Dr. Zhivago
Closed 2h 40m
Dr. Zhivago
63

Dr. Zhivago NYC Reviews and Tickets

63%
(36 Ratings)
Positive
42%
Mixed
39%
Negative
19%
Members say
Disappointing, Slow, Ambitious, Romantic, Entertaining

About the Show

A new musical adaptation of the 1958 Nobel Prize-winning novel about an epic romance set against the backdrop of the Russian revolution.

Read more Show less

Show-Score Member Reviews (36)

Sort by:
  • Default
  • Standing in our community
  • Highest first
  • Lowest first
  • Newest first
  • Oldest first
  • Only positive
  • Only negative
  • Only mixed
Nic
596 Reviews | 102 Followers
68
Disappointing, Epic, Great staging, Great acting, Romantic

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.

216 Reviews | 223 Followers
67
Absorbing, Disappointing, Dated, Overrated

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.

98 Reviews | 34 Followers
66
Ambitious, Also a movie

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

209 Reviews | 54 Followers
60
Slow, Intelligent

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.

184 Reviews | 377 Followers
60
Excellent cast, Slow, Disappointing, Unmemorable musical numbers

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.

PJ
62 Reviews | 9 Followers
60
Cliched, Exquisite, Disappointing, Slow

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

70 Reviews | 22 Followers
60
Disappointing, Overrated, Slow

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

1011 Reviews | 950 Followers
60
Ambitious, Disappointing, Confusing, Entertaining

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.

Critic Reviews (36)

The Observer
April 21st, 2015

"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."
Read more

Chicago Tribune
April 21st, 2015

"'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."
Read more

New York Post
April 21st, 2015

"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."
Read more

Entertainment Weekly
April 21st, 2015

"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."
Read more

AM New York
April 21st, 2015

"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."
Read more

Talkin' Broadway
April 21st, 2015

"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'."
Read more

Theater Pizzazz
April 21st, 2015

"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."
Read more

Stage Buddy
September 14th, 2015

"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."
Read more

Trailer

Creative team