Joan of Arc: Into The Fire NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (246)
See it if flashy staging, pop rock music, story line about a strong woman, great performance by Jo Lampert (Joan)
Don't see it if you have extremely high expectations based on the creative team, want a story with some subtle conflicts, don't want a punk Joan of Arc Read more
See it if you can appreciate the show for what it is—an entertaining tribute to Joan and her persistence sung throughout in a pop-rock style.
Don't see it if you're looking for a deeper character study into Joan, prefer a more traditional showtunes score, expect to hate it based on bad reviews Read more
See it if You like historical musicals
Don't see it if You are expecting a blockbuster
See it if you would see a flawed play with an actress doing a terrific job. Some parts very well done. The camp "Many parts" torture song was ODD.
Don't see it if you're not a member at the Public and/or can't get a good deal on a ticket
See it if Loved the music; hope they put out a cast album. Jo Lambert as a Joan was amazing. Very entertaining.
Don't see it if It was mostly sung-through. Some might find the way they told the story simplistic. Confusing at times.
See it if Based on the reviews, afraid that I'd be bored. Thought the staging and performances were excellent, especially by the actress playing Joan
Don't see it if Don't like rock opera or non-traditional stagings.
See it if You're a fan of David Byrne. You like modern takes on historical figures.
Don't see it if You want an in-depth view of Joan of Arc: there's nothing new here. You want to hear a variety of music: all the songs sound alike. Read more
See it if You like new looks at familiar stories. Rousing music and good dancing and staging. Jo Lempert's wonderful depiction of a persistent woman.
Don't see it if Dislike loud music, retakes of the same old, Joan of Arc as a fighting feminist, and feel you know all this already.
Critic Reviews (36)
"Kitsch might be excusable if Byrne had decided to play the story of the virgin warrior for laughs. Instead we get an earnest and predictable account...Exacerbating that cartoonish story is Timbers’ static direction, defined by repeated, desultory fight scenes that never convey any sense of the chaos and bloodshed...And while Jo Lampert’s Joan just about makes you want to follow her into battle early on, her performance strikes a single note and lacks emotional range."
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“A missed opportunity…Byrne’s sung-through score is occasionally anthemic, with touches of Christian rock. It’s generically upbeat and, at the same time, frequently overwrought. The silver lining here is Jo Lampert, as the beautifully androgynous title character…There isn’t ever enough connective tissue between Byrne’s songs to make us care about the girl.”
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"The production is a dazzling spectacle of stagecraft wizardry. In the center of it all is a heroic performance in the title role by Jo Lampert...Timbers' staging, abetted by a creative team working at what appears to be the zenith of inspiration and technical know-how, is equally impressive...Byrne’s work may not tell us anything new about Joan of Arc, but it reaffirms in epic theatrical style the fascination she has held over centuries for cultures both sacred and secular."
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"Byrne’s music is generally very effective, though the lyrics sometimes too literally convey what the characters are thinking, making for some overly declamatory moments. Alex Timbers supplies his usual imaginative staging, and though, as usual there are sometimes too many gimmicks, at least it makes for visual motion...The wiry and intense Jo Lampert is sensational as Joan, bringing her pure voice to the material...An instant classic? No, but it’s not a trial either."
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“It’s not surprising the show is a rock musical. Happily, this turns out to perfectly suit the story of the martyred saint. There’s not much dialogue here. Nor does there need to be. Byrne’s score does a marvelous job conveying the passion of Joan’s faith and the pathos of her fate. What’s not conveyed by the music is delivered by Hoggett’s energetic choreography, Townsend’s ecstatic lighting and an ensemble cast headed by the androgynous Jo Lampert as Joan.”
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“Despite a story filled with dramatic possibilities, ‘Joan of Arc’ often lacks theatricality...Except for a few scenes...much of the musical feels the same. Even the music and lyrics seem repetitive (‘fight,’ ‘victory’). The musicians move around on stage and often that was more interesting to watch than the performers themselves. As Joan, Jo Lampert works hard and gives an impassioned performance, but I often felt as if I was merely listening to a concert, one that lagged at times.”
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“The show starts off well, with Joan's transformation from poor farm girl into impassioned warrior a powerful moment (Jo Lampert is giving a strong performance and has a great voice); it then idles in the middle, and picks up a bit at the end. Overall, there's no urgency in the production or storytelling. Most disappointingly, though, especially considering Timbers's ingenuity, is that if felt like a safe, staid production…The direction came off as generic, even timid.”
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"With book, music, and lyrics by David Byrne, 'Joan of Arc: Into The Fire' is completely sensational....Sensation is Byrne’s coat of arms. His collaborator, Alex Timbers brings his brand of radical, fantastical, and in-your-face theater to this contemporary musical about the allusive Saint Joan...Playing Joan of Arc, Jo Lampert is astonishing...She delivers an arresting physical performance, while snaring us with a voice that ranges from pure and boyish to piercing and ardent."
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