Summer: The Donna Summer Musical (NYC)

See it if you like Donna Summer and want to know a bit more about her. Great talent! Fun!

Don't see it if you want a lavish polished production. This is for joyful entertainment, not thought-provoking "art".

See it if You like Lifetime movies that gloss over all facts that ever show the star in any kind of unflattering way. See this for the pretty lights.

Don't see it if You want to hear Summers music or see her story. Both are butchered. Bits of songs poorly strung together to make up an unbearable story.

See it if You want to see DeBose and LaChanze completely crush it. Not much of a story, but fun nonetheless. Embrace the audience fever.

Don't see it if You don’t like Donna Summer or are expecting a moving experience.

See it if Very good singing and staging. The queen of discos songs are very good.

Don't see it if Should have had one plot and stayed with it. Show was all over the place.

See it if Summer's life packaged as musical bio-drama - earnest, slick, quirky & glossy 'Jersey Boys' McAnuff & Trujillo give it the razzle-dazzle

Don't see it if The disco bells & whistles (not to mention music hits) can't hide lack of substance/depth of story The 3 "donnas" work hard for their money

See it if good renditions of Summer's hits by 3 different actresses playing young, adult, diva Summer; flashes of wit; dynamic dancing; slick set

Don't see it if biopic predictable/romanticized; Summer celebrated as key women's rts advocate/please!; singing not close 2 Summer in her prime; who is?

See it if you enjoy the disco music era and this diva - it's her biographical story, the good and the bad, and her music. Great cast and non-stop fun.

Don't see it if you don't like disco and are not interested in her biography. You don't enjoy entertainment that let's you escape to a previous time.

See it if If you like make the music, tells alittle about her.

Don't see it if If you don't like the music.

Also I wasn't a big fan of disco, like some of her songs. Love the way they handled showing her throughout the years in a show. People in the audience loved it they were singing and dancing during some parts of the show.... Read more Read less

See it if A '70s revue, rather than pure jukebox, w/ projections. Three Donnas as three seasons of Summer. Across the street, you'll find "Hamilton."

Don't see it if Dim all the lights and snooooze. You lose. Bad, girls. How can Donna Summer and her vast catalogue be boring? Wait for "Cher Show" instead.

See it if you liked Donna Summer, this show is a must. Her songs are used to tell her life story. Singing and staging great.

Don't see it if you did not like Donna Summers or disco music or you like a musical with a plot.

Also Don't sit too close to the stage. You need to sit further back in the orchestra level or upstairs in Mezzanine to get the full effect of the lighting and staging. I enjoyed learning more about her life and the songs were used wonderfully to do this. Very talented cast. I liked that 3 ladies represented 3 stages of her life... Read more Read less

See it if You are a Donna Summer fan and would like to see a portrayal of some events during her life.

Don't see it if You need more than about 3 or 4 really good songs to carry a musical, or you want fully developed characters and stories.

See it if you loved disco, liked shows like Mama Mia,Jersey Boys.Plot is weak.Performances are very strong. Costumes were gorgeous.Sound was very good

Don't see it if you want an unvarnished look at her life.This show is meant to dazzle, & it does.Whether it is true to her life, who knows?Felt whitewashed

See it if You love Donna Summer. Most of the cast is appealing. You dont mind none of 3 Summer actresses sound like her or each other. Tin ear helps

Don't see it if You value your ears. You want sets and costumes and spectacle. Very synthesized. Why mike them, run them thru the board, then scream?

Also I expected with the Tony noms and the subject for this to be spectacle.
Instead it was a mostly bare stage/ dance floor w trap doors that allowed for entrances and podiums. Eye candy almost all virtual/lights. Boring costumes. Barebones story telling. Great songs if you dont mind BAD harmonies, offpitch singing, 3 actresses often singing unison in clashing styles and voices.
La Chanze was winning I rooted for her but she kept veering widlly off pitch. The youngest 'Summer' had a grating voice and she oversang thru out. The middle "Summer' moved beautifully and had a nice sound but again had difficulty finding the notes. The male lead was wooden but when not attempting to sing harmony was fine and again I rooted for him. BTW there was a real #me too vibe.
My friend LOVED it and bought 2 tickets to take her fiance.
3 50 y/o white women next to me had a FIST FIGHT with 3 50y/o WW in front of us the last 5 minutes. No ushers came to intervene despite repeated requests.
odd pm.... Read more Read less

See it if You are a Donna Summer fan, you like pop music and do not mind a musical that is more a concert than a musical.

Don't see it if you do not like pop music and are more interest in a good story than listening to music.

See it if you're a fan of Donna Summer and her music, want to recapture the Studio 54 vibe, or looking for light and enjoyable “touristy” fare.

