Curvy Widow NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (165)
See it if you are of a specific age and have encountered online dating
Don't see it if you are looking for a profound piece of theater
See it if You aren't a youngster & enjoy hearing about the exploits of others. If you like reading tabloids & can laugh at every day life, see this
Don't see it if You are just starting out in life, & an older woman's putting herself out there, as a premise for the entire show, seems like mere fluff.
See it if You are looking for an funny, original show based on the controversial life of an interesting woman.
Don't see it if You are easily offended. Spoiler: A significant part of the show deals with having "affairs" with married men.
See it if you are a widow or are looking for a girls' night out.
Don't see it if you're afraid of outspoken discussions of women's sexuality. Read more
See it if well done good music and lyrics kept me absorbed
Don't see it if disappointed in that I Expected more humor-aalmost thought the talk back was a bit more interesting than the play
See it if you can relate to mid-life; like musicals.
Don't see it if you don't like a lot of dialogs. Read more
See it if If you like musicals in intimate settings...and enjoy fluffy musical numbers by older performers
Don't see it if You think you will be seeing something edgy and current...because it isn't...NYT overrated the show...set the expectations too high
See it if you want to see a show that is not afraid to delve into the sex life and dating habits of an unconventional widow.
Don't see it if you don't like shows that are frank about sex and/or do not necessarily have a conventional happy ending.
Critic Reviews (36)
"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."
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“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."
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“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.”
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“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.”
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"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."
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"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."
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“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.”
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"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."
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