Lolita, My Love

See it if you want to take this 1st oppty in 40 yrs. Fascinating, stomach-turning show. Gr singing/staging. Good songs. Run time cut to 2 1/4 hrs.

Don't see it if the content is triggering. Disturbing story of hebephilia, esply given 2019 headlines abt Epstein et al. Still, a strong, memorable prodn.

See it if Complex & effective rendition of the novel as a musical. Sickening but also moving, clever & humorous. Excellent vocals & staging.

Don't see it if You aren’t up for a twisted main character. You don’t like the mufti presentation (use of scripts & one piano).

See it if you're curious about the musical & a fan of Lerner or Barry, you want to see how novel was adapted, you enjoy the York's Mufti series

Don't see it if turned off by the subject matter & peppy" songs in a serious musical with serious subject, don't like minimal sets, costumes, single piano

See it if You appreciate nice music and seeing a show that almost made it to broadway

Don't see it if You want full fledge musical with good book and music.

See it if You want to see how a musical about a pedophile--when skillfully handled--can have you sympathizing with him, against your will at times.

Don't see it if The subject matter is a delicate one for you, or if you really don't care about anything but Lerner's popular shows. It's once in a lifetime

See it if You want to see a quintessential mufti performance of a show that never made it to NY . ..controversial at best

Don't see it if Don't think obsession and pedophilia mixed with murder are the stuff musicals are made of .

See it if You want to be entertained and disturbed in equal measure, you want to see a musical adaptation of one of our Great Novels

Don't see it if The pedophilia of it all is too much for you to handle; you don't want to sit through a quite long musical (2:45)

See it if you're interested in a historical flop with some surprisingly great tunes and a compelling frame narrative around Nabokov's masterpiece.

Don't see it if for better & worse, this hews closely to the plot of the novel. There is a lot of talk/portrayal of sex with an underage girl. 3 hours long.

Also It is deeply unclear why anyone ever thought converting a novelistic masterpiece about the beauty of the written word, a book about language, into staged versions. Films, plays (looking at you Albee), and *especially* musicals all just seem like a bad idea. Turns out they were.... Read more Read less

See it if you want to see a show that is SO rare and weird beyond words.

Don't see it if you hate the story of Lolita (I mean, we all know what it is).

Also I am SO glad I got to see this. I think this is one of the best Mufti's I've seen. It's clear why this weird show was a flop, but I actually think it was done as well as it could be expected. The cast is stellar and the show is funnier than I would have thought possible. My only real complaint? Don't claim the show is 2 hours when it runs nearly 3.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to see why this show closed early in the original staging and never made it to NY. The leads do their absolute best though.

Don't see it if You want to see an ensemble bored out of their minds. I swear I saw 2 fall asleep onstage! So lackluster an ensemble it made a slow show lag

See it if you are a fan of little known musicals or like to discover hidden gems

Don't see it if you are expecting to be out in under three hours or have a problem with the explicit subject matter

See it if you're curious about it. It won't disappoint... you want to see some very good direction and music direction

Don't see it if you're uncomfortable with the subject matter of Lolita. It's still disturbing.

See it if you have read the book. Robert Sella captures Humbert perfectly. His mannerisms and voice are pitch perfect.

Don't see it if you do not want a thinking person's musical or if you are expecting Mrs. Haze to be played as Shelley Winters did in the movie.

Also While I am usually very uncomfortable hearing about pedophiles, the focus here, due to the direction by Emily Maltby, is not to make Lolita just a victim. That is not to say that what Humbert does is not totally his fault and reprehensible. But Lolita is resilient. During the talk back, the actress who played Lolita discussed that fact. The first act is perfect. The second act is not. And at almost three hours, the musical is too long. But I still recommend seeing it.... Read more Read less

See it if In a nutshell, great actors/singers in search of a musical. This is not the one. The score is boring-so much talent wasted.

Don't see it if a musical about pedophilia seems interesting; it isn't.

See it if you love the book Lolita and you're interested in truly hidden gems of theater.