Don't see it if uninterested in disco or works that shoehorn flimsy stories into musical numbers; you get annoyed by audiences singing and dancing along.

Also More lukewarm than “Hot Stuff,” Summer: The Donna Summer Musical is yet another jukebox musical showcasing the Disco Queen in a paper-thin, ill-constructed “story.” S:TDSM is best enjoyed by fans of her music, as this is almost more a concert than a riveting tale. Indeed, sometimes, it feels like the best parts are torn out. I assume most people seeing S:TDSM aren’t going in expecting a life-changing work but, rather, simply want to enjoy an inspiring life-story set to familiar, catchy music. It's mostly engaging and entertaining: let’s not aim to make it out to be more than that. Three “Donnas” showcase more than a single talent but I found the broken 4th-wall, lead actors playing multiple roles, and odd chronology a miss more often than a hit. While I did enjoy myself—the show has amazing singers, excellent energy, and, unsurprisingly, the seeds of a great musical story—there are some odd moments of agenda-pushing and rushed conclusions. Regardless, you’ll still have a good time.... Read more Read less

See it if You love donna summer's music because that is the only reason I went to see this musical.

Don't see it if you want to see a better plot like Beautiful the carol king musical.

Also This could have been so much better if they stick to one plot line and not jump all over the place. Even making this musical into 2 and a half hours instead of 1hr 40mins.... Read more Read less

See it if No need to see it, even for die-hard fans one would be disappointed. Many in audience were NOT theater-goers and seemed to enjoy it though.

Don't see it if Feels like a bad/cheesy not-even-Vegas touring production. Terrible book, choreography, sets, lighting, and performances.

See it if you are or ever were a fan of Donna Summer

Don't see it if the song titles Love To Love You Baby, MacArthur Park, On The Radio, She Works Hard For The Money and Last Dance mean nothing to your life.

Also I'm a huge LaChanze fan, but I would not have thought to cast her as Donna Summers, but than I would have been dead wrong. She was FABULOUS as Donna Summers. The other two actresses who shared the role of Donna Summer as a a young girl and Twenty-something were also equally well cast. I only wished the show ad moved in chronically order.... Read more Read less

See it if You like the music of Donna Summer and want to hear it sung by three amazing divas! The Donnas were spectacular.

Don't see it if You aren't a Donna Summer fan or want a fully developed biography of her. This gave glimpses, but felt very disjointed.

Also If you like Donna Summer, it's worth seeing for the amazing performances by LaChanze, Ariana Debose, and Storm Lever. The book isn't great and may leave you disappointed if you are looking for a true biography. The bio musical has been done much better (Beautiful, Jersey Boys). It felt like some of the songs were forced into a plot point, but I was and still am a Donna Summer fun and overall I was entertained.... Read more Read less

See it if You are a fan of Donna Summer's songs.The performances are great,but that doesn't overcome the flimsy plot development.

Don't see it if You are expecting a well developed biographical piece. There are glimpses into her life,but you don't really get a full picture.

See it if you are a Donna Summer/disco fan or like biographical shows.

Don't see it if you don't like sparkle.

See it if you like shows like On Your feet, or self biographies. I was never emotionally attached, but thought was great singing and staging.

Don't see it if you are looking for a musical that you have to see over an over again. I enjoyed it and it was well done, but never got attached or said wow

Also I was expecting something different from all the reviews and was pleasantly surprised. This is no Hamilton, but if you want a show based on a true story of a person making it in the show business in that time period. I didn't know much of Donna Summer, but knew the music. They did a great job of casting for this show, all 3 singers for Donna had an amazing voice as well as the rest of the cast. I didn't find any flaws with the sets, or dancing or singing. The story can be slow at times, but still kept my interest. I believe they did a great job with the material, since it's easier to produce a show off a made up story that has comedy and anything else you can imagine, compared to one you have to base on true life. The only flaw is this is almost 2 hours without intermission.... Read more Read less

See it if if you're a Donna Summer fan. The singing was great but I didn't think it sounded like Donna Summer until the very last song

Don't see it if you're looking for a deep insight into Donna's life - it touches on a lot but only lightly.

See it if you go in not expecting more than it is. Great performances from LaChanze and Ariana DeBose. Mediocre book but nevertheless entertaining.

Don't see it if you don't like Donna Summer's music or don't want to learn about her life. If you want something deep.

See it if Non stop rapid fire of her greatest hits with amazing vocals and great dancing. Gets you dancing in and out of your seat throughout the show

Don't see it if You want an in-depth bio pic. Don't know or like any of her songs.

Also Ticket from in-person rush for $40. Seat was center orchestra.
Disclaimer: I didn't know anything about her life going in, so I have no criticisms about their telling of her bio.... Read more Read less