Goldstein NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (150)
See it if You like stories about families that are real and touching and brilliantly told. A must see for all.
Don't see it if If you like big Broadway type shows. It’s still worth seeing though.
See it if Good multigenerational story with some surprising twists and beautiful, throwback songs. Wonderful, wonderful cast.
Don't see it if Goldstein either connects to you emotionally, or it doesn't. The majority of the opening night audience left with tears in their eyes.
See it if You want to see a moving, beautifully told musical story of a multi generational immigrant family with conflicting truths.
Don't see it if You don't enjoy musicals about family history and secrets
See it if You like family dramas a la Neil Simon where characters are believable and compelling
Don't see it if a little slow in the beginning so you have to be patient. Some songs aren't that great.
See it if Intimate theater Great acting, So like the sagas of a family written years ago Clever T. Wilder exiting. Cast of 7 all great.
Don't see it if no weakness in the production but Reminder:. Actor's Temple is a great choice for this play but seating is as expected in a non theater
See it if you want to have a nice evening. Actors were great. Voices were amazing.
Don't see it if you want a big splashy musical Read more
See it if You like musical shows with a talented troupe performing a script based on fact.
Don't see it if You don't like shows about immigrants that are based on fact. Read more
See it if It is lovely to see decent people with all their flaws triumph and make the family unit work: tradition lives!
Don't see it if You are such a picky theatre snob that you let the imperfections bother you. It does not have to be perfect to be perfect. Read more
Critic Reviews (10)
"You’ll ingest more schmaltz than at your bubbe’s seder table with 'Goldstein'...It has heartfelt intentions—and an ideal synagogue venue—but smacks of the generic, and most of its characters are tired Jewish stereotypes. Clunky direction, Roberts’s somber songs and the production’s barely-there design do not exactly liven things up. Give thanks, then, for the committed and talented actors, including multiple Broadway vets, who put across the material as if it really were Pulitzer-worthy."
Read more
"Its lack of ambition ultimately leads to its downfall...Book writer Schulman shirks any sort of dramatic contrivance that would add moral and ethical fireworks into the piece...Roberts contributes a similarly flavorless score that emulates the cheerful but unadventurous sounds of 1990s off-Broadway musicals...It's not the most skilled musical, but it's an unobjectionable one."
Read more
"There are many moments that make 'Goldstein' the musical worthy of hearing...A multi-generational family flashback that fills in the blanks with songs...There are moments that generally stir and interest the audience...The highlights of the musical are in the more human moments...Largely it works. The evening is a pleasant exploration with a sepia touch that reminds one of sitting on grandma's plastic wrapped couch hearing the stories behind the yellowing photos in an album."
Read more
"There's rich material here, but Charlie Schulman's book is too sketchy and Michael Roberts' songs rely on basic melodies and even more basic rhymes. To be fair, there's an eleventh-hour plot twist that nobody in the audience at my performance -- me included -- saw coming...If the director, Brad Rouse, can't make anything urgent or compelling out of these family stories, his cast is reasonably solid...But this complex saga is too cursorily treated to really come to life."
Read more
"With the rhythm of Neil Simon and the fierceness of Philip Roth, Shulman’s solidly constructed and inventive book renders this archetypical premise with an abundance of humor, sentiment, and suspense. Roberts’ music is a tuneful assortment of melodies some of which have an appropriate ethnic flavor...Bermowitz dominates the production with her steely yet empathetic portrayal of the controlling matriarch...A small-scale entertainment that is rich in emotional resonance."
Read more
"The innocuous, 90-minute tuner has some great moments but tends to suffer frequently from unrealistic dialogue and elementary lyrics...What 'Goldstein' does well is question the meaning of legacy...Roberts knows his way around a catchy melody and his tunes lean toward traditional Broadway fare. With such a talented cast he could benefit from adding a few show-stopping numbers that really bring the house down."
Read more
"'Goldstein,' while pleasantly entertaining, doesn't add much to the genre. Its family is rather ordinary and its great romantic secret rings the bell of predictability…It takes some time to become invested in the characters, whose situations and behavior border on the clichéd and whose humor is generally as flat as a matzo. While the lyrics in several songs are quite effective, too much of the music…is generic; it could easily fit a show called 'Smith.'"
Read more
"A delightful, if too easy, new show is manna for those seeking a modern taste of the golden days of musical comedy...It is a small, simple, and tender show without explosive moments or big drama, pulsating, instead, with secrets, choices, losses, and regrets...Neither derivative nor pastiche, composer/lyricist Roberts has managed to write a lovely score on par with that golden era, with its own confident style and character, and lyrics as clever and smart as the greats delivered."
Read more