Road Show NYC Reviews and Tickets

82%

(50 Reviews)

Positive

92%

Mixed

Negative

Members say

Great singing, Great acting, Entertaining, Clever, Great staging

About the Show

Encores! Off-Center presents a new staging of Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman’s larger-than-life musical about of two brothers, who are fueled by a modest inheritance to stake their claim on a piece of the world.

From the show:

At what point does the pursuit of the American Dream become an empty enterprise? Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman’s Road Show is a larger-than-life account of two brothers—schemer Wilson Mizner (Raúl Esparza) and his more thoughtful sibling Addison (Brandon Uranowitz)—who are fueled by a modest inheritance to stake their claim on a piece of the world.

Their adventure drives them into the throes of the Alaskan gold rush and eventually to balmier weather as they attempt to capitalize on the Florida real estate boom of the early 1900s, with Addison eventually separating from his unscrupulous brother and finding love in partner-muse Hollis Bessemer (Jin Ha).

Yet, though their literal and psychological quest for gold is ultimately ill-fated, after all else is lost the brothers find their bond cannot be broken even in death. Loosely based on a true story, Road Show examines and questions the definition of success.

Road Show is part of the 2019 Encores! Off-Center season along with Promenade and Working: A Musical. These three seldom-performed gems each explore and re-examine the concept of the American Dream. Read more

Member Reviews (50)

Relevant, Sondheim songs!, Problematic book (but who cares?), Great staging, Great performances

See it if you're a Sdhm fan. RS may not be his best show. but clever staging/talented actors delight. Explores grifter harming society.Sibling rivalry

Don't see it if you're not a Sdhm fan (who are you?). Book has holes, but still engrosses. Songs soar w/Esparza, Uranowitz! Conceit of radio show works well

Relevant, Quirky, Disappointing, Absorbing, Ambitious

See it if Late period Sondheim still shines despite shaky book & bleak outlook Male leads excellent but Ha's Bessemer steals focus Davis' staging edgy

Don't see it if Even for Sondheim, it's a dark, dark piece w/ both Mizner bros coming off badly Yet, speaks volumes for current American financial endeavors

Critic Reviews (8)

"Sondheim’s Bumpy ‘Road Show,’ Now at the End of the Line. An Encores! Off-Center revival reveals the tantalizing cleverness and intractable faults of the 1997 (and 1999, 2003, 2004 and 2008) musical."
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"Raúl Esparza and Brandon Uranowitz star in the Encores! Off-Center revival of Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman's musical about the real-life Mizner brothers."
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“Raúl Esparza and Brandon Uranowitz Liven Up Sondheim's ‘Road Show.’ Will Davis directs the show for Encores! in the best production of this musical you'll probably ever see.“
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“Stephen Sondheim/John Weidman's ‘ROAD SHOW’ Explores Reinvention and Resiliency. Raul Esparza and Brandon Uranowitz Star as the Legendary Mizner Brothers in City Center Encores! Off-Center's Production.”
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★★★★ "The Sondheim-Weidman musical demonstrates new life at Encores! with Raúl Esparza and Brandon Uranowitz leading the way."
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★★★★ "Raúl Esparza, Brandon Uranowitz, and others shine in a concert production of the Stephen Sondheim/John Weidman musical."
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"Given that the main characters don't evolve much, 'Road Show' requires tour guides of the highest order. Raul Esparza, in a triumphant return to musicals (and Sondheim musicals, in particular) delivers an almost-vaudevillian turn as Wilson."
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“Does ‘Road Show’ now deserve a place in the canon of American musical theater? I'll take a cue from the Supreme Court and render a narrow judgment avoiding…comparisons to Sondheim musicals with more clear and resonant narratives and memorable tunes…a delightful production in every way.”
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