Washington Post - Somewhat Recommended
"...David Whelan and Deborah Hazlett are serviceable as Claudius and Gertrude, even if Hazlett's queen has been reduced to clueless bystander. Lea Coco's Horatio exudes some admirable grit, while Justin Adams's Laertes is a mite overwrought, with his demonstrative chest-heaving and all. In the eternally difficult role of Ophelia, the love object who must make a sharp pivot into insanity, Lindsey Wochley fulfills the basic requirements."
DCist - Somewhat Recommended
"...This Hamlet may not be heavy-handed, but it requires a bit of heavy lifting. Merely a dozen actors tackle the show's multiple roles, playing double or even triple duty (Deborah Hazlett has two queens to contend with, Gertude and the Players'; Todd Scofield, the show's most riveting presence, has the Ghost, Gravedigger and Player King to tackle). The result is performances both restrained and otherwise. Stephen Patrick Martin eschews the traditionally bumbling interpretation of Polonius, while Justin Adams's maudlin Laertes seems out of step with the rest of the cast."
MetroWeekly - Somewhat Recommended
"...There is nothing rotten – though there are some slightly malodorous bits – in Folger Theatre's state of Denmark. Folger's new production of Shakespeare's Hamlet is a beautifully acted and wonderfully engaging piece of theater served poorly by creative choices that add nothing to the overall work. More troubling, they are the kinds of intrusive elements that prove to be ultimately distracting and detract from what could have been a brilliantly rendered show."
WeLoveDC - Highly Recommended
"...For many of us, Hamlet was our first introduction to Shakespeare. We come to any performance marked by the ghosts of favorite actors and concepts, never able to fully be open to the play. Enter the clean, refined vision of director Joseph Haj to help you see the play fresh. From the very first moments, fast-paced and full of danger, to the wrenching final image, we know something is different in this state of Denmark. It’s a decidedly contemporary jewel-box of a production, and one I highly recommend."
Talkin Broadway - Highly Recommended
"...Unlike some of the wildly imaginative Shakespearean visions displayed at Washington's Folger Theatre—for example, a Measure for Measure that incorporated puppetry and a Macbeth with illusions designed by the magician Teller—the company's current production of Hamlet boasts just one unique feature, but it's a good one. Francesca Talenti has converted the play-within-a-play into a video presentation, which spills across James Kronzer's pristine white set and keeps the onstage audience at the center of the action."
Washington City Paper - Highly Recommended
"...Meanwhile the pace is brisk, the edit is lean, and the visuals striking, not least because James Kronzer’s endless white volume of a set seems to have broken not the fourth wall but some dimensional barrier—who knew the Folger stage was that deep? And thrice—in Ophelia’s mad scene, in a conversation with a military stranger on a windswept Danish plain, and in the final moments of a life—Haj and his players find new notions about the play and realize them deftly, subtly, suggestively. My eyes widened, anyway, and in the theater, that’s always something of a thrill."
Ronndezvous - Recommended
I never quite noticed just how amazing the language of Hamlet is before seeing the new Folger production. The reason is that director Joseph Haj has gone with an all-white stage, modern but not futuristic in any way. Just as in graphic design where the white background makes the "type" pop, this white background lets us focus on language. We are here to listen to this Hamlet.
ShowBizRadio - Highly Recommended
"...If you love Shakespeare or if you always wanted to understand Shakespeare better, then this is the show to see. This production is one of a kind and one which I will always hold as one of my all time favorites. Definitely a must see! No really, go and see this play. I mean it."
DCTheatreScene - Highly Recommended
"...Folger Theatre produces one of the clearest Hamlets in years, as crisp as a mountain stream. Director Joseph Haj has reveals a Hamlet, stripped of its mysteries."
