Gigi (Broadway Musical) NYC Reviews and Tickets

"A shower of soap bubbles descends upon the audience at the finale of the pretty and pleasant revival...The current production has now been cleverly bleached of lechery... These changes smartly align the material with our more enlightened times. What the production’s creators cannot do, unfortunately, is plump up the thin story or elevate the quality of the score."
Read more

"Neither natural force nor chemistry, alas, is much in evidence at this fizzless toast to Parisian romance in the Belle Époque. Eric Schaeffer’s revival rescues the show from the dustbin of history and moves it to a recycling bin of the present...this 'Gigi' is inoffensive to a fault...It merely feels generic."
Read more

"The attempt to turn such a property into a girl-power fantasy has left it more perverted than ever, and altogether unworthy of its name...The production’s desperation to appeal to tweens instead of their parents results in a disastrous if not deliberate misreading of the tale...how painful it is, rereading the original, to see how much intelligence has been lost."
Read more

"Lukewarm champagne...A lazy eye roll is about the most extreme reaction likely to be provoked by this pretty but charm-deficient revival in a wanly unatmospheric Belle Epoque Paris...Watching this rather mechanical reworking of 'Gigi', the suspicion arises that its weaknesses lie not only in the treatment but in the material itself, which is full of dreary patter songs that echo those from My Fair Lady but have minimal impact."
Read more

"An absolute delight–energetic and funny, with eyes that literally twinkle, even when she’s rolling them...This modernized 'Gigi' comes bearing extra sass...All in all, 'Gigi' is a wonderful treat."
Read more

"The dumbed-down book and hard-bitten direction keep dragging the show back to our own thin-skinned age...Who hasn’t lost their minds in this ill-conceived adaptation? The designers, for sure, have held their own. But if the physical look of the show suggests Paris, whenever someone opens his mouth, we’re dragged back to America, where nice people don’t do naughty things."
Read more

"There are no surprises, of either the negative or the especially positive sort...We were all doused with soapy Champagne bubbles at the curtain, which somehow seemed apt."
Read more

"“Gigi” is a flawed musical about a Pyrrhic victory, the triumph of a feisty young woman groomed to be a sexual trophy who ends up becoming a rich man’s trophy wife instead...This revamped stage version remains a less than fully satisfying experience...the central love story is a flimsy chassis for such a big vehicle...The last version of 'Gigi' to come to Broadway was a bust; if it does make it this time, the show’s producers no doubt will be thanking heaven for little girls."
Read more

"Anemic, sterile — and, at times, rather creepy...This is a revival demonstrably afraid of sexuality. But if everyone is so nervous about seduction, then you really don't have a "Gigi," which has romance and seduction at its core. The French are better at walking these murky paths along the River Seine. This "Gigi" has no idea how to proceed with its own material...Maybe the entire enterprise was hoping for too much, but wit, style, panache and truth would all have helped Gigi on the stairway to heaven."
Read more

"How do you solve a problem like "Gigi"?...Director Eric Schaeffer tries to distract us from the way political correctness has sanitized the story and made it soppier while lessening the stakes...A solution to 'Gigi' has not been found... It's the music that tempts us back to "Gigi," and hearing the score cascade from a live orchestra is an undeniable treat. But in an attempt to bring the story up to 21st century standards, the new 'Gigi' only seems more dated."
Read more

"Happily, the Broadway “revisal” that just opened does a fine job retooling the plot so it’s more in line with modern ideas about women and romance...Director Eric Schaeffer has given the story an elegant casing...This honorable 'Gigi' may be a good pick if you can’t get into 'Wicked' on Take Your Daughter to the Theater Day."
Read more

"One wonders why anyone would even bother to dust off this less-than-classic 1973 work. No compelling answer emerges...Performances are all over the place...As musical gems go, 'Gigi' is not Tiffany — it’s Jared."
Read more

