Lazarus NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (95)
See it if obviously if you're a Bowie fan, you like very cerebral, pretentious work
Don't see it if you're not a fan of the Emperor's new clothes
See it if you like Bowie or visually inventive theater, and if you don't mind a story that is slow, silly, and often amateurishly written and acted.
Don't see it if you want a coherent, well-written, well-acted show. This is overwhelmingly about impressive music and images, not well-presented narrative.
See it if you like david bowie and his music and want to see an excellent performance by michael c hall. very confusing story
Don't see it if you don't like david bowie. a lot of the story made more sense after bowie's death. destined for bdwy due to his passing & greater interest
See it if you are a fan of David Bowie's music. Script is confusing. The play looks/sounds great. I was fascinating but wanted more 'something'.
Don't see it if avant garde/modern is not your thing or don't like David Bowie's music. This play/musical is certainly not for everyone. Entertained but '?
See it if you like Bowie's music.
Don't see it if you want a coherent story.
See it if ...you love Bowie, Michael C. Hall, enjoy avant-garde theater, or want a theater-goers' gold star.
Don't see it if ...you are very literal, and only appreciate theater that makes sense. It was difficult to watch but some parts were very rewarding.
See it if you enjoy kinetic performance by Cristin Milioti (Once), brilliantly innovative use of video screens, and David Bowie anthems
Don't see it if you need to see a linear play/play with which you connect or don't like high concept plays (play shows "yearning" in various forms)
See it if you're a die-hard David Bowie fan and like the cast. Everybody's working hard here. Just didn't do much for me.
Don't see it if you prefer to leave the theatre without a headache. This ambitious show is often uncomfortably bright, painfully loud, and hard to follow.
Critic Reviews (39)
"If 'Lazarus’' story isn’t always clear, its recurring themes are reasserted in the text and music. The spoken word feels harder to hear than the sung one—and both are blown utterly out of the water by the brilliant video projections and lighting of the show...In some sense, this is Bowie’s 'Mamma Mia!'; the artiest form of the jukebox musical—far from cheesy, but any true Bowie-phile will be tapping their feet as much as scratching their head."
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"The reason for the enthusiasm can be explained in two words: David Bowie. The iconic rock star, and sometime actor, is not in the musical, but he's written the score, a mix of old and new songs...Visually striking. Musically compelling. And a bit of a muddle. If you aren't familiar with the novel or film, the story's progression will be very hard to follow...'Lazarus' pulses with the energy of Bowie's songs, which range from edgy to romantic, but the evening's stylization tends to deflect emotions."
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"We’re never sure if a character is real or in Newton’s mind. We just know he’d rather be anywhere than here. You’re strongly advised to be familiar with the bare outlines of Tevis’ story beforehand. 'Lazarus' is eye-catching and mystifying - I wish it explained itself more - but certainly never boring."
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"A bizarre, fantastical, and imaginative look in to the mind of a man. Make no bones about it - this production, by its very nature, is bizarre. Very bizarre...The play itself has always been discordant, imaginative, and vague. It's the nature of dreams, insanity, and mental illness. Helmed by hot Belgian experimental 'it' director, Ivo van Hove, this particular production adds potent, strong, and lavish music to the equation. The combination is magical."
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"Jukebox musicals can be delightful. Fans celebrating legendary musicians, new choreographies set to old rhythms, strange stories told with familiar lyrics. Unfortunately, 'Lazarus,' is not this kind of jukebox musical...All the oddness might be worth your patience if it created the kind of truly hallucinatory strangeness you'd think a David Bowie musical would muster. In this case, though, better to stay home wondering if there's life on Mars than come to the theater and find out there isn't."
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"I found the show edgy, interesting and thought-provoking, if a little hard to follow...There is a lot of metaphor in there and thoughts and lyrics about death and dying, which makes the show so haunting in the face of its composer's death."
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"Strands of plot and motivation whirl together in what could be described as an electro-kaleidoscope of text, song, and imagery...The cumulative effect of this the show becomes one of both frustration and rapt fascination. It’s pretty difficult to not get sucked in by the remarkably intense and thoughtful performances...The problem is that even as 'Lazarus' draws theatergoers in, it delivers confusing roadblocks."
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"Darkly imaginative production...a colorful, avant-garde deconstruction...The plot may be murky, but van Hove's direction is precise, and it's crystal clear that the production is packed with talent...While many of the musical numbers feel relevant to the action, Bowie's often-enigmatic lyrics don't enlighten us much about what's going on...Although this is definitely not a feel-good musical, it's a pleasure to hear some of Bowie's memorable classics so well performed."
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