
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My recommendation:
Don't go
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| * Review is an opinion of a BroadwayBox user and not that of BroadwayBox.com and BroadwayBox, Inc. |
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