Broadbend, Arkansas

See it if u want to hear two spectacular singers perform a chamber musical parable about the multi-generational effects of the Civil Rights movement.

Don't see it if you expect a concise story, a taut narrative, profundity or splashy staging.

Also With some tightening of the narrative and the character motivation (especially in Act I), this will have a terrific shelf-life and can be a powerful showcase for talented performers (as it is for Jason Cunningham & Danyel Fulton).
And kudos to the terrific orchestra!
(Also... Does anyone else think that the music was HEAVILY inspired by Sondheim?)... Read more Read less

See it if you really love great voices. Justin Cunningham can make you swoon.

Don't see it if you want a show with a strong book and consistently strong score and lyrics

Also The first few scenes of this show got better and better and then that storyline was deserted and the show went off the rails.

Even the characters questioned what they were doing after the first story concluded. We all knew where the author wanted to go. we just weren't sure why we were going there. The book leaves you totally confused with five almost non intersecting storylines. Each could have been a fine play by itself, but together they are a mess.

Jennifer Schriever's Lighting Design is once again incredible and Walter Trarbach's Sound Design makes the audience appreciate his skills.... Read more Read less

See it if Two beautifully-written interrelated one-act solo operettas. One family's involvement in the Civil Rights movement and its repercussions.

Don't see it if you don't enjoy thoughtful, intimate musicals

See it if You want to see any production of it because you've never seen it. It wasn't bad,there was some very good acting.I think the story itself is

Don't see it if You don't want to see a long show with 2 intermissions.

See it if See it for the singing and the end of the second act.

Don't see it if you want a perfect book and don't like weird staging decisions, like actors moving to different parts of the stage seemingly randomly.

Also After the first act, I would have given it a 70 or 71. The singer was AMAZING and it's totally worth seeing just to listen to him, but the story was all over the place and hard to follow/figure out what they were going for. The second act added a lot of depth to the first one and the acting/singing continued to be fantastic. The ending was powerful. With a re-written first act and some better staging, this would be a real gem.... Read more Read less

See it if The music was wonderful and well thought out. Bare budget production that pushed boundaries and rendered an emotional hook.

Don't see it if You want to simply be entertained and do not want to walk out of the theater with a challenge to the way you see the world.

See it if Civil Rights is a topic of particular importance or interest to you.

Don't see it if You don't like one-person shows. This is in many ways two one-act, one-person musicals in one evening (with connected characters/ideas).

See it if You are ok with slow moving stories and with music and singing that creates a solemn mood

Don't see it if You are looking for a fun upbeat musical or if you don't enjoy serious or racially themed shows

See it if you want to experience cruelty of racial injustice fr inside. Ea act is one very talented performer. Gr. musicians/singers. Moving subject.

Don't see it if you want fully coherent, insightful lyrics. Music is lush, but repetitive. 1st story of 2 wh women disconnected thematically. Slow in parts.

See it if You want to experience some spectacular singing as a way to tell an unfortunately all too familiar story of how far we still need to grow.

Don't see it if You don’t want to see a story about the civil rights movement and be reminded why we need things like Black Lives Matter today.

Also Phenomenal singing and an interesting way to tell this story but it just didn’t hold my attention very well.... Read more Read less

See it if You dont care if a show is consistent plot wise. A stronger second act.

Don't see it if If you want consistency and a well written plot. The show wavers back and forth. The first act was very weak.

See it if An emotionally potent chamber musical on generational civil rights & a legacy of a father/daughter's responsibility to it Beautifully sung

Don't see it if Both one-act librettos for the piece are poorly structured; causing confusion & frustrations (esp in 1st act) Once cleared, emotions erupt

See it if you’d like to experience a quirky, personal take on a vital political moment in our country’s civil rights history.

Don't see it if you demand complete clarity in your musicals, or prefer them traditional.

