The Battles NYC Reviews and Tickets

74%

(59 Ratings)

Positive

69%

Mixed

24%

Negative

Members say

Great singing, Ambitious, Entertaining, Slow, Clever

About the Show

Inspired by a historical event, this world premiere musical dramatizes an art competition between rivals Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo.

Florence, Italy, circa 1500: Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, the two greatest artists of their day, engage in a head-to-head painting competition, battling not only each other but their own doubts and demons. 'The Battles' explores the struggle between the courage to love and the retreat into fear. It’s a story of fighting against both the walls we erect as a society, and the walls we build around our own hearts–walls that keep us from becoming all we can be. It’s a battle that continues to this day.

Show-Score Member Reviews (59)

Ambitious, Absorbing, Clever, Delightful, Great singing

See it if you love a great concept and great talent. First 99 rating by this lad.

Don't see it if do not want to see a new great musical ablooming

Great acting, Great singing, Great staging, Must see, Refreshing

See it if you want to see a show before it becomes a Broadway hit. Hamilton of the 1400's. Staging and Songs were great. Highly recommend seeing it.

Don't see it if your a child, everyone else should see this. This is a historical piece, but done in a modern way. Show contains Sexual content. Read more

Entertaining, Ambitious, Great writing, Great singing, Must see

See it if you want to see a Broadway quality show in a small venue. It closes in a few days so don't miss it

Don't see it if you can't sit still for almost 2.5 hours on hard chairs. Otherwise there are no reasons not to see this show Read more

Funny, Great acting, Great singing, Great staging, Great writing

See it if you enjoy thoughtful musicals that take creative risks and both amuse and provoke thought. I really enjoyed the entire production. Superb!

Don't see it if you aren't open to attentive listening of the lyrics and patient as the plot evolves at a slower pace than most Broadway musicals. Try it.

Great singing, Great writing, Great acting, Absorbing, Clever

See it if Terrific score & ensemble work made this a thouroughly absorbing show. Actors not only sang very well, they were often gymnasts! Was funny!

Don't see it if U don't like a gay theme/focus, or want your musicals done in the "classic" style, then this is a miss. Needs better casting of the 2 leads~

Absorbing, Great singing, Great acting, Quirky

See it if you like musicals, story of Da Vinci and Michelangelo work and personal lives, performed to live mod.ern music

Don't see it if you are not interest in the lives of either artist

Intelligent, Great acting, Great singing, Great staging, Emotionally involving

See it if you appreciate intelligible rockscore with brilliant company delivering larger than life historical figures & complex motivations & behavior

Don't see it if don't like sods, sparse sets, rockscores, Hamilton-ish 'ography, non-anatomically correct statuary, limited colorPalette costuming, LGBTness Read more

Delightful, Entertaining, Great acting, Great singing, Absorbing

See it if you like entertaining musicals, especially orthodox one.

Don't see it if you don't like musicals

Critic Reviews (1)

"The famous battles between these two great artists are in fact much more personal here. And it works. If you’re like me, however, you’ll wonder why musical theatre was the right medium for this story...Where the show fits the classic mold, it also notably departs from convention. For one, it’s unapologetically, refreshingly queer...This story is intimate and relatable...Perhaps it’s too sleek and intimate for the collection of showstoppers that the score wants to be."
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Trailer

Creative team