"The stage version of the 1958 MGM movie musical 'Gigi' is a good example of a "why musical" -- a tolerable but ultimately pointless adaptation that adds little to, and is inferior than, the source upon which it is based...The production has an elegant look and lively movement but nevertheless feels empty and stalled."
Read more

"That stage musical is now being revived in a heavily revised and awkwardly sanitized adaptation by Heidi Thomas...The score doesn't serve the story that Thomas is trying to present...There are few textures in director Eric Schaeffer's perfunctory staging...The material alone, capably done, should at least provide some fizz. For the most part, this production merely fizzles."
Read more

"The new production of 'Gigi' is a fascinating exercise in exploring just how far a revival can go — and how far it shouldn't. As pretty as a Victorian picture postcard and just as deep...If you're able and willing to turn off your brain for two and a half hours, it's possible to have a perfectly inoffensive time exposing yourself to what works and accepting the rest of this 'Gigi' on its own, muddled terms."
Read more

"Oh, Gigi. I’m not sure there’s enough champagne in all of France to keep me buzzed through two-and-a-half hours of your romping through Paris and a side trip to Trouville. That’s not to be said a relatively jovial evening can’t be had in your company, but it’s more like sipping from a cup of sparkling cider than a bottle of Veuve Clicquot...You’ve got a recipe for a perfectly fine—if not totally memorable—evening of theater."
Read more

"The new revival of 'Gigi' too often feels akin to dirty linen that’s been put through the wash too many times; it’s clean now and has a sheen, but it’s threadbare, intellectually and emotionally...One leaves the theater with the overwhelming impression of an underwhelming entertainment, each element of which has been done better elsewhere."
Read more

"The feeble feminist revisionism only points up the musical’s problems...The orchestra sounds wonderful and some of the songs are a treat...Too bad about the story. And the arch and sincere tonal confusion. And the star. This is some very flat champagne."
Read more

"A woefully cheap travesty of the gloriously romantic film has now opened at the Neil Simon...There's no reason to itemize the myriad unfortunate variations, although it's necessary to mention some that will likely both infuriate and amuse fans of the film...On the day 'Gigi' officially begins, the Yale School of Drama announces two new scholarships as gifts from the Frederick Loewe Foundation. It's a safe bet that neither of them will go to anyone connected with this enterprise."
Read more

"There is a positively Walt Disney quality running throughout the production...This is a 'Gigi', unfortunately, a sleight of hand production that tries to be all things to all people so that you can bring your daughters to the theatre – because in the end the gal gets her man and keeps her honor. The result is a rather bland soufflé that is too hard on the outside and too soft at the center."
Read more

'Gigi' has been scrubbed and polished so that its heroine is now sassy, headstrong, and spunkier than a barrel of Disney princesses...There’s nothing terribly risqué or even controversial about her situation anymore...The lessons Gigi receives from her Aunt Alicia on serving tea and eating crustaceans don’t lead to a transformation in her character. Indeed, they’re as tedious for us to watch as Gigi claims they are."
Read more

"The new Broadway production of 'Gigi' begins with a giddy orgy of pastels. Dancers clad in candy-colored costumes flood the set, which paints gay Paree (circa 1900) in bright, scrumptious hues. The choreography is exhilarating, the mood buoyant...If only the fun would last. Unfortunately, in her current incarnation, the heroine is showing signs of age, and self-consciousness."
Read more

"For 11-year-old girls, 'Gigi' is very pretty and nice. For much of the rest of us, this disconcertingly wholesome new version is very pretty and bland...Sanitized, flattened and sentimentalized from stylish sophistication to what feels like a cornfed love story...This never was top-drawer Lerner and Loewe. But it had great style along with some remarkable songs. The style is much missed."
Read more

"I'm not a fan of the 1958 film "Gigi." But if I were, I'd be pretty sore about the lump of a musical that's been made from it...Without comparing it to the film, the musical manages to fail all on its own...Directed sluggishly by Eric Schaeffer, with rote dances, the musical tries hard to be joyous, but seldom lifts itself above dull...'Gigi' is the night the Champagne went flat."
Read more

