Really Rosie NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (40)
See it if even though it closed - it was a lovely 70 minute romp of youthful jubilation. Fantastic acting and singing by a young group!
Don't see it if You missed your chance. I can't think of a reason not to see this show. Unless you don't have a heart. And hate kids.
See it if you have children or grew up with this show/movie/book/tape.
Don't see it if you don't have a kid or don't have a connection to the work from a child's perspective. Read more
See it if You want to see a show written on 2 levels - one for adults, one for kids. It's especially fun if you know Brooklyn. The kids have talent.
Don't see it if You don't like Maurice Sendak or Carol King, ans no longer have the soul of a child.
See it if you like cute kid shows. Music is fun. Staging was very good. Not my cup of tea, but well done.
Don't see it if you want something weightier and don't enjoy seeing shows surrounded by small human beings!
See it if You want to see really talented kids; band is terrific; dancing is awesome.
Don't see it if You do not like family entertainmnet or are not a fan of Carole King. Read more
See it if you love Maurice Sendak and/or Carole King and you like to see talented kids on stage.
Don't see it if you don't like Maurice Sendak or Carole King and/or you don't like shows with a cast made up of mostly all kids.
See it if You enjoy the works of Maurice Sendak, talented children actors, and enjoyable dance numbers. Kathy and Chicken Soup especially talented.
Don't see it if You want to see a consistent, timely show, with a deeper plot, or only like amazing scores. You don't like a diverse child only cast. Read more
See it if Maurice Sendak and Carole King are a tantalizing combo; you appreciate incredibly talented youngsters; kid lit appeals; you want to smile
Don't see it if you are too jaded to accept the premise of the stories and anything with kids annoys you Read more
Critic Reviews (9)
"The musical 'Really Rosie' is so hard-candy cute you want to pull your teeth out. That isn’t true of the source material...Some 45 minutes of new songs and dialogue exacerbate the problem by trying to give everybody big moments; the result is more like a juvenile talent show than a story...All of the leading performers are delightful at something...But the show they perform is dispiriting...Nor is the staging, by Leigh Silverman, especially clarifying."
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"Sendak’s cheery and charming children’s musical...Its catchy songs serve as tutorials on the alphabet, numbers, months of the year and proper behavior, and its loose story line celebrates the power of the imagination to overcome loneliness. Silverman directs a terrific pack of young performers, who bring both vibrancy and vulnerability to their characters. Caldwell shines as Rosie. The cast also impresses with dance, effortlessly performing tap and hip-hop choreography by Casel."
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"Directed with the perfect anarchic feel by Leigh Silverman and performed by a talented group of teens and preteens who not only understand the dry sensibility of Sendak's text, but also know how to deliver it...Casel's dance numbers are impressive in their complexity, playing to the strengths of each individual cast member...In a world where that kind of innocence is harder and harder to come by with each passing day, it is lovely to see a reminder of those halcyon days of childhood."
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"Sendak penned the teleplay and wrote a fun batch of lyrics set to catchy pop music by Carole King...Directed with high-energy playfulness by Leigh Silverman, the Encores! Off-Center concert production of 'Really Rosie' is a sunny showcase for a talented cast of performers...Caldwell struts with lovable confidence throughout the 70-minute frolic, as do her terrific cohorts...Just try not being delighted watching 'Really Rosie's' dynamic company performing their hearts out."
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"A pleasant if uninspired Encores! Off-Center production...The show itself, which began life as an animated thirty-minute made-for-TV special and was later expanded to 70 minutes for the theater, is little more than a series of unconnected musical numbers...Director Leigh Silverman hasn't found much to spark the show into life, and the overall effect is that of a nice little children's theater production that has somehow found its way into the vast venue of City Center."
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"If your idea of fun entertainment is hanging around a band of super-precocious young Broadway kids, mugging and trying to hog the spotlight, this could be your thing...I found Caldwell lacked the acting chops to find anything beyond a one-note Rosie, and that one note was basically annoying...Poorly directed by Leigh Silverman to be loud and spotlight grabbing, they rarely managed to find much subtlety or character development within the text...The songs excite and entertain."
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"'Really Rosie' is strictly for kids, and, while sitting through its 70 minutes, I have never felt less 'young at heart' in my entire life...Lost on stage is Sendak’s complex tone, dark and full of dread, defiantly subversive, but at the same time beautiful and somehow gentle. Instead, we get cuteness and razzle-dazzle. It’s accomplished razzle-dazzle, helped along by King’s snappy melodies and Ayodele Casel’s choreography, sung and danced by a cast of first-rate diminutive performers."
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"A celebration of childhood curiosity and creativity...Caldwell’s Rosie is a high-octane, belting bundle of deliciousness with serious show-biz creds...Cabral brings down the house in 'Alligators All Around' with some impressive tapping...Silverman lets the kids be kids, not stressing over the occasional missed note, lack of projection, or rapid delivery of a line. Imperfection can occasionally be its own reward."
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