Curvy Widow

"The story, directed by Peter Flynn, seems headed for a classic happy ending or an updated version of 'An Unmarried Woman' (victory in self-actualization), and neither promises much satisfaction. Mr. Brody’s music and lyrics are pleasant but insight-free. Ms. Goldman’s book is often witty but decidedly self-congratulatory...Things go annoyingly well for Bobby...The three actors (Land, Muraoka and Shyer) who play all the male characters deliver some entertaining group numbers." Full Review

"None of the characters are worrying much about money, making the stakes feel awfully low...As vanity projects go, 'Curvy Widow' is better than most. Some of Goldman's jokes are actually funny, and when they're not, the naturally comedic Opel usually carries them across the finish line...It is made more pleasant by Drew Brody's listenable score of ersatz Sondheim tunes...It's impossible to hate 'Curvy Widow,' especially in light of the profound indifference it engenders." Full Review

"'Curvy Widow' has a dispiritingly embalmed feel...A musical that would be D.O.A. if not for its star, Nancy Opel. Opel is so appealing and funny as the musical’s fiftysomething title character, who learns to let go and lust again thanks to online dating, that you can almost forgive the linen-thin narrative and cavalcade of hoary humor, caricatures and mis-rhymed lyrics...Like a misleading Match.com profile, 'Curvy Widow's' promise yields a disappointing date." Full Review

"If Opel makes the most of such opportunities, too much of 'Curvy Widow' resists even her well-honed comic skills...The book consists of crashingly obvious gags seemingly cribbed from somebody's opening act in Vegas...The songs restate the main situation without adding anything in the way of melody or humor...Flynn's direction mostly involves moving the cast around Opel, which he does handily enough." Full Review

“A raunchy, occasionally funny, but clichéd, 85-minute musical…The show takes a precipitous dive into incongruous dopiness during a pharmacy scene when Bobby and a friend…go shopping for condoms. Also not particularly helpful is the tired conceit of having the ghost of Bobby's husband wandering in and out...Much of 'Curvy Widow''s appeal comes from the doll-faced Opel…Opel has a big voice that can belt a song as well as finesse it for pathos.” Full Review

"Goldman’s is a noble gesture, and, with Drew Brody’s songs, she’s produced a mildly amusing entertainment that, for obvious reasons, will likely find its most appreciative audiences among other widows looking for hope...Speaking of tunes, Opel powerfully sings almost every one of Brody’s...Flynn is the director and Santana the choreography, and they’ve certainly gotten everything out of the cast—especially Opel—and the material as they possibly can." Full Review

"The production sinks or swims on the capabilities of the actor portraying Bobby. Fortunately that actor is the clear-voiced powerhouse Nancy Opel...Brody’s score is uncomplicated but Opel finds the tenderness in ballads...However, there are some corny and/or tacky moments that even Opel cannot mug her way out of...Goldman, in writing about herself, offers a fully fleshed-out Bobby...The supporting characters could only be so lucky; little writerly attention has been paid to them at all." Full Review

"Opel pulls off a tour de force...Vocally she soars with emotional pathos that makes us laugh, cry, and relate...The rest of the cast all sings, dances, and plays a multitude of roles with panache...The direction is seamless allowing for flow, while the choreography is delightfully simplistic...The songs are fleshed out, lush and take us on this musical roller coaster called life...The book is intelligent, witty, and smart...Relatable, funny, and enjoyable." Full Review

"Goldman’s book could easily be fortified with deeper levels of exposition...More about the fictional Bobby and what moves her from grieving to living would be welcomed. Brody’s music and lyrics are pleasing...Flynn keeps the musical moving at the proper pace and his staging is visually delightful...'Curvy Widow' is a charming and engaging exploration of the balancing act performed when navigating bereavement and discovering one’s 'groove.'" Full Review

"Simplistic fun and mildly diverting...Not shiny or new, but an enjoyable enough romp...Without Opel’s stage presence though, I have a good feeling this show might not be able to sell itself so easily. She owns the stage and garners our good wishes...It’s silly and predictable, funny and enjoyable, with obvious jokes...This is standard 'Widow' fare humor, if there is such a thing, balancing the mourning and dating world in laughter and pathos." Full Review

"Opel deserves to be up for this new season’s awards for her dynamic, captivating performance in 'Curvy Widow,' with a clever book and lively music and lyrics...The various encounters are hilarious, whether in dialogue or songs expressing her dismay...One ploy annoys me. In the midst of her adventures her dead husband materializes a few times...It’s an old idea, and it becomes gimmicky...The high spirits of the production and the energetic delivery of the songs combine to be entertaining." Full Review

