Big River NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (115)
See it if you enjoy a musical spotlighting several cast members with incredible voices and a talented orchestra - and an entertaining story.
Don't see it if you only like shows with big staging. Read more
See it if Bravo Encores & director De Bessonet with another fully realized ready-to-transfer production; multiple touching moments from a talentedcast
Don't see it if book is faithful to the Twain text which has multiple cringeworthy moments being faithful to the America of that moment
See it if you love Mark Twain, bluegrass-y music, and lovely performances. Plus, the orchestra was fantastic!
Don't see it if you like a fully staged show with big sets, a standard Broadway sound, or dislike musicals in general.
See it if You love Mark Twain, "Huck Finn," and classic musicals.
Don't see it if You don't like bluegrass or gospel
See it if you're curious about successful musicals by songwriters from the non-theatre world, or in musical adaptations of great works of literature.
Don't see it if what you love most about Mark Twain is his wit; that voice is totally missing in this concert adaptation. Good performances, not great ones.
See it if You want to see a great show that is not often produced.
Don't see it if slavery or the deep south make you uncomfortable. Read more
See it if nostalgic for high school literature class or you enjoy seemingly "light" fare with serious undertones (like Twain's works themselves).
Don't see it if you're a Twain purist and can't abide watching his classic American satire reduced to catchy-yet-sometimes-dated songs; seeking new works. Read more
See it if Nicholas Barasch as Huck and Kyle Scatliffe as Jim as perfectly cast and give wonderful performances. I usually don't care for country music
Don't see it if you are offended by frequent use os the n-word (though it is authentic Twain). I liked Huck's drunken Trumpian father's "Guv'ment" song rant Read more
Critic Reviews (20)
“Barasch, who perfectly embodies the character of Huck, does an excellent job of making this morally ambiguous individual both fascinating and likeable. Sieber and Pittu do fine jobs as the Duke and the King. Sieber in particular, his character an actor by trade, hilariously mangles the words of Shakespeare in an attempted soliloquy...Deceptively simple and totally compelling, ‘Big River’ offers a strong lesson about people caught up in a painful moment in America’s past."
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"Even if one were to accede that 'Big River' could pass as a play with music rather than a traditional musical, the play itself is no great shakes. Hauptmann's book plods and meanders...The inert Encores! production certainly didn’t do the broad-brush songs and ambling script any favors. DeBessonet’s static staging only seemed to make the many dull stretches in both acts of the show seem to go on even longer. What few joys this Encores! staging provided were in the casting."
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"Miller's generous score, filled with bluegrass, country and gospel, is very much worth hearing. Some songs seem tangential, but the novel is so episodic that not much justification for a rousing song is necessary...Barasch is charming and sings and dances like an old pro. Jim, the slave, is a tricky part to play in the 21st century. Scatliffe gives him great strength, integrity and pathos...The production didn't win me over to Twain's book, but reminded me of of how talented Miller was."
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"Though not crafted quite to typical Broadway standards, Miller's songs have infectious melodies and exude loads of character...The book by William Hauptman is solid, but perhaps a little less successful than the score, possibly because some of the book's shenanigans aren't as entertaining without Twain's inimitable voice...The production is blessed with a terrific cast...The stars of the show are the best reasons to see this 'Big River.'"
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