The Time Machine (NYMF) NYC Reviews and Tickets
About the Show
Part of the New York Musical Festival: In this wicked retelling of the classic novel by H.G. Wells, a troubled inventor discovers a modern dystopia where machines are nonexistent and love is forbidden.
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See it if You liked the movie or the book, or if you like really good singing. Very enjoyable.
Don't see it if You only prefer polished Broadway plays rather than smaller off Broadway plays.
See it if You want to see a fun sci-fi musical with time travel. The music is really good, but gets a touch repetitive towards the end.
Don't see it if You haven't the patience for cliches, and want fully realized shows as opposed to NYMF productions.
See it if You enjoy the story and want to see a work that teenagers will enjoy. It deserves a production with more glitz, i.e., lighting and costumes
Don't see it if You're not satisfied with a simple telling of an old tale--it's made surprisingly relevant, however.
See it if you want to see an entertaining musical of a classic book and movie performed with great songs and dancing that is faithful to both.
Don't see it if you don't like musicals based on classic books and movies that seem impossible to make into a musical.
See it if You like operatic voices and time travel stories.The costumes and choreography are better in Act 2.
Don't see it if You expect perfection and continuity.
See it if You really love this material and you want to support any production of it; you are okay with a couple of good voices.
Don't see it if You expect a certain caliber of singing and dancing no matter what stage of development. Read more
See it if you're a fan of anyone of the very talented cast members, appreciate occasional clever effects, like period costumes, and have comp tickets
Don't see it if just don't. The music is slow, repetitive, and dark...the story is lame...and the talents involved are pretty much wasted.
See it if You can't live without a literal stage version of the book. Some of the music showed promise but there is no character development or depth.
Don't see it if you want to be entertained.
Critic Reviews (5)
"The revamping of the plot is not an improvement...Cooney's choreography has the cast striking curious poses...That quirkiness might have worked if 'The Time Machine' kept tongue in cheek throughout and injected some humor into what becomes a grim, then ultimately confused and nonsensical story. But neither the director nor the writers establish a consistent tone for this two-hour musical, and that makes for some inevitable clock-watching."
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"A rollicking evening of expanded story, which adds songs to flesh out and expand the inner monologue of each character, while simultaneously staying true to the namesake novel on which its based...The 115-minute romp is slow to start, and the piece as a whole feels like it’s doing much with its music; that is, it’s a bit too 'stuffed,' so to speak, moving hurriedly from song to song, with little room to breathe in between...What really saves the show, however, is its heart."
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"This NYMF production is delightfully inventive, whimsical, exciting, and touching. That doesn't mean it's perfect, but it does mean it's a lovely adaptation of Wells's novel...Hunsaker's Thomas has an enthusiasm and childlike sense of wonder that renders him immediately endearing...Aside from Hunsaker himself, the strongest element is its delightful inventiveness...I felt the play dragged on a bit in a few places."
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"An overwrought musical adaptation of the H.G. Wells classic, plagued with too many genres, resulting in a enfeebled main plot...The message is lost as flippant styles emerge from one scene to the next. The music and lyrics are quite impressive, but seem to embrace a dark, heavy somber tone with little diversity. The book seems to be the weakest element of the production, with changing intent and shallow characters in search of dimension. The cast is superb and outshines the material."
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"The music and lyrics are simply beautiful. The show is blessed to have Voth, Keith, and Hunsaker in their cast to make this music soar...The direction doesn’t add to the production and at times, along with the choreography, makes the show seem muddled...Mauk and Mandabach know how to write dialogue, but not how to make a show compelling. There is definitely a show here, but characters need to be fleshed out...Has potential, but it needs nurturing."
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