Bella: An American Tall Tale NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (246)
See it if you want to see some unexpected.
Don't see it if you want sg less then almost 3 hours.
See it if you want a highly entertaining, relevant, beautifully sung, moving romantic reminder that the history we're taught is an incomplete picture.
Don't see it if you're socially conservative, thin-skinned, and cannot handle white Americans occasionally being the butt of the joke -see what I did there? Read more
See it if you like 'The Robber Bridegroom' and those Tall Tale Disney cartoons; flavored with African- & Asian-American history. A stellar cast!
Don't see it if you don't like Paul Bunyan-esque history, country/southern style music and stories. Harsh stories of the south are woven in with the fantasy
See it if Would like to have a fun filled night with wonderful characters and an unusual story ...Belle is bigger than life!!!! No buts about it!!!
Don't see it if If you don't enjoy over-the-top musicals that aren't run of the mill. It's a bit raunchy so if you're uncomfortable with that...well..
See it if You like fun, clever musicals with incredible singing and catchy songs but also with a deep heart and meaningful message.
Don't see it if You do not appreciate lightheartedness around serious topics and a classy fart joke song.
See it if Well if you told I would adore a zanie musical about a girl with a big bootie .you might call me a Kardashian!
Don't see it if If silly musicals are not your thing. The African American Experiance is the shape wear that creates the plays interesting foundation . Read more
See it if You want a rowdy, funny, entertaining show, the things that make a musical -a musical. Great singing & staging. I had a blast!
Don't see it if You want drama, a serious show or a thought provoking-question the meaning of life show. There is too much fun here to find that.
See it if fun new musical celebrating the incredible power of a wild imagination. A Wild West tale that leans into stereotypes to ultimately empower.
Don't see it if you want a clear narrative arc (the story rambled at times) or a traditional musical (though the music and the voices were incredible).
Critic Reviews (28)
"If the premise sounds a bit bizarre, it is, but it is very absorbing, thanks to sharp direction by O'Hara...Childs reaches into American history and comes up with a whole new cast of characters...The playwright has created such a fascinating world...'Bella' evokes humor in the same kind of dark fairy tale dreamworld which I particularly enjoy...The musical starts to wander and drag toward the end. Some editing (and a trimming of the some 30 musical numbers) can fix this."
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"Dramaturgically speaking there are some bumps, particularly in the second act. I saw the show early in its run, and there are a couple of numbers that stop the show in the wrong way; they seem out of place and/or aren't the full-fledged 11 o'clock numbers they aim to be. Still, I was taken with this celebration of a different take on beauty...'Bella' is telling another American story, not just by people who aren't usually in the story but about people who aren't usually part of the story."
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“The show never sets on a consistent tone, nor does it successfully bring all the disparate strands of the story together. The result is episodic, sprawling, and wan…The whimsy of Childs’ story falls a bit flaccid in O’Hara’s static treatment of the material. The second act is especially loose, and could easily have been trimmed by 20 to 30 minutes…Child’s lyrics show considerable craft…There’s enough here in 'Bella' to make me hope that Childs keeps writing."
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"There’s so much to like! The cast for one thing...Some of the songs are simply wonderful...Story and character and craft and skill and meaning add up to crap...Director O’Hara has to work a damn hard to make this 'tall tale' make some kind of sense. He only partway succeeds...A show that can’t make up its mind whether it’s serious or comic...But it’s fun and it’s tuneful and silly, and if you don’t mind not being able to figure it all out, it’s worth seeing just for the splendid performances."
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