Mack & Mabel NYC Reviews and Tickets

83%

(102 Reviews)

Positive

94%

Mixed

Negative

Members say

Great singing, Entertaining, Delightful, Great staging, Great acting

About the Show

The Encores! season opens with Mack & Mabel, which tells the story of one of silent film’s first great pioneers, Mack Sennett. Starring Douglas Sills ("War Paint") and Alexandra Socha ("Head Over Heels").

From the show:

The Encores! season opens with Mack & Mabel, which tells the story of one of silent film’s first great pioneers, Mack Sennett, played by Douglas Sills (War Paint, The Scarlet Pimpernel), and his first great discovery and muse, the comedienne Mabel Normand, played by Alexandra Socha (Head Over Heels, Spring Awakening). Mack makes Mabel a star and love blossoms. But Mack’s insatiable drive to succeed and Mabel’s natural vulnerability—the key to her audience appeal—turn their love affair into a high wire act with no net.

Member Reviews (102)

Ok music, Great singing, Confusing, Old fashioned, Entertaining

See it if Cute old fashioned musical with nice music. Great talent. Enjoyable and entertaining.

Don't see it if Old fashioned. The main premise of love is really tough to understand and buy into. Muisc is not great.

Entertaining, Great singing, Classic, Old fashioned

See it if You like classic musicals, Hollywood stories and are interested in seeing a show that is rarely revived.

Don't see it if You want something more modern or edgy.

Great singing, Romantic, Great dancing, Delightful, Entertaining

See it if You enjoy old musicals. This was fun to look at, done almost entirely in black and white. Great singing and dancing. Large talented cast.

Don't see it if You’re looking for something new or some out of the box interpretation. This is an old style musical done in old style. Read more

Interesting premise, Tuneful score, Entertaining, Great staging/choreo, Talented cast

See it if you'd like a Brdway-quality prodn of JHerman show. Some gr performances, esp'ly Socha/Cooper. Gr orchestra. After, google Sennett/Normand!

Don't see it if you want upbeat; M&M is dark. Sills disappoints (grating, pitchy); 30 yrs older (59) than Socha (29). IRL, 12 yrs diff. Romance fizzles.

Bleak, Superficial, Funny, Great singing, Ambitious

See it if fan of Jerry Herman, enjoy the OBC cast album of the show & want to see how it is staged, wonder if Douglas Sills still has it (he does)

Don't see it if It's not one of your favorite scores, don't like the Mabel Normand story & fact that the book isn't that accurate about her career

Informative, Great staging, Great singing, Great acting

See it if Early movies & complex lives of their stars intrigue you. Dark musical offers fabulous singer dancers illustrating lives of Sennet & Norman

Don't see it if You’re willing to miss the chance to see the show that ran 56 performances then inspired decades of controversy.

Great writing, Great staging, Great singing, Delightful, Entertaining

See it if you want to see a rarely performed musical by late great Jerry Herman. Wonderful lyrics and great character portrayal by actors.

Don't see it if you don't like musicals although in many ways this is a drama with music. Read more

First class production of engaging musical about comedy silent film-maker mack sennet & his heart-breaking relationship w movie star mabel normand; jerry herman (great composer, clever lyricist) rest in peace

See it if wonderful score by Herman; fine choreo & dancing; w performance as Mabel, Alexandra Socha emerges as one of NY’s leading musical stars

Don't see it if weak book/show fades as relationship between M&M fades; never brings 2 life Mack making comedies or Zeitgeist of silent film era Read more

Critic Reviews (9)

"Lights! Camera! Passion! Jerry Herman’s buoyant score is the highlight of this Encores! production about a troubled silent-movie-era romance."
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"‘Mack & Mabel’ balances bright music with layers of sadness and regret"
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"Great Songs, Great Stars, Weird Show: Alexandra Socha and Douglas Sills star in Jerry Herman's Broadway flop at New York City Center."
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"Encores! is doing what it does best with this first-class production of Jerry Herman's foray into darkness."
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4/5 Stars. "A fond, agreeable interpretation of Jerry Herman's imperfect darling of a musical."
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4/5 Stars. "Brushed off and spiffed up, the cult favorite 1974 musical finally gets the Encores! treatment"
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"MUSICAL MAKEOVER: Jerry Herman’s 1974 flop has been reborn and reformed into a splendid show."
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"This production also has its problems, but it was enormously entertaining and worth seeing, mostly because of the Herman score and the delicious musical numbers."
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Trailer

Creative team

Director / Choreographer