"'Gigi' boasts classic orchestrations, gorgeous costumes and appealing dance numbers. It’s a delightful production."
Read more

"They've taken out the creepy factor, but they've taken out the zing, too...All the parts are good. They just, maddeningly, don't add for a stunning show Both acts end rather unremarkably, like a fallen soufflé and the passion between the two lovers at the story's center never seems to really boil...Here, it's all about the bubbly Champagne. Everyone keeps singing about it but when it arrives, it's lukewarm and flat. Thank heaven for other choices."
Read more

"'Gigi' in this version doesn’t quite work or make sense. The sludgy direction tries to play up the Disney aspects with great costumes and sets that could be used, more effectively, for a production of “Hello, Dolly!” It’s the most inoffensive show of the season, all meringue and no mystery. Even the fact that Mamita, Gigi’s grandmother, is a former courtesan is sort of swept aside. She’s just had a lot of past romances. And a lot of good hats."
Read more

"The reworkings of the score and book take most of the creaks out of 'Gigi' and provide a convincing framework for its success...There is a lot to love in this production; the creative team has delivered in spades."
Read more

"This revamped 'Gigi' has been sanitized and given 'The Pretty Woman' treatment, without Julia Roberts or the heightened stakes that made that movie so effective...The safer road, though, is not always the better road traveled. This new and not-quite improved Gigi is now far less interesting a character...A smaller set but bigger production dancers with more dancing would have been a far more effective move by director Eric Schaeffer."
Read more

"The pattery, operetta-tinged score is far from Loewe's melodic best, and while Lerner's lyrics are clever, they sometimes undermine sincere moments...But there's still something winsome about Gigi and her world. There's never much doubt as to how the story will end, but for a romantic comedy - a recent audience squealed at a marriage proposal - that's not such a problem."
Read more

"I came away both impressed and a bit underwhelmed at the same time...If the crowd reaction on opening night was any indication, this show is going to be a hit on Broadway and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if it gets some Tony nods. I just wished I had come away loving this production instead of just feeling “Whelmed” by it."
Read more

"On the plus side is the luscious score, containing some of the most iconic melodies written for the stage. But fingers are understandably crossed that first timers will be drawn to the book’s melodramatic tale of a Belle Epoque Parisian girl being groomed as a courtesan...Producers and creatives have smartly crafted a polished production for this revival — but the show may need some luck, and the critics’ blessings, to ensure it survives longer than the musical’s first visit to the Rialto."
Read more

"All in all, this Broadway-bound revival, with a majorly tweaked new book, is well thought out and well handled, especially courtesy of a runway’s worth of sumptuous evening gowns and elegant choreography...But the production is also a reminder that “Gigi” is not a great musical, nothing really special. It’s forever very okay — no matter how much the song assignments and gender politics are fiddled with."
Read more

"So much work, effort and an enormous amount of money has been poured into this production, which culminates into a fantastic show...The superb costumes are stunning, the set design visually gorgeous, and a 13 piece orchestra is spectacular...Director Schaeffer does an admirable job pulling this all together, which is certainly not an easy task."
Read more

"'Gigi' is lovely to look at and charming to listen to, but the show never achieves the transcendence that one would wish for with this material."
Read more

"'Gigi' is both quaint and slick...Director Eric Schaeffer has assembled a winning team in bringing this show with mesmerizing imagery to the stage. The scenery is exquisite, the lighting is perfection, one visual treat after another. And the costumes...wow! If 'Gigi' seems a bit slick, so what? Pop the cork for "The Night They Invented Champagne" and much else. It is bubbly entertainment."
Read more

"With an updated book set to inspire young women and fantastic performances by the ensemble, this 'Gigi' is something one can really thank heaven for. It will send you out of the theatre in a magical daze, feeling as sophisticated and smart as the Paris envisioned by its revolutionary heroine."
Read more

