Songs for a New World

See it if Brown's first musical/song cycle is quirky, wholehearted, moving & earnest Well staged but dancers a bit intrusive Bean & Kilgore shine

Don't see it if Songs get a little political in act 2 but well served by Kilgore Would be more effective w/song cuts into intermissionless 90 minutes

See it if see also

Don't see it if see also

Also There were 4 super talented singers Both of us favored the young Solea Ffeiffer, although the audience seemed to love Mykal Kilgore. (It was a close call for us.) A super 5 street dancers completed the cast. There was and added talkback with the entire cast and Jason Robert Brown as well, that added so much. The songs were great. The A/C was so appreciated on a hot summer day. And, as I continue to say, the sound system is so good at City Center. My quibble is that :It is a "concert". There is no story/plot/ or whatever..... Read more Read less

See it if You love Jason Robert Brown’s music, or would be fine with 90 minutes of great modern, musical theater songs sung by a crazy talented cast.

Don't see it if You want something with a plot, or really hate being surrounded by musical theatre geeks who clap, scream, and cry at everything.

See it if you enjoy songs that have wonderful lyrics. Interesting staging and use of dance.

Don't see it if you like songs with lush melodies. The lyrics of each song tell a story. Intelligent songs and well sung.

Also Great cast with wonderful individual performances. This show attracted a younger audience. The young people around me really got involved with the lyrics.... Read more Read less

See it if you want to hear some of JR Brown's earlier work. Shoshana Bean & Mykal Kilgore steal the show mainly because they have the best material.

Don't see it if you need a plot. This is a collection of story songs. Some of the songs connect even though they are in different parts of the show.

Also I was concerned with the inclusion of dancers. However, they were used quite well throughout the evening.... Read more Read less

See it if Perfectly cast singers for an enchanting song cycle. The audience went wild. Brown's songs are 23 years old but very current.

Don't see it if Mykal Kilgore was wonderful. Shoshana Bean is terrific, too. Quirky dancers added pizzazz. Orchestrations and on-stage band were a big plus

Also I attended the "Lobby Project" before the show. The Civilians interviewed Jason Robert Brown and the original cast; took their comments verbatim; set them to original music and created a 30 minute musical about the birth of "Songs for a New World." Piano plus four singers replicating the cast in the main show. It was an extra special prelude to a stirring evening.... Read more Read less

See it if Amazing cast. Kilgore is giving a Tony-worthy performance, Bean is hilarious as Mrs. Claus, Pfeiffer sounds angelic. A breath of fresh air.

Don't see it if you want story arc or you only like straightforward singing. There are lots of riffs and runs and the actors really make the songs their own

See it if Its 2 hours of pure singing. Four performers with different niches. Each assuming his role perfectly. Voices meld (usually) brilliantly.

Don't see it if You want a straightforward narrative. You dont want a young, loud enthusiastic audience.

Also Kilgore is the obvious star here and Shoshona Bean and Donnell yield the stage for his star turns. Pfeiffer shows her inexperience by trying to out sing, out shine him. However, in the various combos it is Donnell's voice which hold the center and creates the strong bottom. Bean as always adds color and comic timing. But its all beauty when she renders The Stars and the Moon unforgettable. I have only heard Christmas Lullaby once (sung by Kelli O'Hara at subculture) and Pfeiffer sang it beautifully, simply and ws not left in the shade. I dont have to say anything about Kilgore as he has been the highlight of every published review. He lived up to the reviews. The staging sometimes felt intrusive to me, I didn't love most of the dancing as it was distracting. The lighting was gorgeous and the sound exquisite. The band was as good as you would expect from City Center, and the pianist at times brilliant, but I was a bit disappointed in the orchestration as JRB
reworked it.... Read more Read less

See it if you are a fan of Encores. This is a fine example of what they do best. Minimal but brilliant staging, expertly performed by a great cast.

Don't see it if you want more than just a song cycle. There is no through story line & the individual numbers have little or no connection to each other.

Also There was a talk back after the show with Brown that gave insight into his process and progression. Very interesting.... Read more Read less

See it if you want some of the best singing and dancing on stage right now. Shame it's only here thru Sat.

Don't see it if you don't like review or cabaret style musicals. There is no story.

Also A joy to see so many young people in the audience for a B'way composer's musicl... Read more Read less

See it if This was a must-see for fans of the album or for anyone who wanted to see something rarely done. An incredible cast.

Don't see it if you aren't familiar with the score–it would still be enjoyable but this is very much a cult favorite.

