First Daughter Suite

See it if you love LaChiusa's work. FDS is highly polished: beautifully staged, well acted/sung, great production values. Stories are wild fictions.

Don't see it if you don't like LaC's music or are easily confused. Knowledge of the characters helps in following the plots. Still, terrific performances.

Also I'm catching up on old reviews. I enjoyed FDS, especially for the spectacular actresses. I didn't love the music, though, which is a problem when there's so much of it! Still, when there are pros like Fraser and Testa on stage, you know you'll be glad you went.... Read more Read less

See it if you enjoy a variety of musical genres to portray fraught First Lady/Daughter relationships; Nancy Reagan/Patti Davis scene is memorable

Don't see it if you want to see a musical that is more than a series of unrelated skits, and prefer sonorous melodies to atonal recitative

See it if You love Michael John LaChiusa and will see anything he writes.

Don't see it if You don't enjoy more experimental music theater.

See it if You are interested in seeing musical portrayals of some of our First Ladies.

Don't see it if You don't like satire and shows done in skit form.

See it if you enjoy the work of Michael John LaChiusa, especially "First Lady Suite>. you enjoy fine performances from a group of fine actresses.

Don't see it if you are not a history or politics fan. Also, if you shy away from unconventional theatre.

See it if You are over 50 or are a Presidential Historian into kitsch. Two acts divided into 4 pieces, last piece is the best and most contemporary

Don't see it if hate cutesy impersonations that may be true

See it if you want to see an all-star cast perform beautifully orchestrated songs or if you enjoy the work of Michael John LaChiusa.

Don't see it if you don't understand the historical context or don't want to see a series of largely unrelated musical vignettes.

See it if you like a historical story told in segments- this was a surprisingly wonderful experience

Don't see it if you don't have some basic knowledge in the families portrayed- you will miss some of the meaning

See it if You appreciatethe great musicals that originate at the Public Theater. Interesting take on American history through eyes of First Ladies

Don't see it if You want a more traditional or upbeat evening in the theater.

See it if you are interested in history, but already know a lot of it.

Don't see it if you don't know a lot about the presidents in the second half of the 20th century.

See it if You don't mind pointless rambling.

Don't see it if You have literally any other theatre-going option in front of you.

See it if want to see something different or want to see a great cast perform

Don't see it if you do not care for historical musicals or if you are looking for a blow you away musical.

See it if You are over 45 and remember - and care - about the first daughters in the White House; you enjoy Sondheim-ish (very ish) atonality

Don't see it if You are too young to know about any of the first daughters before the Bush girls and your baseline for musicals is Sondheim/Miranda

See it if you want to see Alison Fraser being absolutely incredible.

Don't see it if you don't like Michael John LaChiusa stuff.

See it if great song writing. great singing. fascinating idea. http://frontmezzjunkies.com/2015/11/12/first-daughter-suite-not-your-everyday-thing/

Don't see it if it's not that driving and the last scene felt forced

See it if you're a fan of Michael John LaChiusa or any of the amazing cast. First Daughter Suite is smart, funny and deeply heartfelt.

Don't see it if you're put off by the author's past work. This is a rich and inventive piece, but not necessarily palatable to every musical theatregoer.

See it if You love novelty in the theater and love smart lyrics

Don't see it if You need a story to make sense or value coherency

See it if Not the best LaChuisa score but the singing is still brilliant. A little shrill but gamely, masterfully sung. Look out for these actors.

Don't see it if you're expecting a history lesson. This show is disappointingly mostly fantasy and doesn't illuminate much about these women's lives. Uneven

See it if you love LaChiusa.

Don't see it if you're a person who whines about not being able to hum the tunes of a score that is more ambitious than those of Jerry Herman.

See it if You want great performances by an all-female cast, ambitious material; you enjoy LaChiusa's work. The second act is better than the first.

Don't see it if you want something cohesive, consistent, and not incredibly weird.

See it if Usually find LaChiusa too dissonant and detached. Want to support complicated and substantial female roles onstage.

Don't see it if Require plot and action. Looking for pure entertainment.

See it if you're curious about the lives of recent first ladies/daughters... or for a hysterical dream sequence involving two first families on a boat

Don't see it if you like your musicals to be showy and grand... this one is more subdued.

See it if you are interested in a tiny bit of information about former presidents daughters

Don't see it if you don't like odd repetitive stories.

See it if you love American history and political satires/comedies about women.

Don't see it if you like focused narratives and narrators. This is a series of vignettes that are very out of the box.

See it if beautiful singing and performances from a talented female cast is enough to overcome uneven segments. But the highlights outweigh the lesser

Don't see it if First Families or LaChiusa music is not your thing, and despite interesting moments and great perfs, not enough to cover more boring parts.