"Sonnenblick’s music, beautifully orchestrated by Adam Podd, strikes that elusive balance between fresh and period-familiar, and the lyrics are lively. There’s only one jarring anachronism, a reference to the emergency number 911, that can’t quite be explained away. Otherwise this smartly constructed show is utterly transporting...An intimate, aching chamber musical about heartbreak and bliss, 'Midnight' is about bravery, too. And about the kind of battered hope that refuses to die."
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"'Midnight' has the slightly over-slick feeling of a show that’s been through the workshopping process, and through it and through it. But the high gloss suits the subject matter...The show is solidly constructed and well performed by both Bolen and Cohen—and its last number comes with a particularly touching twist—but it’s difficult for Friedman to find his way in the finale. The show both wants to break itself and doesn’t."
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“In this smart, well-crafted new musical as we watch Trevor reminisce about his relationship with, we gradually realize that he may not be the most reliable narrator...The period-perfect score sounds as if it consists of deep cuts from obscure LPs by Bing Crosby and Peggy Lee...Directed with stylish economy by Max Friedman, the show overcomes its obvious cabaret origins to slowly reveal a sly, unexpectedly subversive side.”
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“Wonderfully engaging and ear-tingling score...A sumptuous collection mixing beautiful melodies framing lyrical poetics with jaunty numbers loaded with snazzy jokes and unexpected rhymes - it's the superb storytelling of Sonnenblick’s book, exploring issues of the 1960s gays rights movement in a universal manner...that makes the musical truly soar...Smart and romantic, funny and politically aware, ‘Midnight at the Never Get’ is a knockout from start to finish.”
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"The songs are remarkably literate, jazzy little items that call to mind Coleman's work with Leigh; they display a level of craft all too frequently absent from today's musicals...A remarkable entertainment for several reasons -- the accomplished songs, the evocative portrait of gay life in another era, and its understanding of a certain go-for-broke showbiz sensibility...'Midnight at the Never Get,' for all its showbiz pizzazz, has plenty of raw honesty, and it is a beautiful thing, indeed."
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"A striking little production and some very-worth-hearing songs. And it still needs a bit of work...Sonnenblick's cabaret pastiches are clever and convincing...His music, if not bursting with melody, is pleasingly structured and combines traditional form with the occasional unexpected detour...And then there's the book. Well, Sonnenblick is no slouch at dialogue...You just wish Sonnenblick had devoted as much care to character development and storytelling as he did to music and lyrics."
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"A gay romance that goes sour at just about the time that the Mark Sonnenblick musical, co-conceived by Sam Bolen, itself goes sour...Maybe Sonnenblick doesn’t see the unappealing aspects of his musical. Perhaps he misses the unmitigating facets to Arthur that can alienate spectators. Needless to say, unsympathetic characters have their dramatic place. So far, however, Sonnenblick hasn’t found the place, and that severely affects his musical."
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"A sweet musical fairytale that turns sour, 'Midnight at the Never Get' offers a poignant chapter of pre-Stonewall gay life in the 1960s, garnished with Great American Songbook-style numbers...The latter revelations of the musical curdle beyond bittersweet. Watching the show is akin to sipping a Shirley Temple cocktail only to discover a worm lurking at the bottom of the glass...Bolstering this bijou musical is the sincerity of its performances under Friedman’s well-tuned direction."
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