The Band's Visit (Broadway) NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (2,088)
See it if you enjoy shows that speak to the human experience and stretch the idea of what it means to be a musical theatre show.
Don't see it if you have a hard time understanding accents, or if you are looking for an upbeat, fun, dance-filled night at the theater.
See it if Ten Tony Awards.
Don't see it if Budget does not allow Broadway shows. Read more
See it if Philosophical;touched my heart in an unexpected way; Arabic musical elements; musicians interact with actors throughout show; perfect length
Don't see it if Relatively simplistic style of staging compared to some broadway productions; No “climax” in plot;
See it if you want to see everything a modern musical can-- and should, be. The staging is superb and the cast is delightful.
Don't see it if you're looking for classic "big broadway."
See it if you have a brain. This show is like nothing you've ever seen before. Theater can never be perfect, but this comes so very close.
Don't see it if you only like traditional shows and traditional Broadway voices. Read more
See it if you want to see a human and deeply moving musical with terrific performances.
Don't see it if You want a big, splashy musical
See it if haunting music. global theme. terrific staging & acting. Wry humor. Overall, so unexpected. Positive message and fun, but not preach-y.
Don't see it if This is nuanced, perhaps not riveting for those who prefer big special effects and fast-paced action. is a story about human connection
See it if you want to see a beautiful gem and contemplate peoples' need for human connection.
Don't see it if you only like big spectacles. This musical feels like a quiet play, though the songs are fantastic.
Critic Reviews (62)
"Yazbek chooses to seduce with music and lyrics that slyly slip into our consciousness through an inspired repetition, with melodies unfolding to make the spirit both ache and soar...Yazbek’s score is perfectly married to Itamar Moses’s lovely book...Cromer doesn’t find the humor in zingers or one-liners but rather in the quirks of characters and places...Yazbek performs marvelous variations to make us hear the music fresh, and in the process almost reinvents the Broadway musical."
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“Distortion is the danger when a small show moves to Broadway...Rejoice then: ‘The Band’s Visit’ has made the leap with dignity and pure, intense beauty intact...Here is a sound that enkindles profound passion in the soul...The story is perfectly, touchingly simple...The characterizations are rich and layered. Scenes blend effortlessly into songs. The staging’s both utterly theatrical and finely realistic...This bittersweet heartbreaker might be the best we’ll see all year.”
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"A special theater treat awaits you...Yazbek’s poignant music and lyrics are so very expressive...The charm of the show follows the odd interaction, especially between Dina and Tewfiq, and all is presented with sensitive understatement. This is a musical that gets under the skin...The step by step getting to know one another that the musical depicts becomes a statement illustrated by the show’s overall magical quality."
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"An airy and remarkably insightful new musical meditation...Playwright Moses and composer Yazbek challenge the conventions of musical theatre in ways that feel like a fresh reinvention of the form...Music by Yazbek — lyrical, rousing, gentle as desert breeze — doesn’t just punctuate emotional high points, but takes on a more visceral role...Cromer’s fluid direction transport us to a far-flung corner to show us that we’re all the same, simply doing our best to understand one another."
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“This gem of a musical, whose fine book buoys grounded lyrics, embraces what we have in common...That it does so with limpid delicacy eschewing Hollywood outcomes makes the piece as refreshing as it is sympathetic...A wonderful experience...Yazbeck’s infectious music embraces Middle Eastern influences with estimable skill, maintaining an atmosphere of 'other'...There isn’t a single weak link in acting or vocals."
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"There are many quiet, very quiet, fragments of brilliance...If the show has one failing it is that the large stage almost swallows it...It can feel a little too tentative, and too engulfed by a big stage...The show is a winning marriage of Israeli snark and Arabic dry wit, accompanied by beautiful music...Yazbek and Moses burrow subtly and playfully into private pains and desires...It is Lenk and Shalhoub’s platonic romance that tenderly anchors the show."
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“Cromer blends torpor with flashes of dry wit to conjure a delightfully offbeat atmosphere...‘The Band’s Visit’ has a gauzy, meditative feel, yet seldom drags...Alas, Yasbek’s numbers don’t complement the tale of hesitant romance...The songs tend to sound incidental and fail to add an extra dimension...While 'Visit’s' message of reconciliation through culture may be laudable, the lack of tension between the Egyptians and their hosts seems a little far-fetched."
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"Cromer has maintained the show’s thrilling intimacy, exploring the meanderings of the human heart...Furthermore, it’s a story that Yazbek’s glorious score, overflowing with rhapsodic melody, mostly set against pulsating middle Eastern rhythms, lifts to a breathtakingly elevated plane...The passing of time has only deepened the masterful performances...One of the show’s triumphs is the authenticity and responsiveness of the entire company."
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