Hallelujah, Baby!

See it if you enjoy super-talented singers in a small theater

Don't see it if you need splashy Broadway musicals

See it if you consider yourself a serious student of American Musicals. This rarely seen piece by some masters of the craft deserves your attention.

Don't see it if you are weary of stories about the black experience.

See it if You want to hear a terrific score sung in an intimate setting by a superb cast

Don't see it if You need a fully realized production as this is preformed "mufti" style

Also Umoh and Reed are both in fine voice and the score is incredibly catchy, but the book needs an entire overhaul for a commercial run... Read more Read less

See it if You appreciate great singing and love Jule Styne/Comden and Green. You are interested in lesser known musicals.

Don't see it if You want a piece about black history to be more on target and penetrating, with an ending that doesn't just fade away.

Also I saw the final performance and one of the lead actors didn't show up until nearly the end of the show, so the director had to play his role--which was fun and a treat. I enjoyed the show because of the lovely score and great singing and performances from Stephanie Umoh, Vivian Reed, and Tally Sessions. And I appreciated the attempt to do a musical about black history. I think the creators' hearts were in the right place, but they were trying to cover too much and didn't really get it. Still, I was happy to see this seldom- performed piece.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to hear a cast with amazing voices, to see an iconic show, to experience a "Mufti" show (a show street clothes) Really fun.

Don't see it if You expect Broadway budget as far as staging and costumes. You don't want to go the the East Side.

See it if you are enjoy seeing rarely produced musicals delivered by top flight performers.

Don't see it if you prefer fully staged and designed shows. A problematic book ruins the show for you.

Also One of the great pleasures not emphasized enough at Mufti is the total lack of amplification for we can enjoy the human voice.... Read more Read less

See it if you want to check out a seldom-performed musical from a time when the form was undergoing great change

Don't see it if you need a well-rehearsed, perfect evening

Also Umoh and Reed were outstanding, and an strong but overlooked score was presented beautifully by some great singers. It's nice to finally see what this show was all about.... Read more Read less

See it if You want a show that tried to deal with US racist history. You love Jule Styne musicals. You are willing to overlook huge flaws in script.

Don't see it if You want high production values or full orchestration or huge chorus. Actors are on script, and in street clothes.

Also very interesting from a historical perspective but not really a successful show. Everyone tried hard and sang well but this was not a full production and was less prepared than City Center's Encores! Many cast members were excellent.... Read more Read less

See it if you haven't seen this musical before. The musical does make you think about the black experience during the 20th century.

Don't see it if you are expecting a full-scale production. Instead of a chorus line of dancers, you get just two.

Also Bernard Dotson and Tally Sessions are top notch. What takes away a bit is that the actors do not know their lines without looking down at their "cheat sheet." While I understand they have only 32 or so hours of rehearsal, it does take away from the production. I kept imagining Leslie Uggams in the title role which wasn't helpful to the actress playing the lead. Vivian Reed, who plays the mom, was really good also. See her at 54 Below in February and March if you can.... Read more Read less

See it if you enjoy an old fashioned Broadway musical with great songs, some long forgotten. Young cast of Broadway hopefuls turn it out.

Don't see it if you don't like musicals or have problems with interracial couples and how show business overcame race.

See it if you're interested in the Jule Styne canon; you like to catch shows you might not ever get another chance to see.

Don't see it if you're not comfortable with a show dealing with the black experience in America written by whites.

See it if You love the original cast album and would love hearing the songs done by some powerhouse belters.

Don't see it if You don't like small staged readings of big musicals. The actors hold their scripts and there is no orchestra, just a piano and bass.

Also It's a little tough to get into at first, but if you can let go of the production being so bare bones, you'll find it interesting. Stephanie Umoh, Vivian Reed, and Tally Sessions will make you want to see them star in a full production.... Read more Read less

See it if you want to experience a remarkable and oft-ignored score performed by a remarkable cast.

Don't see it if the notion of white writers trying to capture the black experience makes you feel icky. (it IS indeed a bit icky)

See it if great singing, actors were all very good with good voices, nice staging with an economical space. Lead and mother great voices.

Don't see it if actors went on with script, was distracting at times and limited actors. story gets confusing at times and rushed at times.

See it if to discover a Tony-winning, rarely produced musical, to learn about the AFrican-American experience over a century musicalized

Don't see it if you don't like bare-bones musicals with no sets & minimal costumes or a gimmick of characters not aging as they move through time

Also It is great to catch this rarely-produced show that originally starred Leslie Uggams and the magnificent Lillian Heymann as her mother. This "mufti" production presents the music and songs, but some of the scope is missing without the sets which would help demonstrate the show's progression over multiple time periods--it can be a tad confusing without the visual cues.... Read more Read less

See it if you want to see well acted well sung rarely produced show by Jule Styne.

Don't see it if you don't like shows that jump around in time but the characters stay the same and don't age.

See it if you want to see a brilliantly sung production of a rarely done musical. Umoh in particular is incredible.

Don't see it if you dislike the mufti setup, or are not a fan of musicals that deal with race and history.

Also I would have liked it more if the last scene wasn't included. They could have just said "The New Millennium" and sang, we didn't need to be hit over the head with that 2004 part.... Read more Read less

See it if Interest in hit musicals of the past and your curious to see them because there are no chance of revivals.

Don't see it if a real production is needed and sets and costumes make up a good part of musical theatre for you.

See it if you enjoy rare Jule Styne musical that rehashes another story told in 100 years of a black stars rise to the top overcoming racial prejudice

Don't see it if you don't want to be preached in a show with some great songs, but overall is tired and lacks that magic we all love in musicals.

Also All the characters stay the same age throughout the 10 decades the musical takes place in.... Read more Read less

See it if You are fan of Jule Styne.

Don't see it if You don’t appreciate strip down revivals of old musicals.

See it if you want to hear Jule Styne's score in context & just want to see all that the stalwart York Theatre Company's Musical in Mufti series does.

Don't see it if you want to witness a notable cast adrift. The director Gerry McIntyre has not provided them with any sense of engagement with the material.

Also Let's hope Mufti returns to its high standard with the rest of the Jule Styne season. Tonight, it was hard to believe this was the same series that has provided us with such joys as "Jerry's Girls," "Milk and Honey," "Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope," "Greenwillow," "The Grand Tour," "Enter Laughing," etc., etc., etc... Read more Read less

See it if You saw it once years ago and wanted to relive the past. The actors worked hard and were a very professional troop and hard great music.

Don't see it if You are uncomfortable with presentations of racial stereotypes.

See it if Interested in musicals from classic broadway but don’t expect too much from a bare bones staged concert production

Don't see it if Staged concert version is disappointing, of interest only academically, doesn’t do justice to the original full production