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 musical theatre adaptations of obscure Shakespeare are in your wheelhouse, talented cast sings the **** out of the score, attractive staging
Don't see it if musical adaptations of Shakespeare would not appeal to you, unedited material drags the show down, seems a distraction from the storyline
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.
See it if Want a light and fun and small production of a Shakespeare play updated as a musical. Make great use of the limited space.
Don't see it if Wish to see Shakespeare as a traditional play.
See it if you like good community theater by an earnest cast with some decent singers. This is waaay too long and lacks nuance, but has some charm.
Don't see it if don't enjoy country, twangy show tunes, broad performances & poorly managed audio in a small space. There's lots of repetition. I got bored. Read more
See it if you enjoy musicals featuring country western music, romantic plot, cute costumes, and cheerful actors.
Don't see it if you dislike any of the above; you can't stand uneven performances, bad sound tech, corny plots. Read more
See it if You like a LOT of melodrama. I wanted to like this so badly, it's a great concept and some of the songs are really good. But...
Don't see it if You want a good story. It is banal- boring, & even confusing. The acting is uneven and often over the top. It was frustrating to sit through
See it if To see young talents earning their chops. Pleasant Non-twangy country music. Slightly overstuffed but some good ideas.
Don't see it if You think small spaces require no body mikes. You don't want to be hammered by the unsubtle overly loud on stage band. Predictable plotting Read more
"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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