Kurt Vonnegut’s God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (78)
See it if You love Alan Menken and Howard Ashman's work
Don't see it if You don't like Alan Menken's work
See it if you like quirky entertaining musicals. Great cast & direction. I'm a Vonnegut fan and it's a wonderful adaptation.
Don't see it if It's fun. See it soon. It's a limited run.
See it if you're a Vonnegut fan, a Bernie fan, and Little Shop of Horrors fan, or a fan of laughing during your musical theatre.
Don't see it if you dislike postmodernist critiques of materialism in the wake of the horrors of WWII.
See it if you want to see and hear an early Alan Menken and Howard Ashman score. I miss Vonnegut's pointed humor/ satire but the play reminds of it.
Don't see it if you want to miss a rare and little-known musical gem based on a comic novel of the same name.
See it if You like great musicals based on thoughtful stories.
Don't see it if You need your musicals to be fully staged, and you think great production is more important than great content.
See it if you want a show that somehow straddles that impossible line of being political without taking sides, funny but makes a serious statement.
Don't see it if You want serious. This show makes a serious statement but it has fun and makes fun of itself the whole way getting there. Delightful! Fun!
See it if you want to explore time capsule Vonnegut play that is charming, delightful and funny/sweet albeit slightly dated; great cast,clever lyrics
Don't see it if you don't like Encores productions
See it if You like Kurt Vonnegut. You are fine with theater that has a message, kind of like how Harry Chapin songs are stories with intention.
Don't see it if You don't want a teaching moment at the theater & do want a linear plot. You prefer classical musicals that don't touch on important issues.
Critic Reviews (12)
"An odd duck of a musical...Vonnegut’s black brand of satire is not, in truth, a comfortable fit for the stage...The director, Michael Mayer, at least keeps the careering story line moving along at a brisk pace. And both performers and orchestra deliver the eclectic score with the polish and zest we have come to expect from the Encores! series...Mr. Fontana imbues Eliot with a forthright earnestness that scrubs away the archness and heaviness in the writing.”
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“A freewheeling musical comedy with political themes and a serious streak underneath it all...The songs are fresh, fun and occasionally heartfelt...The storytelling can be rough and chaotic, but that is to be expected with this kind of property...I would not be surprised if this production serves as the steppingstone for a longer run. However, even if that does not happen, it should—nay, must—receive a cast album."
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“It turns out that Ashman and Menken's blend of wit and sincerity perfectly conveys Vonnegut's dark satire...Director Michael Mayer wisely maintains an earnest commitment in the delivery of these lines, allowing the script and design to do all the winking...While ‘Rosewater’ isn't quite in the same league as ‘Little Shop’, it's still considerably more enjoyable and more socially relevant than many of the new musicals being written in 2016.”
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"This material is tops: right up there with the very best of what Ashman and Menken have ever done...There's some serious content at work, and if it's not exactly downplayed, it's given a glimmering gloss through both the sprightly book and the dazzling score...Alas, the evening can't quite maintain its stratospheric stature...A preachiness creeps in...Even so, the cumulative effect of it all sends you out on a high you won't descend from easily."
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"It’s not a lost masterpiece but it’s a mildly entertaining curio…The music is delightfully jaunty and the lyrics are marvelously witty but unfortunately their accomplished efforts are components of problematic source material…It’s all labored, not very compelling and not as funny as intended...Mr. Fontana’s performance is the magnetic anchor of the show…This well mounted revival is a welcome opportunity to experience their tremendous early talents in this work despite its flaws."
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“A sparkling, intelligent, and inventive production...Is the show too quirky to ever be commercial? Probably. But it’s also often deliciously funny and delightfully tuneful...Most importantly, in many ways, the show feels remarkably topical this week of the Democratic National Convention, especially as we meet the downtrodden, forgotten citizens of Rosewater...Food for thought, indeed.”
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"Younger audience members may not get some of the many cultural references. Nor are they likely to walk out with one of the songs embedded in their ears. That said, the Gilbert and Sullivan flavor of the numbers and the overall smartness of the lyrics are enjoyable...This is especially thanks to the wonderfully versatile cast headed by Santino Fontana…Director Michael Mayer has made the most of Vonnegut's dark satire...Bravo for bringing it back and in such fine form."
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"Narrative displays several signature Vonnegut themes, the familiar device of God-like narration (James Earl Jones), and characters found in other books by the author...Howard Ashman’s book and lyrics are literate, specific, and filled with heart. Alan Menken’s music is, well, fine. This was their first collaboration...Fontana’s embodiment of Eliot is consistently engaging and sympathetic. Really, one wants to take him home to mom...Another terrific production by Encores."
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