Carmelina NYC Reviews and Tickets

“Leeds directs the York's latest visit to this underappreciated effort, a very enjoyable book-in-hand production featuring a terrific cast...Burns gives a gutsy, dramatically sung performance as the title character...The score features the catchy, Neapolitan-styled ‘It's Time For A Love Song’, a wonderfully-structured story-telling selection, ‘Someone In April’...Certainly, ‘Carmelina’ is a musical that deserves at least one more walk around the garden.”
Read more

"No justification is needed for an entertainment as charming and tuneful as this...The show had only thirty-six hours of rehearsals; one imagines that, had he had more time, the director, Michael Leeds, would have cleaned up a bit of business...But the laughs are plentiful, the songs fall beautifully on the ear, and a show that once seemed destined for the flop shelf now looks like a highly playable proposition."
Read more

“Witty, well-crafted, romantic, smart...and gorgeously melodic...Harman's heavily rewritten book plays just fine, and the score, re-conceived and reordered as it is, remains both a model of musical-comedy efficiency...It's a rare look at a late work from musical masters, and, as much as it's been tampered with, a fun story that speaks eloquently of spiraling deception, fragile male egos, and parental responsibility.”
Read more

"Though not in the same class with Lerner's masterpiece, 'My Fair Lady,' 'Carmelina' has a similar theme: how a young woman reinvents herself. While the three soldiers are under the impression that they invented Carmelina in the classic Pygmalion and Galatea fashion, in fact Carmelina has reinvented herself, also a major theme in the Lerner canon, along with Coco...This charming musical comedy also features a Tony Award-nominated score which deserves a second and a third hearing."
Read more

"It was my pleasure to see this charming show in a well-staged, sweetly performed and beautifully sung production...I was hooked. Burton Lane was one of the great melodists that ever wrote for the theatre (or film), and his score for 'Carmelina' is no exception...If you’ve never experienced a 'mufti,' then you can do no better than to luxuriate in Burton Lane’s outstanding melodies in 'Carmelina,' sung by a talented eight-person cast."
Read more

“The cast is superbly cast, with the fathers getting the best numbers. The show is extremely ballad heavy...The York and its company give this show a winning revival in their Mufti series. Musical Director David Hancock Turner makes the score sound lush and Director Michael Leeds, keeps the cast on its toes. Audiences of an older generation will find this show charming, while the younger generation will find this show overtly sweet...Bravo to The York for giving shows another look.”
Read more

“Staging under the direction of Michael Leeds, with David Hancock Turner as musical director, is quite delightful. Yes, the plot may still be a stretch, but the story abetted by some very good songs offers the opportunity for performances that are amusing and also sometimes touching...The York has come through once again with an impressive cast of eight who bring the tale to life.”
Read more

“This is a warm bath of a musical with some lovely, if unmemorable songs, light, comic moments, and romance; a sweet story full of people who do the right thing, despite initially feeling betrayed. The production is deft, direction engaging, voices excellent all around...Casting is spot on in this production. Everyone looks kind of like we’d imagine. All have talent...Director Michael Leeds approaches the presentation with more attention to detail than many other successful muftis."
Read more

"40 years later, this pared down production makes a strong argument for revisiting the show. Despite their common roots, 'Carmelina' is tighter than 'Mamma Mia!,' boasting higher stakes and a more focused character plot. The secret weapon is Joseph Stein’s charming book, revised by Barry Harman and director Michael Leeds. A master at painting compelling portraits of ethnic small town life, the happiest surprise of 'Carmelina' is the comedy."
Read more

"'Carmelina's' strength is in its plot...While the music is nice, there aren't any standout songs and the songs are definitely not up to the standards of Lerner's other work or even the standards of his other work with the composer of the show, Burton Lane...This is not to say that the show is not worth seeing, however because it is really a very engaging and amusing show."
Read more

"Cipriano's voice and stage presence are such that with the opening note, I turned to see where the sound was coming from and who might be producing such perfect music. From that moment, I was drawn into this fisherman's net...The story line is remarkably similar to that of 'Mama Mia'...For this staged reading limited production, Director Michael Leeds has assembled a stellar cast...Delightful little gem."
Read more