The Total Bent
Closed 1h 50m
The Total Bent
75

The Total Bent NYC Reviews and Tickets

75%
(102 Ratings)
Positive
74%
Mixed
21%
Negative
5%
Members say
Great singing, Confusing, Original, Entertaining, Ambitious

About the Show

The Public Theater presents a new musical by Stew and Heidi Rodewald (creators of 'Passing Strange') set at the intersection of the sacred and profane, survival and liberation, gospel and rock ‘n’ roll.

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Show-Score Member Reviews (102)

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61 Reviews | 35 Followers
70
Disappointing, Confusing, Indulgent, Slow, Great singing

See it if The music is great. The book is not. The performers are incredibly talented. There's just not much there when the music stops.

Don't see it if You want a show with a strong book.

461 Reviews | 97 Followers
69
Ambitious, Overrated, Confusing, Thought-provoking, Great singing

See it if you like phenomenally sung songs by phenomenal performers...And you like your theater with a stroooooong touch of religion.

Don't see it if you don't like barely comprehensible stories, patchwork framing, and were expecting more considering all the hype.

209 Reviews | 54 Followers
65
Confusing, Intense, Great singing

See it if you want to see some people singing their faces off in a show that is more like a rock concert.

Don't see it if you like a clear, linear plot, or prefer traditional musicals.

349 Reviews | 81 Followers
60
Confusing, Cliched, Overrated, Original, Great singing

See it if Stew and Heidi can do no wrong in your eyes.

Don't see it if you need a clear plot, who characters are, etc

111 Reviews | 208 Followers
60
Overrated, Quirky, Great singing

See it if you like gospel type rock music and great singing, and small, all male casts.

Don't see it if you want to see a linear production plot wise - it was all over the place and confusing. Needed a serious edit.

296 Reviews | 92 Followers
58
Confusing, Original, Quirky, Great singing

See it if You want to experience GREAT music and singing. However, know that the plot isn't entirely clear.

Don't see it if You don't like blues music.

75 Reviews | 43 Followers
55
Intense, Great singing

See it if you want to see a fantastic group of singers give it their all. (It's a sort of Rock-Musical, be warned).

Don't see it if you want a cohesive/understandable story. A lot was left to the imagination.

457 Reviews | 101 Followers
55
Disappointing, Confusing, Ambitious, Original, Intense

See it if You are interested in a fictional rise of a great Black musician and the son who follows in his wake. A story with dense family dynamic.

Don't see it if You want a straight narrative, if you get a headache from too much busy work or if you want consistency in performance.

Critic Reviews (28)