"'Pillars of New York' is an amateurish and maudlin musical that has its collection of stock characters caught up in the events and aftermath of 9/11...Antin’s trite book establishes his characters with the superficial tone of a 1970s disaster movie....The score is a serviceable collection of songs...Wedged into a dramatization of a horrendous historical event, they’re hollow and rarely achieve other than a filler quality...Though its intentions are noble, its execution is woefully inadequate."
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"As boring as taxes sound to a musical theatre person, is as boring and unconstructed as Mr. Antin’s work in musical theatre is. His music is tuneless, goes off in obtuse ways that are annoying to the ear. His lyrics are so poorly layered that they seem mindless and his book is a pathetically written version of a small section of victims who lost their lives on 9/11...Projected images of 9/11 hit home and make this show even harder to take for the selfishness of it all."
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"Antin sets his tale amid the horrors of 9/11, but his central figure doesn’t have the stature to pull it off...Once we have seen the stark projected images of the destruction of the Twin Towers and their chaotic aftermath, it’s hard to take Jake seriously...Many of Antin’s scenes are credible and effective, and they’re capably rendered by director Jim Blanchette, and faithfully served by the actors. But Antin’s songs seem thin and light-weight in the context."
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"‘Pillars of New York’ is a fascinating, often riveting musical devoted to an exploration of the lives of a small group of New Yorkers deeply impacted by the horrific events of 9-11. These are all imperfect people, in other words very real...We are introduced to the people whose lives in some cases end and in others are forever changed by the attack of September 11th. This transformative event reveals to Jake the amazing strength of his fellow New Yorkers."
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"I was hooked from the beginning by the engaging characters, music and song...This cast gave consummate performances...September 11th continues to be a sensitive subject. The choice to develop a piece that speaks to a collective, sacred event is to be handled with decorum and finesse. Writer/composer Michael Antin has successfully provided a theatrical experience worthy of our time and attention."
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