See it if you love JRB! Great music. Shoshana Bean's Surabaya Santa hysterical & Mykal Kilgore's Flying Home stopped the show!

Don't see it if you want a story, or a related themes. If a great dance ensemble that completely upstage the singers bothers you.

Also Jason Robert Brown's album was released today, so the highlight of the evening was an interview with him after the show, and he sang us a song from the album. WOW. He was charming and funny and the song had me in tears.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to enjoy a show so much you start nodding to the music! Fan night for JRB lovers.

Don't see it if You want a story with a plot. This is more of a song revue with a tenuous connection. Just sit back and enjoy the show.

Also The only downside for me is that the orchestra occasionally overpowered the singers. We’re not sure if that was due to the theatre acoustics or not.... Read more Read less

See it if Love the music, go see this. Don't know the music, you should. Really well sung. Can focus on the songs instead of just listening to them

Don't see it if Want a story line, skip this. Need full staging, not for you. Choreography was distracting.

See it if you are a fan of Jason Robert Brown’s talented work.

Don't see it if you were expecting a Jason Robert Brown Musical Review with some tying together theme to it, because that ain’t whacha will be getting.

Also I pride myself on referring to myself as a musical theater fan. Robert Jason Brown is a CREATIVELY TALENTED musical phonon to be reckoned with. I was first introduced to his work in 2002 with the Minetta Lane Theaters production of The Last Five Years. Since then, he has created several Broadway and off Broadway productions which further showcase his musical and lyrical talent. This particular collection of his songs (PREVIOUSLY created from his songbook catalogue) wrangled together under the umbrella title called Songs for a New World didn’t move me in the way I had expected. Despite the RICHLY TALENTED foursome of Shoshana Bean, Colin Donnell, Mykal Kilgore and Solea Pfeiffer, I didn’t feel like I was transported anywhere, but only reminded that Mr. Brown needs to write a show with a completely fleshed out story worthy to be told from beginning to end. WAH WAH WAH!... Read more Read less

See it if You want to experience terrific actors/singers, and dancers performing great songs in interesting vignettes. The voices bring down the house

Don't see it if You prefer more traditional musicals with a linear story .

See it if you know the songs or just like cabarets without talking or connection.

Don't see it if you need the songs to have a central theme or a flow to them.

See it if You like Jason Robert Brown as a composer, or want to see some excellent songs, each of which is a one-off, self-contained. Good dancing too

Don't see it if you don't like JRB, revues, or are looking for something with a connected, straightforward plot.

See it if One of musical theater's finest song cycles. Wonderful ful production with top notch performances.

Don't see it if See it, if not too late.

See it if you enjoy seeing what Encores does best. Beautiful songs--some funny, some touching--sung incredibly well. Back up dancers fantastic.

Don't see it if you want a plot. There is no book, it's just a collection of songs. Originally presented in cabaret format. Works perfectly for Encores.

See it if you like song-cycle type shows.

Don't see it if you need more of a plot in your musicals.

See it if You are a fan of the original. While the orchestration has been expanded, all for the better, the show is just as it was.

Don't see it if You dislike the original. Prefer traditional book musicals.

Also "You don't know me, but you will."

Mykal Kilgore delivers this line and it applies just as much to Kilgore awn an actor as it does his character. I cannot wait to see everything Mykal does in the future. I was completely blown away by their voice.

The new orchestrations are killer. The choreography is sharp. The actors are all amazing. The direction is fluid and dynamic.

My only complaint is that the sound system at the City Center isn't quite up to the task for the balcony seats. I was in the front row of the balcony, right in the middle, and couldn't hear many of the lyrics. I'm a young person with good ears. I can't imagine the older ears in the crown up there could pick up too much.

There was also and excellent and very candid talk-back after the how that included all the cast and many on the creative team.... Read more Read less

See it if a fan of phenom Jason Robert Brown's gorgeous music. Bean was Streisand-esque, Pfeiffer enchanted, Donnell charmed, Kilgore blew us away.

Don't see it if averse to musicals in concert format, though the dancers & orchestra (stage rear) added great textures & the music wows—even if unfamiliar!

See it if This was exceptional. The energy between the audience and performers was palpable. JRB made a cameo, and people went crazy. Amazing night.

Don't see it if You need a staged production, or are looking for a fleshed out story. It’s a night of vignettes, with 4 performers playing multiple roles.

See it if Perhaps equal or exceeding the original cast in vocal chops; addition of dance sequences was generally positive

Don't see it if Addition of dance sequences were NOT always additive in nature; Colin O'Donnell came off a bit vanilla amongst the current cast