Lackawanna Blues (Broadway) NYC Reviews and Tickets

84%

(165 Reviews)

Positive

96%

Mixed

Negative

Members say

Great acting, Absorbing, Entertaining, Masterful, Great writing

About the Show

Broadway debut of Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson's solo play.

Ruben Santiago-Hudson celebrates the strong, big-hearted woman who raised him: Miss Rachel. In a 1950s boarding house outside Buffalo, Nanny, as she was affectionately called, opened her doors to anyone and everyone in need of kindness, hope, compassion and care. Santiago-Hudson will be accompanied by live music written by acclaimed composer Bill Sims, Jr. and performed by Blues Hall of Fame guitarist Junior Mack.

Member Reviews (165)

Clever, Dizzying, Great acting

See it if You like one person shows. Lots of vignettes paint the picture of a life. Great acting of lots of characters.

Don't see it if Sometimes a bit confusing transitions and a lit too long.

Ambitious, Great acting, Overrated, Slow

See it if You enjoy 1 person shows.

Don't see it if The stories told are vignettes, my mind wandered during some of them. I would have enjoyed it more with a full cast playing the characters.

Masterful, Great acting, Absorbing, Riveting, Entertaining

See it if You want to experience one of the best one person shows I’ve ever seen. Amazing storytelling. Almost hypnotic delivery. Perfect rhythm.

Don't see it if You can’t sit still and be quiet and just…listen. This is a show that washes over you and sinks in. It’s not brash or bright but it moves.

Entertaining, Great acting, Indulgent, Absorbing

See it if Very good acting as well as a entertaining story. If you like a solo actor on stage.

Don't see it if This show has Hudson as a solo performer acting different roles.can. e difficult at times for someone who dislikes solo performances.

Great acting, Masterful, Soulful, Heartwarming, Touching

See it if Virtuosic solo performance full of love and admiration. Captivating vignettes. Flavorful blues guitar accompaniment.

Don't see it if You don’t enjoy solo actors playing many roles. It bogs down a little in the middle.

Hudson's moving love letter to the woman who brought him up in lackawanna, near buffalo; master class in story telling, but not very deep

See it if humorous bluesy stories of eccentric nonwhite Lackawanna residents in 1960s/70s; Hudson plays multiple roles meshing w bluesy guitar player

Don't see it if stories in this 1-man show are genial but not trenchant or challenging and repetitive to boot; production is 30 mins too long

Good music, Stories telling, Funny, Great acting

See it if One person show with life stories/events with different characters and music.

Don't see it if It is over 90 minutes, dislike stories and no much going on stage.

Refreshing, Great writing, Great acting, Entertaining, Absorbing

See it if you need a reminder that good people exist in the world. Santiago-Hudson weaves stories reminiscent of a Black Lake Wobegon. A masterclass.

Don't see it if you don’t enjoy solo shows or need lots of visual stimulus.

Critic Reviews (12)

"The very first instrument we learn to use is the human voice. In “Lackawanna Blues,” Santiago-Hudson shows his expert prowess with his, which he uses to deliver music with his portrayal of the various personalities. He strings together a cadence, tone and rhythm into a piece of work that is equal parts narrative and song."
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"There is nothing revolutionary about Lackawanna Blues, but it is a loving and skillful evocation of a formidable Black woman and the community she was able to create, through the force of her character, in a world of lack and want."
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"A treat!...a restorative evening of Ruben Santiago-Hudson’s loving recollections of growing up in an upstate New York boarding house run by a life force known as Nanny."
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"Lackawanna Blues is, after all, a memory play, and Santiago-Hudson makes no bones about presenting the ghosts (and occasional monster) of his childhood with an enveloping and inviting compassion. He does them proud."
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"Ruben Santiago-Hudson is a fine actor (and an even better director) but, at the beginning of Lackawanna Blues, he displays shapeshifting skills the likes of which I've never seen before."
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"How does Santiago-Hudson bring the crowd from his Lackawanna, New York youth to the stage...At this indisputable tour de force he’s immeasurably helped by his director. That’s to say by himself."
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"Santiago-Hudson is such a dynamic, charismatic performer that it’s easy to overlook the fact that the piece, more an assemblage of vignettes than a compelling narrative, is sometimes difficult to follow."
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"Offering exquisite portraits of over 20 earthy characters, Ruben Santiago-Hudson dazzles in his lustrously self-written solo play, Lackawanna Blues. Set in the titular upstate New York town with a gallery of spirited Black denizens, Mr. Santiago-Hudson through his finely composed serio-comic vignettes creates an enthralling theatrical event."
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