"The pitch perfect ensemble does its best to remind us of how hard it feels to be a member of society, when all you wish you could do is take a breather. For a show that could’ve consisted of complaints about the MTA, Houser’s musical chooses to be a humanist beauty,a piece of musical theatre that challenges us."
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"The book, music and lyrics are allowed to take center stage, reaching the audience on an essential emotional level, which enables the actors to access the material with determination and conviction. Choreography lends a lighthearted touch with conventional movement in absurd situations. Music is a driving force."
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"'Held Momentarily' is just another musical about people getting stuck on the train. Only it’s the most realistic. In it’s current form, 'Held Momentarily' is mediocre and will easily get lost in the shuffle. At such a short running time, building up the story and characters will be essential for any hope for the future."
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"The New Yorkers in this subway-set musical first appear as flat, ordinary types—yet happily, there is depth and promise after all... Strangely, there’s a conspicuous lack of earbuds and smartphones, the devices we use to disconnect ourselves: A stronger digital presence would have been useful and more believable. Also, Hunter Bird’s direction can’t quite strike a balance between youthful, energetic singing and dancing and intense, sometimes overwrought dialogue."
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"The musical's upbeat, witty take on everyday annoyances and disappointments is reminiscent of 'Avenue Q,' and the ensemble cast has a similar charm. Within the economical hour-long time slot, the characters' back stories are kept fairly simple, which sometimes encourages cliches. Still, they feel reasonably developed, and the performers provide emotional sincerity and realness...The show as a whole still has room to continue to develop, but 'Held Momentarily' offers a promising premise with plenty of room to grow."
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"'Held Momentarily' brought the audience to its feet after a fantastic performance...Amidst the comedy, the singing, and the hilarious 'subway-shuffle' choreography, 'Held Momentarily' makes a powerfully thought-provoking statement for any New Yorker who has ever ridden the train... It’s no wonder the audience fell a little bit in love with this production and I’m sure that none of us will ever look at a simple train ride the same way ever again."
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"This show was an emotional ride through what it’s like to be an up-and-coming adult in the city, full of insider jokes and unique relationships. The characters are deceptively simple tropes at first but demonstrate their individuality well. Some of the plot points are a bit unbelievable, and a birth in a subway seems like a forced way to create a climax; this musical could have worked better with an untraditional narrative."
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"The music is upbeat and catchy. Hunter Bird’s direction is smooth and balanced, the sound and lighting are unobtrusive and work very well to set the pace for the back and forth of present story and flashbacks...But the most appealing thing about 'Held Momentarily' is the well-observed inside jokes, which include jabs at the MTA, the mayor, the social consciousness and Internet dating."
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