Don't see it if you are uncomfortable with a story told from the perspective of a pedophile and murderer. You don't enjoy stripped down versions of shows.

Also Wow, what an incredible experience. I was stunned by how much I enjoyed this show. I love Nabokov, but I had my doubts on how this could be done in a palatable way.

Massive applause to the cast, music director, crew, and everyone else involved who pieced together this slice of theater history and turned it into a breathtaking performance packed with all the same lyrical/linguistic wordplay, intense subject matter, unreliable elements, and dark humor that made Nabokov's original work so incredible.

Humbert's (Robert Sella's) performance was intense and moving while also appropriately sickening; George Abud delivered comic relief with an incredible command of the stage as Quilty; Lolita (Caitlin Cohn, who is in her 20s) inhabited her role with all the angst and false precociousness of a teenager, but with an enchanting "je ne sais quoi" (as the hilarious Charlotte Haze/Jessica Tyler Wright would say) that drives Humbert insane.

Again, SO impressed with this production.... Read more Read less

See it if You are interested in complex musicals, Broadway history, and Alan Jay Lerner. I LOVED this show and would go again if I could.

Don't see it if You are a shallow person without a sense of humor, nuance, or ability to deal with complex material.

Also I have not shut up about Lolita, My Love all week. I saw all three Alan Jay Lerner Mufti shows this season and I loved them all but this is by far the most interesting and complex. Carmelina was a cream puff but an enjoyable cream puff with fantastic performers. Maddie Parks shone in A Day Before Spring.

But under Emily Maltby's direction---and the insertion of a female shrink who pushes back against Humbert's narrative---Lolita, My Love dazzles. I laughed throughout because Robert Sella portrays Humbert not as a monster (we know what a monster looks like: Harvey Weinstein) but as a sort of Greek tragic hero. Of course he's an abusive monster but he's also hilarious and smart. Catilin Cohn, a recent Pace graduate, is perfect as Lolita, a girl of 13 believably going on 23. Music supervision is brilliant (there was no score, just lead sheets!). If you're skeptical (Lolita as a musial?), don't be. RUN to the York. It's never been performed in NY before and may never be again.... Read more Read less

See it if you want to see this infamous flop well-staged and sung! Loved getting to hear this score & the updated staging. George Abud's fantastic

Don't see it if you don't like the storyline; you'll cringe at lyrics such as "who is this viper/who likes them post-diaper" !

Also Uneven book and lyrics aside, I'm so glad York staged this. The score is lovely and the actors are all fantastic. The updated staging, framed by a therapist as Humber's audience, helps a lot, but can't rescue the show from itself -- Lolita as a story may be unstageable. Still, definitely worth seeing and hearing.... Read more Read less

See it if You are familiar with the troubled show and want to cross it off your musical theatre aficionado's "bucket list."

Don't see it if It's a musical about a pedophile-murderer. It's the best musical about a pedophile-murder that will ever happen, but nevertheless...

Also Finally. I am very glad LOLITA, MY LOVE has been produced smartly, sensitively and courageously by the York Theatre. Thanks very much to two miraculous leading players, Robert Sella and Caitlin Cohn, and a miracle job of direction from Emily Maltby, LOLITA sees the light of day in New York. Finally.

It's LOLITA, though. As a musical. And while the score is often brilliant, and Lerner's adaptation (here smartly edited from many drafts by Erik Haagensen) is quite good, it's an unsettling show-- a deeply unsettling show. And a long one. But LOLITA, MY LOVE is here. At last?

To think people were horrified by SWEENEY TODD forty years ago! They obviously weren't in Phily or Boston in February and March of 1971.... Read more Read less

See it if Fascinating recreation of a failed Alan Jay Lerner

Don't see it if If you are not deeply interested in obscure Broadway flops

See it if you want to see a bit of history - a musical that closed out-of-town.

Don't see it if you can't get past the subject matter - hebephilia

Also This show would get a 100 if it weren't for the subject - pedophilia. No matter how good the music, the singing, the acting - there is no accepting the subject matter.... Read more Read less