Fiorello! NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (76)
See it if Performance at Manhattan School of Music First visit, super production,talent of performers, set, band, costumes. lighting staff etc
Don't see it if Why does it have to be so far way for us?
See it if Warm, sincere musicals with a delightful score. Fun, and funny and tender all at once. You enjoy an expanded chamber musical. Choreography
Don't see it if you're a grouch. A youthful, yet mature, cast bothers you.
See it if you want to see a good musical, well done, great staging, good choreography, nice costumes, a sheer delight. Enjoyable time in the theater.
Don't see it if you dislike musicals. No other reason to not see it. Very good when most of the off broadway now is not good.
See it if you love a good old fashioned musical with a great score, cast, direction. The players are in the moment. Great fun. Bring a sweater-
Don't see it if you don't like musicals about historical themes.
See it if You like a story told musically so well. The cast is wonderful.
Don't see it if You like drama or true to life stories
See it if I love Bock and Harnick. I walked away thinking "Little Tin Box". It brought history alive. The acting was superb. It seems that nothing
Don't see it if has changed in politics. If you are not itnerested in history or political stories don't see it.
See it if you want to see one of the great B'way musicals of our time reimagined for Off-B'way. An absolute success except for the lead who is miscast
Don't see it if even a Pulitzer winning musical is not your cup of tea.
See it if Classic musical that has surprising relevance for today. Funny with great songs. Fresh take with young talented actors
Don't see it if Interested in big spectaculars or pop musicals . This is small scale and intimate
Critic Reviews (34)
"Powered by a notably youthful cast, the production has a sunny-spirited exuberance...For a tiny band, the score retains its bounce, its bite, its frisky melodic charm, thanks to the musicianship of the players and principals alike...It’s not hard to see why 'Fiorello!' remains cherished today mostly for its score...'Fiorello!' lacks a strong narrative arc, which may explain why it has never been revived on Broadway."
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"A timely work...Despite having an absolutely superlative score, 'Fiorello!' is rarely performed, which could be the result of its book (which is well-crafted but bulky)...The photogenic actors look as if they just graduated from college. And while Austin Scott Lombardi shows considerable pep and drive in the title role, he hardly resembles 'The Little Flower' physically. Under the direction of Bob Moss, the production is full of tender emotion, dramatically effective and highly enjoyable."
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"With a youthful, fresh-faced cast and no-frills staging by Bob Moss, it feels like good summer stock...Moss directs the show with Shakespearean fluidity, allowing one scene to seamlessly flow into the next...While the underscoring occasionally feels thin, the vocals never do...Parts of the show come off as passé, but it's hard not to be charmed by Bock and Harnick's hummable melodies, delivered by an enthusiastic cast. You'll be singing the numbers all the way home."
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"The small-scale Berkshire production is played by a likable ensemble of actors in their 20s, many of whom are too young to play their meaty character roles...There is certainly cleverness in Moss' staging, and set designer Carl Sprague's cut-outs of Manhattan skyscrapers and street signs look great...'Fiorello!' is a fine musical deserving of a professional New York staging. While this new mounting isn't a bad one, it's essentially a college-level production charging Off-Broadway prices."
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"Would have been better left in the Berkshire Hills...Bock and Harnick's score is nearly as good as those for 'Fiddler' and 'She Loves Me,' and it's always a pleasure to hear it again...The biggest problem with this 'Fiorello!' is the cast--bright, fresh-faced young people, trained in all the requisite musical theatre skills...They thoroughly fail to suggest the rough-and-tumble New York of the early 20th century...The best thing about this production is its design."
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"The first full-scale New York revival and the first Off-Broadway production ever, The Berkshire Theatre Group’s staging of the Bock and Harnick musical 'Fiorello!' has moved to New York’s East 13th Street Theater from Stockbridge, Massachusetts. This delightful production proves that not only is this rarely revived show still fresh and witty, but that with its young and vital cast, it is still a captivating, heartwarming evening in the theater."
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"Struggles—and sometimes succeeds—in finding relevancy nearly 60 years later...Despite the problematic Golden Age-style writing and the less-than-consistent dialect work, there are a few performances that stick with you...All in all, this is a thoughtful and effective production of material that may feel dated in 2016. And it is certainly a visually and musically lovely piece of theater—the singing is close to flawless, the choreography works perfectly, and Moss creates striking stage pictures."
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"All in all, the young talented BTG performers seem a little on the young side (because they are) to portray some of the roles, but their talent and enthusiasm overshadow...Highlight performances come from Chelsea Cree Groen as Dora, Rebecca Brudner as Thea, Rylan Morsbach as Ben, as well as Lombardi as LaGuardia...The clever songs and lyrics keep the audience enamored, the timeliness of political corruption always on the money (no pun intended)."
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