Also “Broadbend, Arkansas” is uneven. I’m rating it as high as I do for 2 reasons. At this point in my viewing career, I prefer quirky musicals that are trying to do something different with the form to traditional musicals; I loved the performances by the 2 singing actors, particularly Danyel Fulton who dominates Act 2, often luminously. But problems with the storyline muffle the musical’s effectiveness in making points about the human condition or the political moments depicted—the 1960s civil rights movement & 1980s disappointment that so much remains the same. Act 1 begins with a black male singer enacting a long squabble between 2 older white women. Some details of this squabble are lost, & its resolution is confusing. Justin Cunningham finally shines as his own man when his character at last emerges to embrace his fate as a “fellow traveler” of the early 1960s Freedom Riders, crisscrossing the South to see that public accommodations were integrated. But a lot of time has been lost.... Read more Read less

See it if Two wonderful singers. Great historical recap re integration in the South. Great band.

Don't see it if Mostly two solo performances, We need the interaction Confusing re: Act 1 relationships,

See it if you enjoy good chamber music and wonderful voices in two stories wonderfully told and sung. Important look at time in recent history.

Don't see it if you want a full musical production: bare stage, basically two solo performances, hearing voices over orchestra, stage lights blind front row

See it if I was very impressed by the skills of the actors. They had amazing singing voices and were very intense and perfect in their roles

Don't see it if However, as a play it didn’t exactly work for me. It would have been better as monologues. Story was compelling but music was not.

See it if you enjoy a masterful and powerful play performed by two wonderful actors. Very simple set but this drama depends on dialogue.

Don't see it if you don't like discussions about racial injustice and violence or you want a light drama.

Also The second half with the actress was a bravura performance. I wish the playbill was given out before the show not after. I would rather have sat a little further back. I was in the first row and had to watch the actors move from side to side.... Read more Read less

See it if Two solo acts that’s mostly sung monolog. Must lean and focus on the related stories of racial injustice told 27 yrs apart. 2nd act stronger

Don't see it if Need sets or elaborate staging. Don’t like solo shows or want a “musical” to be traditional. This is a fresh, contemp style of storytelling.

See it if You appreciate small chamber musicals that are about something.

Don't see it if You don't like chamber musicals.

See it if you enjoy musicals which are different in both form & format. The orchestra was exceptional, the music and singing hauntingly beautiful.

Don't see it if you only like large format, splashy musicals with lots of costumes and little content.

See it if You enjoy great voices singing through the story of a difficult part of our history.

Don't see it if Your liking for a chorus line musical.

See it if Hybrid form 2 person musicals with 7 piece orchestra and elliptical story-telling R 4 U, 1960s storyline of Freedom Riders piques interest

Don't see it if Not intrigued by subject matter, small cast & large visible upstage orchestra that often drowns out the miked singers

See it if A jewel of a chamber musical. Beautiful score played by unusual combo and sung by two talented actors. The story is dark, but uplifting.

Don't see it if Justin Cunningham and Danyel Fulton are terrific. Touching reminiscence of races existing together in the small-town South despite violence

See it if you like shows that make you think, that challenge your viewpoint, that entertain, and that inspire.This is a gem.Brilliant history lesson.

Don't see it if you want sunshine and chipmunks or you are looking for a big, Bway musical show.This is a small show with a huge message and a big heart

See it if Poignant, bittersweet musicalized monologues honoring resolute endurance in the face of a hostile majority. Superb actor-singers.

Don't see it if Hard pill to swallow. You’re discouraged by reminders that every small & large thing has to be rancorously wrested from those who'd harm.

Also Not exactly a toe-tapping musical, but moving. Cunningham’s polished and controlled stage presence fills the space. Fulton expertly handles the show’s climax. Perfected minimalism suits the subject and performances.

See it if you enjoyed The Transport Group’s collaboration on The Trial of the Catonsville Nine. Broadbend similarly reflects on a meaningful, harrowing historical moment when majority rule was forced to reveal its true colors.

If there’s anything that can be called a flaw in the production, it’s that it starts on a low key note. People like musicals for deftly wiping out anything that was on your mind before entering the theater, but Broadbend is not a showtunes-based musical. (It opens with an unassuming story about nursing home bickering on a bare stage. It becomes important.) So try not to be preoccupied with 20 different things beforehand. You'll be rewarded for your attention.... Read more Read less