Octet NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (215)
See it if you're looking for a fresh experience or a remarkable new score.
Don't see it if You're an old fogey devoid of a sense of wonder. Read more
See it if You want to see something different, like acapella, like stuff that is slightly science-fictional, or to see a masterwork.
Don't see it if You don't like boundaries being pushed, or something that doesn't follow a traditional path.
See it if you’re ready to be spell-bound by masterful singing, genius song-writing and a story that is more real and current than ever!
Don't see it if you need an orchestra—this show is acapella.
See it if you have an open mind and like Malloy’s modulated harmonies.
Don't see it if you are dead-set on linear narrative. Read more
See it if you enjoy outstanding acapella singing and harmonies; you think a musical about Internet addiction might be fun
Don't see it if you don't like acapella singing
See it if you enjoy Malloy's offbeat characterizations and storytelling; you like beautiful a capella chamber music
Don't see it if you want something epic and big like Great Comet; you don't like non-instrumental music
See it if interested in how tech’s made ppl faster but not better (and arguably faster at being worse); you’re good at following unpredictable lyrics.
Don't see it if bothered that the show illustrates a situation, rather than a plot; dislike so much cleverness; turning to God fixes all of your problems. Read more
See it if you think the concept can't work - and be completely surprised that it can and does! You appreciate small, powerful staging and signing
Don't see it if creative, original thought is not for you
Critic Reviews (30)
"Yes, the grappled subjects sound weighty—and are—but the substantial delicacy of Malloy’s music lyrics vitiates anything approaching the turgid...Throughout, everything floats on the J. Groostman Faith Center air like seductive perfume. The solos enthrall. Incidentally, here’s where all that originality starts to thicken. Malloy dispenses so much of his brilliantly subtle music that before the final fade-out his score threatens to evaporate into the old too-much-of-a-good-thing."
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"What makes this musical all the more extraordinary is that its score is performed entirely in an a cappella mode...The music, lyrics, book, and vocal arrangements are ingeniously crafted...Finally, let’s applaud the all-around excellence of this production staged by Annie Tippe, the director, who assembled eight highly-talented actor-singers and blended them all into a splendid ensemble...A remarkable new musical to be savored by audiences wise enough to appreciate its quality."
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"Does the blue glow of your computer screen silently call to you at all hours, interrupting your sleep, interfering with your relationships, consuming all your energy? Does your iPhone never leave your hand, whether you're in the office, riding on the subway or on a date? If you answer yes to any of these questions, you're already likely aware that you are not alone! Still, the hyper-theatrical composer Dave Malloy is here to reassure you anyway in 'Octet,' his striking a cappella musical."
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"Malloy, who wrote the book, music and lyrics, has taken a novel approach, staging 'Octet' as if it were a 12-step program in which all the members of the group express their inner thoughts through a cappella singing all the while following the precepts of an AA or OA meeting. Director Annie Tippe has taken this sophisticated mass of brilliance and shaped it around the sensational talents of a small cast which performs miracles of acting and singing."
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“‘Octet’ is more original than most of the entertainments now on Broadway. Best described as a chamber choir musical. Performed by first-rate a cappella singers, it has a pristine sound that is rarely heard in contemporary musical theater...I was surprised at first by the stark simplicity of ‘Octet’...I was reminded that it's not the frills that makes a work hum but the message embedded beneath its surface. And what could be a more powerful message today than the one that 'Octet' offers?”
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“The sounds and harmonies that Molloy dreams up are inventive and delicious...the result is a feast for the ear...’Octet’ is driven by its music, not story. The characters’ problems lack urgency and therefore fail to enlist either our concern or empathy...It seems Malloy’s main goal was to write an acapella musical, and the fact that it ended up being about internet addiction feels inconsequential...The music is a great deal more compelling than the narrative.”
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"Leave it to the talented, unpredictable Dave Malloy to come up with a surprising new topic and an arresting new theatrical form to fit it...Ingeniously staged by Annie Tippe, this talented ensemble of singers have only their beautiful voices, their pitch pipes, and (of course) Malloy’s marvelous score at their disposal...It’s an immensely entertaining show – that is, if it weren’t so unsettling."
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“Part chorale, part drama, part magic. It transcends form, creating a new, pertinent, relevant, humorous, and relatable way of storytelling...The piece itself feels germane to the world we live in today...One would be remiss to not see themselves reflected in at least one of the confessor’s performances...The ensemble of the piece was spectacular...Their voices blended and unified in support of the individualism and distinction of the confessor."
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