"There is a lot more experimental and a lot more mess to come in this nearly three-hour-long mash-up...There is a method to the Assembly’s apparent madness. The only problem, and it’s a big one, is that the concept only leads to a ramshackle show...Unevenly acted...Among the few interesting performances are Jackson's Konstantin...and Bauer's engaging Medvedenko...Turns out, the theater of the future looks very much like the theater of the past, but with pop songs and video."
Read more
"This is, in every sense, a play of two halves...A theatrical experience unlikely to please everyone all the time...The added value of smashing together two works is mostly apparent in the smaller details - but these are beautifully evocative moments. Even with an approach almost guaranteed to divide, more contentious elements are outshone by the general brilliance and vibrancy of the whole. It is intelligent and creative work from an energetic and innovative company."
Read more
"This theatrical double play doesn't ever gel enough to actually work together. As much as they try to make the pieces fit the whole is never greater than the sum of its parts. 'The Seagull' portion is passable...The first half of the 'Hamletmachine' section is just bizarrely out of place and so overblown...What's truly missing is a strong enough artistic through line to connect this duo of extremely individual experiences. Shock for shock's sake never works on its own."
Read more