“Basically a vanity project…And yet, the show's strong sense of the you-go-older-girl message it wants to deliver and the forthright amiability with which it delivers it won me over...The production has an amateurish feel…What saved the evening for me was the game performance by stage vet Nancy Opel…If you're looking for an intellectually stimulating evening, then ‘Curvy Widow’ won't be for you. But...it could be a fun evening to share with a group of longtime gal friends." Full Review

"It's refreshing that 'Curvy Widow' openly discusses the fact that a 55-year-old woman wants and enjoys sex. It also has the advantage of Nancy Opel in the lead role. Unfortunately, she can't make up for the often superficial writing...Scenes go from therapy sessions to dates to hanging out with friends without much in the way of transitions or character development...Some of Drew Brody's lyrics are risqué, and offer a glimpse of a subversive, entertaining musical buried beneath stale jokes." Full Review

“Goldman has wisely put her play in the resourceful hands of director Peter Flynn, who extracts from it all the humor, some of it bringing belly laughs. He also manages to keep the non-linear story afloat by inventive staging…Opel’s voice is firm and appealing...The musical material by Drew Brody is serviceable, with dexterity particularly in many of his lyrics. Marcos Santana has choreographed these eighteen numbers nimbly...I would have liked to know more about Bobby Goldman.” Full Review

“Sometimes engaging, sometimes irritating…Some of it is funny, some of it simply tries too hard to be candid…The piece gives Nancy Opel the chance to show off her formidable talents as a mature leading lady. She makes a lot of the more questionable episodes palatable…You can admire ‘Curvy Widow’ for tackling the curves life can throw a woman as she moves through middle age…You can also wish that it had done so with a little more grace and perhaps even a bit more reticence.” Full Review

"Goldman’s book is smart and savvy, punched with one-liners that Opel delivers in spades...And while this works for the majority of 'Curvy Widow’s' fast-paced 90 minutes, it’s occasionally too slick and calculated, and one wishes that cast and audience alike could pause and take a deep breath...Wayne Barker’s orchestrations and arrangements elevate Brody’s score to maximize the ensemble’s talents." Full Review

"Uneven and not entirely original, it still provides a witty riff on a vital subject...Opel plays the titular curvy widow with a certain seasoned charm that goes with her pleasant vocal range like tea and honey...Occasionally amusing but mostly undistinguished songs that sound more provocative than they really are...Goldman's book towers above the follow-the-dots direction of Peter Flynn and the perfunctory score by Drew Brody." Full Review

"There’s liberating, and then there’s crude. And 'Curvy Widow' is far more of the latter than the former...Goldman’s humor is decidedly of the Borscht Belt variety, although I do have to admit I laughed a few times...The songs feel shapeless, flavorless, and feature bland, repetitive lyrics...'Curvy Widow' is the kind of show where you sit and pity the poor performers for the varied indignities forced upon them. One of the production’s few saving graces is its star, the herculean Opel." Full Review

"The show is lightweight and escapist stuff, but it has moments of thoughtfulness as well as fun. It’s a fine part for Opel, who brings to this star turn all of the comic talents she’s sharpened...It’s a pleasure to see a cast of mature performers carrying a show so adeptly, and it’s refreshing that Goldman didn’t feel the need to write in any sweet young things...The score, by Drew Brody, has some run-of-the-mill, generic-sounding songs. But it has a few dandy ones too." Full Review

“The always-reliable Nancy Opel has what should have been the role of a lifetime in ‘Curvy Widow,’ a new, autobiographical musical by Bobby Goldman, about coping with the death of her husband, the playwright James, when she was 55 years old. But not even Opel can lift the show that contains her from the generic doldrums that keep it down. Nor can the six other players rise above director Peter Flynn's pedestrian staging...to turn ‘Curvy Widow’ into something worthwhile.” Full Review

"For almost 80 minutes, the audience is laughing and smiling...The audience loved 'Curvy Widow,' and it’s understandable, given the presence and the talents of the vivacious Nancy Opel...Opel connects immediately. She looks real, and it’s easy to identify with her. Opel is dynamic and has a strong voice. Her Bobby is strong, sarcastic, and sexual." Full Review

“The fast-moving show zips through about a dozen dating experiences – most of them misfires, a few promising, and all amusing. Brody’s plentiful score is serviceable. You don’t leave humming the tunes, but Brody’s lyrics are clever and character-enhancing…Ms. Opel is up to the heavy lifting. There’s precious little subtlety in the script, but the crafty performer keeps the heaviest gags from landing with too much of a thud...Flynn’s spirited direction makes the 90 minutes fly by.” Full Review

"A delightful cast and story aimed right at the heart of our readers...Songs that are witty, current, and pure Broadway-lite...Opel...has a wonderful voice and plays a mostly smart woman...Opel may be a tad miscast in terms of age (with her silvery bob she seemed older than mid-50s) and build (more rectangular than curvy), but her heart and game sense of humor are winning...A summertime confection, it’s a little raunchy and a little silly but above all it’s relatable." Full Review