See it if you loved the film. This is that, with music, and Kelli Barrett and Paul Alexander Nolan giving great performances.
Don't see it if you want a musical staging of the film to add something new or at least enhance our understanding of the story; this uneven effort doesn't.
See it if You would appreciate a love story with many obstacles, during wartime.
Don't see it if You expect a light-hearted love story with a happy ending.
See it if didn't see movie and prefer musical format
Don't see it if you have high hopes based on already seeing movie
See it if you like a show with a intriguing first act, and don't care if the second act throws it all away.
Don't see it if you are looking for a show with songs you'll walk away humming. I can't name a single song from this show.
See it if you are a fan of any of the great cast or you must see the classic story.
Don't see it if are expecting a wonderful musical with big memorable musical numbers.
See it if you're ready for beautiful sets and costumes! Cast delivers the material well, but the material doesn't always live up to their talents.
Don't see it if you're looking on a fresh take on the classic - this is traditional in a big way. No one left the theater humming the forgettable music
See it if You have a lot of patience- I loved the movie, but found the show very drawn out and boring
Don't see it if You fall asleep at shows easily
See it if you are a fan of the story and want to remember it.
Don't see it if weird staging choices. Plot is contrived and character development is not done well.
"Oh, the agony of it all. Grenades explode. Guns blare. Bodies fall. Marching boots stomp. Depressed and dying lovers search for each other in vain, mournfully moaning lyrics that make no sense. Between one world war, one revolution, one civil war the fall of the Germans and the arrival of the Communists, an ambitious saga of tedium unfolds called 'Doctor Zhivago'. You can hardly hear it for the snoring. After just under three hours, a verdict is reached. It’s a colossal bore."
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"'Doctor Zhivago' is playing to an audience that has shown up for a love story that plays out across three decades of Russian upheaval and personal angst. But that love story is lost in a melange of flame, ice, death and frantic characters rushing around a heavily raked stage without ever seeming really to know where they are going...Alas, you never believe they, or their show, really have a chance."
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"Fiery revolutionaries, overheated passions, power ballads belted to the balconies — hey, if it worked for 'Les Misérables,' it could work for 'Doctor Zhivago!' The only problem is that the creators of this new musical forgot to include such minor details as compelling characters, thrilling drama or, you know, an inspiring score. At a time of heightened competition on Broadway, “Doctor Zhivago” is so dull, it may soon be Zhiva-gone."
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"You never quite believe over the course of the misguided musical version of 'Doctor Zhivago' that there’s any great romance–much less a spark of attraction–between the poet-physician Zhivago and his alleged paramour...director Des McAnuff doesn’t do the show any favors with dull staging."
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"The musical is unexpectedly easy to follow - achieving that kind of clarity is no small achievement. The songs are often moving...And while it’s admirable that the creators largely avoided bombastic gestures, it never captures the emotional agony and historical turbulence its characters confront. You come away with no sense of why “Doctor Zhivago” has been turned into a musical in the first place."
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"Humanity is exactly what's too often missing...There's an overwhelmed, exhausted atmosphere here that gives preference to stage pictures and the movement of the individual elements than on the people who are driving the story...A musical bereft of joy (and thrills) would look a lot like 'Doctor Zhivago'."
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"The strength of the production lies in the musical storytelling. The tale is told through poignant lyrical and musical achievement and a romantic love that pulls at the heartstrings adding to the emotional blood surge.There are powerful songs...The battle scenes are explosively intense...the incomparable Des McAnuff directs with great assurance and style."
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"The show is both so overconfident and insecure that it doesn’t satisfy itself with showing off lavish sets and costumes, it also must make them as loud as possible. Fire shots, explosions and marching abound, all make the show more erratic than operatic, as we are constantly being asked to shift gears along with the confused characters... 'Doctor Zhivago' on Broadway seems uncomfortable being there."
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