‘Hamlet 2’: Shakespeare Meets ‘South Park’
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.

The conscientious comedian Steve Coogan has gained what little attention he’s found in this country thanks to his reflexive, chatty roles in Michael Winterbottom’s “24 Hour Party People” and “Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story,” and maybe, to stateside fans of British television, for his full-bodied portrayal of the deliciously repulsive Alan Partridge. But even fans may not fully recognize him in his new role. “Hamlet 2,” which opens nationally on Friday, finds the actor shorn of his accent and knee-deep in our current brand of homegrown comic manure — namely weak, semi-ironic parody, packed with “South Park”-style explosions of vulgarity, abuse, and self-consciously awful musical numbers.
Please check your email.
A verification code has been sent to
Didn't get a code? Click to resend.
To continue reading, please select:
Enter your email to read for FREE
Get 1 FREE article
Join the Sun for a PENNY A DAY
$0.01/day for 60 days
Cancel anytime
100% ad free experience
Unlimited article and commenting access
Full annual dues ($120) billed after 60 days