Loveless Texas NYC Reviews and Tickets
Member Reviews (85)
See it if you enjoy musicals, especially country music. There is a wealth of new music here, mostly well sung and acted with interesting staging.
Don't see it if you expect a refined production. It runs long with the song lyrics repeated and a band that sometimes is a bit too loud.
See it if You enjoy community theater and an energetic young cast who tries their best.
Don't see it if Poorly acted, poorly sung, confusing plot, lifeless and plodding musical. Way too long. Needs over one hour of cuts.
Critic Reviews (11)
"A delicious, if overstuffed, puff pastry of a musical...The music is easy on the ears. Aronson...clearly knows how to write a catchy melody. He weaves them together in thrilling counterpoint...Heffernan's serviceable staging doesn't always compensate for a book that tends to drag...'Loveless Texas' could be a truly excellent musical with a bit more editing and some creative choreography. As it stands, 'Loveless' is a highly listenable musical romp."
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“A barnyard-raising show with unflagging energy…There are too many songs...These people are constantly and inappropriately breaking out into song…This production hovers on the edge of greatness by virtue of its marvelous production values and performances. Though the ‘choreography’ is quite bad, Heffernan's direction is solid…If this show wants to fly, it needs to pare down on the interminable singing and focus on the songs that really matter.”
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“Now as ‘Loveless Texas’ by Henry Aronson (music and lyrics) and Cailín Heffernan (libretto and direction) it has become a delightful country-western musical set in the Lone Star State during the Great Depression. Faithful to the original story, it has a high-powered cast made up mainly of Broadway and National Tour veterans and contains a foot-tapping score. Its only flaw is that at two hours and 40 minutes, it is overly long considering not a lot happens.”
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“The latest entry in the Bardic song and dance catalogue is the…musically melodious but dramatically deficient ‘Loveless Texas’…It enjoys a wonderfully pleasant score by Henry Aronson…The singing is just fine, especially when in the hands of LaVergne's feisty Rosaline…Despite their expressive enthusiasm, several actors struggle to make their cardboard dialogue…and stereotypical characters believable. It's a shame Aronson didn't choose to write a sung-through adaptation.”
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"Though overly long at two and a half hours, the good acting and singing from some Broadway talents and newcomers will lasso your admiration...While the book is so-so, Henry Aronson's music and lyrics are thoroughly sound. There are 19 musical numbers in all, with nary a dud among them...The ensemble acting is uniformly strong...'Loveless Texas,' in spite of its flaws, is well worth a visit."
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"A lively, strong-voiced cast performs to a masterful script and set of knockout songs...Nearly every song in this musical is an exciting tour de force of music, lyrics, and vocal performance...'Loveless Texas' successfully pulls off a modernized American tale that reads like a perfect Shakespearean romance...Aronson and Heffernan have created a joyous, feel-good musical that gallops along like a Texas cowboy at a thrilling, exuberant pace."
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“Heffernan’s libretto is full of holes...Distinctive personality and emotional moments are washed over…Heffernan’s direction doesn’t flesh out the characters. Choreography, however, is cute…Aronson writes appealing, head-bobbing Texas swing, bluegrass, Cajun waltz and two-step with clever lyrics–upbeat and ballad alike…There’s much here, but it’s overshadowed by other issues…Forty-five minutes could easily be cut…Voices are good; acting is mostly surface.”
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"A fluffy and fun spin on the Bard’s tale...Heffernan’s book keeps the action movin’ along at a brisk clip. Heffernan, who also directed, seems to mesh nicely with Aronson’s style. At 2 hrs and 40 minutes however, the story could use a small bit of trimming. Pleasant, but slow ballads tend to bog down the action near the end. Still, this cast is superb and delivers good ole-fashioned country twang with energy and authenticity."
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"A toe-tapping musical comedy...Aronson’s country-western style music and lyrics do justice to the musical theater form. The songs heighten the mood of each scene, whether they be funny, pensive, or playful. The show features a live band which adds a wonderful touch to the toe-tapping, foot-stomping, make-you-get-up-and-dance hoedown that the show becomes at times...The cast are all exceptionally talented singers."
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"'Loveless Texas' took an interesting twist on Shakespeare's 'Love's Labour's Lost' and made for a generally entertaining musical. The biggest issues with this modern restructuring of Shakespeare's classic were that it didn't take a big enough step away from the original in the over-arching plot. It became too predictable while creating too many subplots which became mired in unnecessary detail. Ultimately, the happy ending and the positive messages in the songs made for an enjoyable show."
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“'Loveless, Texas' is an evening of country-western and traditional singing loosely strung together with a story…A melodrama about characters that don’t have clear motivations past money and marriage. The women are weakened from Shakespeare’s version…Aronson’s songs are written in a variety of styles, often with clever lyrical turns. Unfortunately, in most cases, the music is not served by the script and the script is not served by the music…All of the singing is superb.”
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