Carmelina

See it if you like old fashioned musicals revived by very talented folks.Andrea Burns is a delight.

Don't see it if you are looking for something edgy.This is just pure old fashioned fun. Terrific score, great performances.

See it if you are a fan of Lerner or if you just want to hear two of his rarely performed love songs.

Don't see it if You're expecting My Fair Lady or Camelot. This piece is lovely, but not traffic-stopping like MFL/C.

Also The York is the champion company for keeping this show music alive, and they did a great job again with this offering. I encourage you to see the rest of their season of Lerner tributes. Also included were two delightful evenings exploring the genesis of the above shows by theatre historian Charles Troy. They were well received and brilliantly presented.

The York never disappoints -- catch up with them.... Read more Read less

See it if You like to see shows that were shunned originally get remastered to shine, even if for only a short time

Don't see it if You like flash and dazzle, that's not what Mufti is about

See it if you want an original score Mamma Mia story and don't mind a rough version, as it is not fully staged.

Don't see it if you don't like sappy love stories.

See it if You want to see a classic musical that's sweet, funny, and just a good time.

Don't see it if You want theatre that will profoundly move you - this is theatre fluff at its fluffiest.

See it if you want to see a beautifully sung, quite amusing staged reading of a charming piece. Wonderful cast. I had never heard of it but loved it!

Don't see it if you don't like staged readings. The cast holds their scripts and staging is rudamentary. But the cast is so wonderful, you should still go!

See it if you like musicals. Despite the spare set and no costumes, this show is very engaging. Great talent and cleaver lyrics carry the show.

Don't see it if you don't like heart warming shows. The plot kind of peters out with a hokey resolution. But that does not matter too much.

See it if you are open to the mufti style and want to see a solid production of a rarely-done show.

Don't see it if you dislike shows that have a very pat ending or if you prefer a big fancy showbiz-type musical.

Also Andrea Burns is CRAZY talented. The plot of the show was fun, but the songs haven't really stuck with me. A fun, fluffy show overall.... Read more Read less

See it if Delightful and unexpected since it closed in days after opening on Broadway. Hard to believe. Great singing using clever lyrics and acting.

Don't see it if Not for you if you disliked Mama Mia. No nonsense funny but not for the serious.

See it if You like musicals.

Don't see it if Old-fashioned songs is not your style.

See it if You like charming love stories. Beautiful songs.

Don't see it if You dislike romantic musicals.

See it if you haven't seen any other muftis at the York so aren't expecting something up to their usual caliber

Don't see it if you were expecting a more polished mufti experienced, better singing from the male lead, better score/script, etc.

Also I am perfectly okay seeing old-fashioned, dated musicals with problematic script and story elements when viewed in today's society. However, they need to have some redeeming qualities! The score was forgettable and the acting/singing/general commitment to the performance was nowhere near what it's been in muftis like Subways are for Sleeping and Big. Not sure why the York has done this show three times!... Read more Read less

See it if you like delightful musicals and great singing

Don't see it if you don't like delightful musicials and great singing

Also Hurry up - it is closing Feb 3rd.
This is the York Theatre Musicals in Mufti series - the poor man's Encores.
A failed Broadway musical makes a delightful off Broadway concert version.... Read more Read less

See it if you enjoy a charming/funny/delightful musical on a small scale. Joey does indeed steal the show as Vittorio. It's just what is needed now.

Don't see it if you need a lavish set/costumes. Silly you, they are not needed.

See it if You love Alan Lerner (and if you don't there is something very wrong with you), you enjoy light, funny, sweet musicals.

Don't see it if You require musicals to have a deep message or dislike staged concerts of musicals .

Also Carmelina is pure joy. Wonderful singers and actors perfectly cast, who understand the spirit of this flop by Alan Lerner. Apparently the NYT review was so vicious, the show never had a chance to find its legs. Also my Broadway critic friend says the show was a casualty of shifting tastes.
Andrea Burns plays the lovable protagonist, a widow in a tiny Italian town who spurns the advances of the smitten smalltown man. It's a musical version of Buono Sera, Mrs. Campbell (which is similar to Mamma Mia). Book by Joseph Stein and Lerner, with music by Burton Lane.
Antonio Cipriano, a high school musical theater star (Jimmy nominee, other awards) opens the show with a song (and accompanies himself on guitar) as he walks enters from the top of the stairs. Timothy John Smith, making his York Theatre debut, is hilarious as one of the three WWII vets with whom Carmelina had an affair. I loved everything about this show and left with a smile on my face (after a miserable morning). A happy pill!... Read more Read less

See it if You love pidgin-Italian accents.

