Superhero NYC Reviews and Tickets

75%

(243 Reviews)

Positive

74%

Mixed

24%

Negative

Members say

Great singing, Entertaining, Disappointing, Great acting, Great staging

About the Show

Before we can save the world, we have to save each other. A new musical from the Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer of "Next to Normal" and the Tony Award-winning writer of "Red."

Member Reviews (243)

Clever, Entertaining, Contrived, Quirky, Great singing

See it if You want to see a clever original idea even if it’s not fully fleshed out, its a good attempt. Great voices & acting in roles lacking soul.

Don't see it if You’re unwilling to think with your inner child on this one. If you can’t/won’t relate to idea of wanting to be a comic book hero, not 4 U. Read more

Lovely, Heartfelt, Touching, Realistic, Sad

See it if Teenager whose dad died longs for a new superhero, while his mom tries to get through to him. Realistic and moving. Characters who grow.

Don't see it if You are not in the mood for a story about grieving and taking the next step. The music is a bit simplistic and generic, but it works. Read more

Inert, Dull, Slow, Banal, Disappointing

See it if you want to see Kate Baldwin (the only saving grace of this flightless musical) soar as a woeful single mom belting Next To Normal rejects.

Don't see it if you expect a superhero musical with any Wham! Pop! Kapow! [This is a tolerable production, but one seriously dull, trite affair.] Read more

Quirky, Slow, Great singing, Cliched, Disappointing

See it if Baldwin, Pinkham & McArthur sing their hearts out to little avail in this slight drama about loss & redemption Borritt's eyecatching set A+

Don't see it if Despite the high whimsy levels, it's the banal music/lyrics by Kitt that ground this superhero Logan's book & Moore's direction listless

Great staging, Great singing, Entertaining, Delightful, Absorbing

See it if Great voices by the lead trio. Super set. Special effects on target Projections perfect. Lighting the best.Nice bit re: opening see ALSO

Don't see it if Only negative was the ultra powerful A/C on a cold night see ALSO Read more

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's the second act of a musical that crashes & burns; tho has impressive creative team, shows how hard it is to create the next "dear evan hansen"

See it if very promising 1st act w sensitive acting & affecting singing by Kate Baldwin, Bryce Pinkham & newcomer Kyle McArthur

Don't see it if 2nd act drives superhero theme into ground w emotional but strident/obvious songs; cliched ending: look 2 ourselves not superhero 2 save us

Clever, Great acting, Great staging, Great singing, Quirky

See it if Original musical of a mother forging a connection with her imaginative son. Kate Baldwin soars. Universal "we're all superheroes" fantasy.

Don't see it if Flimsy plot and comic book framed sequences cause distance to what's transpiring on stage. Tries too hard to create flights of fancy. Read more

Heartfelt, Intimate, Refreshing, Great singing, Absorbing

See it if You like small, intimate musicals (like Next to Normal) that have original, absorbing, family-driven stories.

Don't see it if You’re expecting the next big Tom Kitt hit. Though enjoyable and touching, this is a minor work that won’t really stick with you.

Critic Reviews (21)

"'A misfire. Authors with golden track records for serious work have somehow created a musical so lugubrious and underpowered that it never gets off the ground. The problem is built into the low-stakes, high-whimsy concept...Not even as allegory could the fantastical adventure that swallows the second act sustain my interest; its concerns are sketchy, as thin as comic book stock...It does not grant much to 'Superhero' to say that its leads manage to rise above it."
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"A well-meaning, flightless tear-jerker, less cool comic book than Hallmark original...It’s not just that 'Superhero’s' concerns are insistently mundane—it’s that Kitt’s songs fail to strike any new sparks off familiar flint...Ultimately there’s something downright creepy in 'Superhero’s' messaging...'Superhero' isn’t attempting to feed us anything we haven’t digested dozens of times before. It’s feel-good theater, only living up to its title in that it keeps all of us extremely safe."
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"Only occasionally rises above the level of pleasant or cute...'Superhero's' biggest problem is that soon after a mildly intriguing opening it becomes one-note and whiny...The songs here are pretty enough, but bland and interchangeable...Director Moore keeps the scenes moving and provides visual energy...But 'Superhero' is a wan little musical that has no compelling story to tell. While the show is far from terrible, at its best, it's sweet and innocuous, at its worst, dull."
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"Kate Baldwin is the true hero here. As Simon’s mother Charlotte, she does a heroic job of making a pedestrian character seem like a loving, hurting human being...One predictable moment after another. Superheroes are all very well and good, but it’s those nerds on the ground — the ones who write the words and the music — who do all the hard work for them."
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“Underpowered new musical doesn’t get off the ground...’Superhero’ wants to blend a broken-home weepie with something magical and pop-culture-y...A mediocre musical...I wish Logan and Kitt had delved more imaginatively into the subject...Kitt’s score, while skillful, suffers from too much mid-tempo pop balladry, and could use more variation, weirdness...Through sheer charisma and talent, Baldwin and McArthur may wring a tear or two out of you.”
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"The songs (forgettable ditties) are by Tom Kitt....The charmless book is by John Logan...The combination of their proclivities proves deadly, resulting in the predictable tale of a depressed superhero and his neighbors...The most unlikable musical protagonist in recent memory, making it very difficult for us to invest in his happy ending...Despite a troubled script, Jason Moore directs a competent production that is only hindered by a couple of campy visual effects."
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"Much of Logan's writing, and the music and lyrics by Tom Kitt, treat this situation with honesty and insight, but the first act is afflicted with a certain drabness...I'm not saying you can't make a musical out of such downbeat material, but the approach here is, arguably, too conventional to pay off. The real superheroes of 'Superhero' are Kate Baldwin and Bryce Pinkham...This is a distressingly monochromatic affair, often humorless and devoted to working a narrow range of feelings."
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"There are moments that are quite moving, but there are also several tonal problems with Logan's book. First, the supernatural and fantasy elements do not always fit well with the psychological realism in the early scenes...Kitt's songs are better than serviceable, and there are a few small gems...The songs are beautifully served by the fine cast...Director Jason Moore keeps the show moving at a good clip."
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