First Daughter Suite NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (55)
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 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 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. Read more
See it if the lives of the women behind the presidents intrigue you, or if you're a LaChiusa fan.
Don't see it if you're expecting an in-depth look into those lives. Though the book and score are lacking, the actresses are delightful.
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 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 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.
Critic Reviews (32)
"Liberals will enjoy this show more than conservatives. For everyone in between, 'Suite' offers real drama played out against a backdrop of grand opera...The problem here is that LaChiusa seems to be trying to write melodies but the tune falls flat. His vocal lines often features octave jumps that aren’t so much dramatic as they are awkward, more discomforting than dissonant — especially for the performers."
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"Daughters of American presidents are given a satirical going over in this smart, entertaining new musical... In truth, the most barbed parts of the new show are about the assortment of the White House moms."
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"I'm a longtime LaChiusa fan but even I will admit that musical books aren't his strong suit. The scenarios in 'First Daughter Suite' are often amusing...But the jokes are too often obvious, playing to the biases of the Public's presumed liberal audiences. And some of the gibes are cheap shots...Still, LaChiusa is one of the few composers who regularly creates strong roles for women and here he's been blessed with a cast of eight gifted actresses, who turn in sensational performances."
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"Except for 'Amy Carter's Fabulous Dream Adventure,' which traps us for too long in the musical-comedy absurdity of a 12-year-old's dream, the brief pieces enchant and inform with an eclectic mix of post-Sondheim modernism, bluesy riffs and swingy styles that are very much his own."
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"It's intelligent, complex, beautifully sung and like a fool, I'm going to need some time to catch up with it...Every piece featured strong performances, but only the wacky antics on display in 'Amy Carter's Fabulous Dream Adventure' proved what dizzying heights LaChiusa's concept could reach...The musical strengths of each section will need time with a hoped-for cast album to come...Despite my cavils, in short, I'd like to hear more."
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"'First Daughter Suite' is very well sung, and has been nimbly directed in its varying moods by Kirsten Sanderson...But, although an interesting example of serious musical theater, it's seldom compelling. You keep wondering why LaChiusa didn't include Hillary and Chelsea Clinton, which might have at least supplied a sense of immediacy."
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"Here's the rub: The cast of 'First Daughter Suite' is excellent. It's a varied tonal musical about the relationship of First Family daughters and their mothers, often more vitriolic than loving. Then again, The White House is the people's house, not a family home. Men may lust for power; their daughters and wives are held hostage to political fate. The premise is sound but the execution is off...'First Daughter Suite' is too thin to merit the talents of its laudable cast."
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"Overall, 'First Daughter Suite' is an enjoyable musical with enough entertainment and interesting looks at American history to overcome its slower points. The music tussles within each act between strong, powerfully emotive arrangements and songs that sound like they can play in an elevator. Yet the cast does a good job of showing how much strength it takes to be the women behind the men leading America."
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