Don't see it if You don't like pidgin-Italian accents and are irritated by books that don't go beyond blackout-sketch bad sitcom writing.

Also The York has done CARMELINA three times?! Why?! Except for a pleasant, well-constructed plot number called "Someone in April", the score is Lerner and Lane's attempt at a MOST HAPPY FELLA-esque "exotic" Italian piece. They fail mightily. The poor actors, the poor musicians, the poor audience...... Read more Read less

See it if Broadway history of Lerner or Lane or what-went-wrong’s is part of your passion.

Don't see it if You want more than a light-hearted sketch of a story.

See it if you love Lerner's work; you enjoy very clever comedy with wonderful music by Lane

Don't see it if you are expecting a big splashy musical (though Mamma Mia is that). It's a great mini-musical with wonderful characters.

See it if You're a musical theater completist -- i.e., you want to see flop or forgotten shows by greats like Alan Jay Lerner.

Don't see it if You have no tolerance for shows that are not thoroughly well-structured and well-acted. This one has flaws!

Also A great performance by Anne Nathan (as the maid). Some genuinely funny dialogue...I'm guessing those lines were by Joseph Stein. A heartfelt effort as usual by the York. There is some nice singing. But the portrayal of the daughter is weak, and the 2nd act has a practically nonexistent plot -- all of a sudden the conflict's resolved basically by a shrug. And this premise is, how shall I put this, icky. An underage girl had sex with 3 men within a matter of weeks and got pregnant; for years she's taken money from all of them, including the two who are not the child's father (and lied to everyone she knows); the question of paternity is never resolved. This premise was icky back when it was just a 1960s sex farce, even if you were entertained by it (the source material, movie "Buona Sera Mrs. Campbell"), but we've gotten more sensitive & enlightened year by year -- the musical was already problematic when it originated in 1979, but now in the 21st century, fuhgeddaboudit... Read more Read less

See it if If you like musicals, you'll love Carmelina! This production is perfect in every way. We haven't laughed this much in ages! Beautiful music

Don't see it if The only reason someone wouldn't like this show is if they don't like musicals!

Also The story is hilarious, acting superb, cast outstanding, every song excellent....We are going to see it again today. That's how much we loved it. I've been seeing musicals for over 50 years and this is one of my top five of all time!... Read more Read less

See it if It's Lerner & Lane's music/lyrics that provide the modest joys of the piece which is a precursor to Mamma Mia. Sorge's Vittorio steals show

Don't see it if Mufti series is bare-boned, dated & often just tired but also a needed archival resource & theatre touchstone Carmelina more banal than bad

See it if you enjoy musicals that also make you laugh. Joey Sorge is the perfect Italian lover, and Andrea Burns is excellent as his love interest.

Don't see it if you would not like a comic musical version of "Buena Sera, Mrs. Campbell," the movie, or if a love story isn't your thing.

Also At first I was disappointed that I knew the story from seeing the movie, but the show was just funny and enjoyable, and soon I did not care. This version is not the same one that was on B'way many years ago. It has been revised for the better. I saw the first preview and was amazed how well the cast performed. Antonio Cipriano, who has a small part, deserves a show of his own. He has a wonderful voice and an excellent stage presence. Anne L. Nathan is a natural comic. I enjoyed listening to MaryJoanna Grisso who plays Gia, but during her solo, it was hard to understand all the words. David Hancock Turner plays a mean piano. The show is staged with minimum scenery, and the cast does use the script, but that does not take away from the show. During the talk back, an audience member said she judges a show on how it keeps current events out of her mind. This show will take you to another dimension. All of America's troubles will vanish during the two hours of musical bliss.... Read more Read less

See it if you enjoy entertaining musicals that are funny.

Don't see it if you dislike "sappy" endings where every character has a happy ending.

See it if you want to spend two hours listening to the music of Lerner and Lane in an all but forgotten delightful gem of a musical.

Don't see it if you want a more lavish production (the Mufti productions are more of a concert - minimal props, costumes and scenery.)