School of Rock - The Musical (NYC)

"This is Lloyd Webber’s best rock score in decades. There isn’t a weak song in the show, and the cast is up to its demanding vocals as well. I should probably mention at this point that although there is also an offstage band, these kids are actually playing those instruments, and they are off the charts amazing...Director Laurence Connor’s loving and tight control of the material, never loses sight of the goal; let’s rock!" Full Review

"This is a great musical. It’s fun, it’s FUNNY, there are touching moments, and it makes you really want to rock out. I have been trying for hours to think of a better movie-to-stage adaptation and I just can’t. I think they really hit the nail on the head with this one...this was just awesome. JUST GO, okay? Just go see it so I can stop babbling." Full Review

"All the music and all the songs were brilliantly composed and performed along with the playful choreography. I was immensely impressed and should’ve expected nothing less.This review would be considered incomplete if I forgot to mention the outstanding job director Laurence Connor and his production staff had done. The flow of the story and the set transitions were smooth throughout. There was never a dull moment during the 3 hour show." Full Review

"Andrew Lloyd Webber has chosen to adapt a movie with a plot that could hardly be sillier, and supplies a new score that could hardly be more addictive. 'School of Rock' is full of both hard-charging rock n roll and supremely catchy melodies…The kids don’t just sing exquisitely and dance with infectious abandon, they also reportedly play the musical instruments themselves – astonishing if true…There is plenty of hard-driving music here, including several from the movie." Full Review

"It worked for the movie, and wow, does it work on Broadway, a double jolt of adrenaline and sugar to inspire the most helicoptered of tots to play hooky and go shred an ax…This is one tight, well-built show: underscoring the emotional arcs, and knowing when to get out of the way and let the kids jam. 'School of Rock' has absorbed the diverse lessons of 'Rent,' 'Spring Awakening' and 'Matilda' and passes them on to a new generation." Full Review

"Watching these characters as they confront and grapple with their fears reveals a transcendent level of success uncommon to the Broadway stage...The cast is uniformly excellent, each member giving thoroughly honest and authentic performances. It is so easy to connect to each of these well-defined characters and the particular conflicts that drive the musical’s energetic plot." Full Review

“'School Of Rock' is a rock solid hit!... All of the pieces come together in perfect harmony thanks to Laurence Connor’s flawless direction...The secret weapon in this show is the kids. Magnificent talents all, it’s thrilling to witness these young stars in action impressively singing and acting...'School Of Rock' may not be groundbreaking, but as crowd- pleasing entertainment, it doesn’t miss a beat." Full Review

" Laurence Connor keeps things constantly moving and never allows the children to be annoying or cloying. He respects them and gives each one of them a distinct personality and we get to know them as individuals. In the end, it is Julian Fellows (book), Andrew Lloyd Webber (music) and Glenn Slater (lyrics) who are the real rock stars of 'School of Rock.' Without them, we wouldn’t have had this infinitely delightful head-banger." Full Review

"With such a powerful creative team, a show with sky-high name recognition, a company of insanely talented boys and girls, and a promising new star, its success is practically guaranteed, no matter what its flaws. “School of Rock” teaches us that it’s sometimes okay to break the rules and stick it to the man, but also that Broadway has a bottomless pit of extraordinarily talented kids who can do practically anything the stage requires, including making a B-minus show into an A-minus one." Full Review

"An exuberant feel-good musical…A cast of super-talented kids who rock out on the kind of songs you always wished had been in the movie…Webber has the ideal sensibility to relate to children whose freakish talents might make them seem a little bit…peculiar…Thankfully, nothing savage has been done to the original film story…The creatives have given the children a sensitive backstory about their parents and home lives that’s missing from the movie." Full Review

"A highly enjoyable and heartwarming adaptation…Although occasionally serviceable and sappy, 'School of Rock' contains his best music in a very long time, bursting with excitement more often than not…The children are wildly talented and absolutely adorable. I dare you not to smile as they stomp around and chant that they will 'stick it to the man.' 'School of Rock' may not be a game-changer, but it is a solid, well-structured musical comedy, and you can never have enough of those." Full Review

"A hard working ensemble that, under Laurence Connor's sure-handed direction, takes on triple duty as Dewey's old band mates, the kids' parents and other teachers at the school, helpfully distinguished by Anna Louizos' sly costumes. But the true key to the show's appeal is the multi-ethnic group of kids, none of whom have yet hit puberty." Full Review

"Webber has pushed to the fore a group of rockin'-out U.S. youngsters so capable, charming, vulnerable and aspirational, their open hearts surely will fell any and all resistance...'School of Rock' offers the audience a chance to be kids again, only with more talent than we ever had...Connor made one great decision above all others, which was to ensure that the kids stay serious and vulnerable. Crucially, this gives the show weight and enough gravitas." Full Review

