Ernest Shackleton Loves Me NYC Reviews and Tickets
Member Reviews (247)
See it if You like romantic comedies. This is sort of like one of those but with a bit of an odd history channel vibe thing going on. I liked it.
Don't see it if You're not prepared to sit through a bit of a mishmash. Could use a better hand at direction. You end up caring more about him than her.
See it if your imagination is ready to work overtime. This fay exploration of history is a testament to romantic madness. Well done.
Don't see it if you are expecting realistic biography or historical truth. This is fun but a bit long.
See it if you enjoy an unusual plot with very talented actors. I really did not know what would happen next.
Don't see it if you enjoy a traditional plot or a serious play.
See it if you want to laugh and hear great violin playing. Story is very funny. The actors were great.
Don't see it if I see not reason not to see this. Read more
See it if partners 85 my 80 talent is great, singing and playing many musical instruments projections are good.
Don't see it if not big enough for the stage. story "kinda" of hard to believe although good attempt.
See it if you think you've seen it all. This is non-traditional, quirky, and unique, but also has depth. Have fun with it.
Don't see it if you prefer traditional theatre or aren't into experimental, contemporary art. Read more
See it if Fun for a while, both leads are talented and charming. Fantasy interaction with the explorer Ernest Shackleton,
Don't see it if Story is soft and fluffy, great for a 15-20 minute vignette. Music is repetitious and becomes boring. Third play to demonstrate looping.
See it if Have 90 minutes to kill.
Don't see it if You don't have 90 minutes to kill
Critic Reviews (25)
"Vigoda and Milburn's works mix the snarky and the sentimental. Under Lisa Peterson’s focused direction, 'Ernest Shackleton' is no exception...With the exception of a cheerily disjointed opening number, the score and the narrative that encases it are too tidy to allow for much real feeling. Kat is supposedly an experimental composer, but most of the music is merry pastiche...If Mr. DiPietro’s premise is nicely weird, his psychology and story rarely buck convention."
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"A bighearted but very silly musical...Brendan Milburn’s music is lovely, and the two actors sound great performing it...The painfully broad humor in Joe DiPietro’s script only heightens the feeling that we’re watching an after-school special for grown-ups. But 'Ernest Shackleton Loves Me' is so clearly a labor of love that it’s hard to be too bothered by the cartoonishness, even as the show sails into shallow waters."
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"Under the direction of Peterson, this NY premiere proudly waves its freak flag, and, perhaps taking a clue from the adventures of the title character, boldly dares to risk its life in the admirable search for innovation...While Vigoda and McCollum don't have much romantic chemistry, they're both delightfully quirky performers who really know how to sell the material...Peterson's direction guides them both into larger-than-life performances that, remarkably, are down-to-earth at the same time."
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“A wildly fun and unpredictable new two-person musical comedy…As played by the energetic and charismatic Valerie Vigoda, Kat is really quite a catch. Vigoda also wrote the clever, storytelling lyrics…Add a solidly quirky book by Joe DiPietro and a spirited production by director Lisa Peterson, and ‘Ernest Shackleton Loves Me’ is just as lovable as musicals come…The plot may be thin, but the enjoyable score is a terrific mix of pop, folk and techno...This one will melt your heart.”
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"Under Peterson's canny direction, this bizarre premise is so smoothly put over that there are many things to enjoy...The exchanges between a frazzled twenty-first century woman and her Edwardian explorer are often amusing...The idea of using this historical event as a way of working out Kat's personal problems is so weirdly random that often one's mind wanders...A confident production with many crowd-pleasing aspects, but it is built on a questionable concept."
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"There is little by way of set design beyond the large video installation and a few props, but imagination and the energetic performances take care of the rest. Musically, the show is filled with thumping songs ranging from pop tunes to sea chanteys to soaring power ballads...Corny, perhaps, but the performances are so splendid, that you will find it hard to resist all of the positive energy that pours off the fine co-stars."
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“Chelsea Cook's costumes are completely realistic, but Nichols' physical set with its scaffolding and onstage equipment never lets us forget that we are in a theater, not on an adventure since his lighting never blocks anything out. Lisa Peterson's direction is smooth but she is unable to turn the show into something that it isn't. ‘Ernest Shackleton Loves Me’ requires a great deal of suspension of disbelief but may charm those who easily succumb to whimsy.”
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"A lot of silliness but it’s funny and clever storytelling...We follow Shackleton and Kat through Antarctica, hear some new-age music, see some terrific technology and witness some of the best performances I’ve seen in a long time. McCollum, with a twinkle and grin, blessed with a rich voice and good acting chops, should go on to be theater’s next new leading man while Vigoda is a genius electric violinist and actor. Thanks to director Lisa Peterson, the show vibrates and resonates."
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