Runaways NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (65)
See it if you enjoy ensemble pieces like big singing and dancing numbers like coming of age stories of people exploring and finding out who they are
Don't see it if you are looking for a musical story with character development and plot. This is a snapshot with insight in the lives of troubled youths.
See it if Care about outliers. And like history
Don't see it if You don't like teens
See it if a short run of a way-too-unheralded musical from a distinctive writer with an up-n-coming cast & director is enuf to make you leave yr home.
Don't see it if you want a story & characters you can follow. I wish the talented performers had more edge but given the 2 wk prep, they're all impressive.
See it if you want to further familiarize yourself with the work of Liz Swados, and/or witness some amazing kid talent
Don't see it if You want adults as your protagonists
See it if You like poetry slam type performances
Don't see it if Under age of 13
See it if Hair & Chorus Line had a baby and that teenager ran away with the Partridge family. It was fun 90min. Full of heart & recognizable melodies.
Don't see it if You need a plot & don't appreciate vignettes strung together to form something of a whole.
See it if you like to young talent in the early stages of their careers.
Don't see it if you don't like a variety of musical styles i.e. reggae, pop, hiphop.
See it if you missed the original, want to see a much better musical and pre-cursor to Rent, appreciate emotionally challenging content, like teens.
Don't see it if you want an easy, fluffy musical experience.
Critic Reviews (12)
“Salsa, reggae, pop-rock tunes, chanting, and accompanied monologues fill the theater without hurting one’s ears…Next to nothing about this piece feels dated. Director Sam Pinkleton manages a stage swarming with actors who sit, stand, lie, dance, sing, fight and sign in small groups as well as company numbers without, miraculously, ever getting messy...The wonderful cast is almost all without stage-kid consciousness. Dramatization is dynamic and credible.”
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"A superb remounting…As relevant and gut-grabbing as when first performed nearly 40 years ago…A pulsating testimony to Swados's genius as both a musician and a documentarian of the human condition...The range of the show’s music is equally astounding…All of it is excitingly rendered with gusto and emotional depth…The show is also surprisingly exhilarating...While 'Runaways' was slated for only five performances, it exudes enough energy to fuel a run that could stretch into years."
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"I think most of the people carrying on about how amazing 'Runaways' is are really saying that the original production was groundbreaking, and that they like being able to revisit it. Without taking anything away from the work the young actors are doing, this didn't strike me as revelatory...To be sure, there are plenty of moving, poignant moments in it...But when the curtain came down and I left the theatre, 'Runaways' didn't stay with me."
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"Part social commentary, part devastating drama, part comedy, part musical entertainment, and a riveting platform to showcase a group of extremely talented young performers...Each story builds to tell a harrowing description of abuse, neglect or violence that explained why the teen chose to run away from home...It is non-linear, with no defining plot, but it was an involving, emotionally charged, heart-wrenching and ultimately uplifting, cathartic experience."
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