"The crowd-pleasing, upbeat musical 'School of Rock' opened with a wondrously rebellious spirit and a superb cast...While leaning a little bit too much on 'Stick It to the Man,' Webber turns in some perfectly solid mainstream rock-ish anthems...A heartwarming story and a stage full of pre-pubescent kids who know their way around an amp prove irresistible…Connor leads a crisp, snappy show that neither gets bogged down in irrelevant secondary stories or in easy manipulation." Full Review

"It’s all very obvious, sure. And the musical perhaps more so than the movie…Webber has written a fun, catchy, rock-ish score. And if the plotlines about the adults feel leaden, when those kids — Dewey’s 10-year-old students — take the stage, 'School of Rock' is a delight…'School of Rock' isn’t perfect. But if, as the musical suggests, perfection is less the point than trying hard and having fun doing so, then it succeeds." Full Review

"Children in Broadway shows sometimes turn me off, but this band of newly aspiring actors, actresses and musicians are really quite good. 4 or 5 of them including the drummer, a keyboard player and a guitar player are way better than you could possibly expect from 9 - 11 year olds...It’s noisy, it’s full of life and you’ll be able to rock all night after you see it. 'School of Rock' like all of its schools around the country, including some here in the East, really rocks!" Full Review

"A rock and roll, heavy metal tribute to, and very smart adaptation...The energy level is phenomenal, Brightman's sandpaper voice apparently indestructible and his touch with the kids, impeccable...The score is more than a stitching together of the movie items. There are some splendid new anthems and chorales...Mike White's movie has been deftly adapted, efficiently directed, wittily designed and lit with rock concert flair." Full Review

"This is it. This is that $16 million Broadway show for the whole family, with something for everyone. One caveat: those with sensitive ears, bring your earplugs. This opus is loud...If audience appreciation is any factor, it’s easy to predict a long, healthy, and really loud future for "School Of Rock.'" Full Review

"'School of Rock' is best in these big, brash, unabashedly rock ’n’ roll moments..'.School of Rock' isn’t a revelation...But 'School of Rock' is likely everything it wants to be—totally delightful, purely entertaining, the crowd-pleasing kind of show—that you can bring your kids and out-of-town cousins to. Not liking it is akin to not liking fun." Full Review

"'School of Rock' doesn’t strain to mix whimsy with grandeur...For its first half, at least, it charmingly walks the line between the cute and the precious…In the more lazily formulaic second act, you can taste glucose in the air. But mostly, 'Rock' is surprisingly easy to swallow, in large part because everyone involved seems to be having such a fine time...Family audiences should be grateful for a Lloyd Webber show that only wants to have fun and hopes that you do, too." Full Review

"It’s not a platinum success, maybe just a silver ‘Starlight‘ one…Blisteringly loud and infectious, 'School of Rock' is a rocking fun musical that does slap a smile on your face whether you want one or not. The kids are amazing...Brightman definitely can rock out like no other...But his bigger talent comes in the way he is able to balance the very difficult task of being a loser, a liar, a trouble-maker, and being loved by us in-spite of all that and more." Full Review

"It may be simplistic, manipulative and slick, but this musical version of the popular 2003 film is a fast-paced family-friendly entertainment that is hard to resist...Alex Brightman is a veritable powerhouse as Dewey Finn...Best of all are the appealing child actors who have prodigious musical talents...The choreography by JoAnn M. Hunter is lively and the direction by Laurence Connor is seamless and assured. The show is far from subtle, but resistance is futile." Full Review

"It might sound lame to suggest that 'School of Rock' works in large part because of the charms of a bunch of adorable kids. But their infectious delight as they etch their distinct personalities and seize both their individual and collective right to be heard is irresistible…Some of Lloyd Webber's more traditional numbers feel like filler…The direction of Connor is not always the most elegant…But the minute they launch into ecstatic head-banging, pogoing release, all is forgiven." Full Review

"A high-energy, enjoyable, unrelentingly eager-to-please…The first thing to know is that the kids are genuine children who play their own instruments, and they’re all terrific…The production is as slick and sure of itself as if it had been running at the Winter Garden Theatre since 'Cats' closed 15 years ago…The book by Julian Fellowes moves amiably along with less of the film’s history of rock and more family back story for the kids, which works fine." Full Review

"Webber, happily, has approached the project with a healthy sense of humor, though he and lyricist Glenn Slater also provide a few earnest ballads to help propel the story…It's the younger cast members who engage us most…Does their sheer cuteness give these performers an edge? Probably. No matter; you'll root for all of them, and have a grand time doing so." Full Review