Scotland, PA NYC Reviews and Tickets

74%

(314 Reviews)

Positive

74%

Mixed

21%

Negative

Members say

Clever, Entertaining, Funny, Quirky, Great singing

About the Show

This deliciously dark new musical comedy, based on the cult film (and the bard's "Macbeth"), tells the story of a burger-joint manager and his wife, who cook up a plan to super-size their lives.

From the show:

This deliciously dark new musical comedy, based on the cult film (and the bard's Macbeth), springs to life in a sleepy Pennsylvania town (population 1,203—and dropping), where a burger-joint manager and his wife cook up a plan to super-size their lives. As their ambitions grow and the bodies fall, the couple finds out just how far they’ll go for a taste of the oh-so-tempting American dream.

Member Reviews (314)

Funny, Clever, Great staging, Entertaining, Quirky

See it if you like fresh takes on old themes - here very energetic with a mostly talented, but uneven cast when it comes to acting, singing & dancing.

Don't see it if you are not up for some camp and silliness-this is not a serious treatment of the Bard's work. If your triggers are violence or loud sounds.

What happens when you combine musical comedy format w macbeth-like story, one of shakespeare's darkest? wholly succeeds in 1st act as send-up, much less successful in 2nd as tragedy unfolds

See it if witty 1st Act shows Macbeth character’s path to become the "Burger King;" clever songs; hilarious use of 3 witches as provocateurs

Don't see it if in 2nd Act becomes overwrought & didactic when has 2 deal w/ Mac/Lady Mac's guilt & self-destruction; Sweeney Todd it's not

Critic Reviews (16)

CRITIC’S PICK "Double, Double, Burger and Trouble in ‘Scotland, PA’: When 'Macbeth' meets McDonald’s, a meaty new musical is born."
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3/5 Stars "Gwon and Mitnick don't seem attuned to how greed and comeuppance hang differently on disaffected working-class schmoes than on restless lords and ladies. Set in 1975, like Billy Morrissette's 2001 movie, the musical feels less nostalgic than simply out of touch."
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"Fire Burn and Fryolator Bubble: 'Scotland, PA,' Is a McNugget-Size Macbeth"
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"This world-premiere musical, directed by Lonny Price and featuring a score by 'Ordinary Days' composer Adam Gwon, is adapted from the darkly comic 2001 indie film of the same name, inspired by 'Macbeth.'"
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"'Scotland, PA,' often seems to have been assembled from a how-to-write-a-musical guidebook, with directions about where to insert the "I want" song and how to bring down the curtain on Act I. It has everything but inspiration and a point of view."
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"'Scotland, PA' is ragged around the edges, marred by character motivations that don't always make sense and changes of tone we haven't been adequately primed for...But how many literate, funny musical comedies are out there right now? And have you seen what's coming in? We'll take this."
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2/5 Stars "The problem the musical presents: the strong resemblance between it and the much superior 'Little Shop of Horrors,' which, by dizzy coincidence, is running in a picture-perfect revival only a few blocks west."
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3/5 Stars "Cute, okay, pleasant, not bad. You've seen better musicals than this one, but heavens know you've seen plenty worse."
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"There have been many adaptation of Shakespeare's 'Macbeth' but none of them probably as entertaining as the new musical 'Scotland, PA.' Presented in the cartoon style of 'The Little Shop of Horrors,' the show does not break any new ground but proves to be a fun evening."
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"The show's best song 'Why I Love Football,' sung by Duncan's troubled teenaged son (Will Meyers in a very impressive New York theater debut), is likely to have a long life in cabaret."
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"The language has almost entirely gone missing...Still the Bard, doesn't belong to any single class, race, creed, or geographical locale. He belongs to anybody with the imagination to transplant his tales to fresh new places. And...that now includes the little town of Scotland, PA."
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"Gun Violence Abounds in the Experimental Digital Puppetry Show 'FEAR IN THE WESTERN WORLD' at Target Margin Theater"
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"It is basically a 'Little Shop of Horrors' meets 'American Psycho' without the brilliant music and lyrics, and with much less blood and carnage. It is not the worst musical to be seen but is extremely far from being the best."
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"There is one spectacularly funny moment…Despite a cast and creative team of Broadway pros, everything else…is, at best, just ok. The transposition of Shakespeare's tragedy into a skit-like comedy is done competently…but .you'll be forgiven for wondering: What's the point?"
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"'Scotland, PA' plays it safe, with laugh-lines that could be followed by a laugh track and characters that rarely challenge or surprise. It's an enjoyable experience, but it can't escape the feeling that something urgent is missing.:
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