Fiorello!
76

Fiorello! NYC Reviews and Tickets

76%
(76 Ratings)
Positive
76%
Mixed
21%
Negative
3%
Members say
Entertaining, Delightful, Great singing, Dated, Relevant

About the Show

Berkshire Theatre Group presents a rare revival of the Tony-winning musical about Mayor La Guardia and his battle for the people of NYC. Created by the songwriting team behind 'Fiddler on the Roof' and 'She Loves Me.'

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Show-Score Member Reviews (76)

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don
506 Reviews | 1005 Followers
97
Great staging, Great singing, Entertaining, Absorbing

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?

115 Reviews | 61 Followers
97
Delightful, Great singing, Must see, Intimate, Relevant

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.

439 Reviews | 79 Followers
96
Absorbing, Delightful, Great staging, Refreshing

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.

TT
146 Reviews | 28 Followers
95
Great acting, Great singing, Great writing, Entertaining, Refreshing

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.

232 Reviews | 20 Followers
92
Entertaining, Great staging, Great singing, Great acting

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

209 Reviews | 77 Followers
90
Ambitious, Entertaining, Great singing, Relevant, Thought-provoking

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.

538 Reviews | 80 Followers
90
Delightful, Enchanting, Exquisite, Great singing, Must see

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.

152 Reviews | 15 Followers
89
Delightful, Entertaining, Relevant

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)

The New York Times
September 10th, 2016

"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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AM New York
September 15th, 2016

"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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Theatermania
September 9th, 2016

"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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BroadwayWorld
September 12th, 2016

"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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Lighting & Sound America
September 21st, 2016

"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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TheaterScene.net
September 24th, 2016

"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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CurtainUp
September 10th, 2016

"Refreshing as the cast's youthful zest is, the shortcomings of their performances and the staging—as well as George Abbott and Jerome Weidman's book—loom bigger in New York. I've never been fond of two piano arrangements for big musicals, and the hardly heard violin that's the second instrument here made me more wishful than to hear Bock's melodies with a bigger sound...Best moments are when the entire cast is singing and dancing to one of the dreamy songs."
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Theatre is Easy
September 16th, 2016

"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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