"The score remains a beguiling ear-worm... but on the other hand you don’t get any sense of the insouciance, the old world sophistication, the mixture of ennui and energy that typifies Parisian high society. The production is as pretty as a Renoir pastel portrait. Yet on the whole, there is not a lot particularly, charmingly Parisian about Gigi."
Read more

"'Gigi' still registers as a lower-caliber Broadway musical...That’s not to say the show — or at least this production — is without merit. In fact, anyone fine with style over substance will find much to love here."
Read more

"A perfectly pleasant, not entirely satisfying production. Next stop is Broadway. It may need an extra jolt or two before then...This latest version is efficient and basically faithful to the original material: a somewhat watered-down treatment about a Parisian courtesan-in-training who unexpectedly discovers true love."
Read more

"There are no septuagenarian men crooning about little girls growing up in delightful ways in this immensely likable new 'Gigi'... The sets and staging have little flair, so it’s left to the actors to fizz, froth, and sparkle like Veuve Clicquot. By and large, they do."
Read more

"How is it that a musical so predictable, that you are having thoughts of your psychic abilities, can leave you so thoroughly enchanted, so completely mesmerized?...The glitz, the glamour, the stars, the music, costumes and set is everything that a Broadway hit demands... Go see this one here while it is in DC before it wins the Tony Awards in every category and becomes the impossible $200 ticket to get!"
Read more

"Thank heaven for grand old musicals. A brilliant score and a new production polished like a jewel give this revival of Gigi the attention it deserves... "Gigi" is a feast for the eye as well as the ear. The costumes are sumptuous, the sets are gorgeous, and the lighting is magical. See it before Gigi picks up her picture hat and moves to Broadway."
Read more

“As it stands, this “Gigi” delivers on the entertainment—the familiar songs are sung with knowing passion, the sets and costumes are outstanding, and director Eric Schaeffer frames this version in a welcome, if not surprising, melodrama."
Read more

"On the whole, the 29-member ensemble executes a striking show...Bold, fresh and reinvigorated, Gigi is a charming and visually-stunning show that, like champagne, bubbles and simmers, flowing effervescently with splendor and elegance."
Read more

"Thanks to a sharp production full of spectacle, and charismatic secondary actors, the fluffy 'Gigi' is an enjoyable watch... Ultimately, 'Gigi' itself is much like drinking champagne— bubbly and sweet with a quick buzz that soon fades."
Read more

"I’m sure it will be a big hit! It’s a glorious production from beginning to end. Lovely, lovely, lovely."
Read more

"I was impressed by the performances. The sets were beautiful and the dialogue had some great moments of humor... I would highly recommend anyone who grew up loving the film as I did immediately buy tickets to the show."
Read more

"I'm hardly an expert on musicals, but I thought it was one of the best I've seen. The singing and dancing was quite good... All in all, I have to give it my recommendation."
Read more

"Director Eric Schaeffer has revived the musical in all its glorious splendor....We are treated to dreamy chiffon gowns, elegant frock coats, feathered picture hats, glittering jewels, bellmen in carmine britches and so much more extravagance...The choreographer enlivens the dancing with electrifying Broadway-bound energy. Highly recommended."
Read more

"I’m a certifiable song-and-dance lover. And so was the audience who leapt to their feet yelling “Bravo!” on opening night of 'Gig.' The crowd cheered with the well-known tunes and clapped for the terrific dancing by the ensemble cast."
Read more

"The story’s premise is dated...But despite the story, the acting is outstanding and the costumes are stunning."
Read more

"Does Gigi has what it takes to be a Broadway success? Yes, it does. It is broad and fun and smart enough to be just modern enough to both not alienate the original fans and not (overly) offend the new ones. And yes, it is a truly good time in a way that we maybe don’t get to experience in theatres quite often enough anymore. But is it great? Probably not quite. And, in the end, that is ok."
Read more

"Adding another scene to the second act and a finale number would have made the musical feel more cohesive. The actors did a nice job bringing to life the story based on what they were given; even though the story felt unfinished and included several plot holes."
Read more