"A louche, lewd and assertively weird fantasia on the life of Rasputin...Those lacking familiarity with pre-revolutionary Russian history may find themselves befuddled...This ought to be dark, ribald, rambling entertainment. And it is. But it also isn’t...Heyman approaches the material with gusto, conjuring some visual and sonic surprises, playing down the politics. But art alters as times change, and this show now seems less bouncy, more hollow and more queasy than intended."
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"Scruffy and messy, which is fun for a bit—before you start yearning for dramaturgical focus and stronger direction to bring out a decent musical...Director Ellie Heyman has fine individual ingredients to work with: Craig’s goofy-eerie dialogue and lyrics, Malloy’s folksy pop and a cast bursting with talent. It’s the integration of those elements and themes that doesn’t work...A novelty-song cycle grafted onto an absurdist historical fable, 'Beardo' needs trimming."
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"A wonderfully strange new musical...Overflowing with mystery and mirth, this tragicomic riff on a familiar tale is an unforgettable theatrical experience...Malloy employs an eclectic mix of styles for a score that is both tuneful and daring...Surprises abound in Heyman's earthy production...'Beardo' thrillingly leaves us to ponder what we just saw and to distrust any immediate conclusions we might make about it."
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"The entire enterprise suffers from a deficit of wit and the absence of a point of view...That 'Beardo' doesn't become entirely tiresome until late in the second act is largely due to Malloy's music...There isn't much that the director, Ellie Heyman, can do to impose any order on such often chaotic proceedings...Neither a comic romp, a pointed satire, nor a gripping historic episode, 'Beardo,' the musical, is little more than a superficial display of look-at-me cleverness."
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"The production is sometimes adventurous, sometimes euphoric, and sometimes downright ludicrous...Craig can be surprisingly clever and sometimes the songs are oddly touching. The cast is terrific in its commitment to the eccentricity of the work...Damon Daunno shines as the protagonist...Even when the book provides no context for the action leaving the audience bewildered, Daunno keeps us grounded. Director Ellie Heyman creates a wonderful atmosphere for the actors to play in."
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"Some of the elements familiar from 'Great Comet' are present, most notably Malloy’s classically tinged, eclectic score offering everything from rock ballads to hearty drinking songs, as well as a game and talented cast. But 'Beardo' feels in comparison like a work in progress. The book and lyrics are playful, sometimes clever, silly, ribald, deliberately anachronistic, joyfully shocking and in-your-face weird. They are too accomplished to be labeled juvenile but 'adolescent' might fit."
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"'Beardo' is a dangerously evocative musical that is breaking the mold...There are some flaws. A bunch. Some whiffs in the script. Is there room for trimming? Absolutely...This company certainly had a blast...'Beardo' is a beautiful mess of a musical that knows exactly what it is. And that’s what makes it, well, charming. If you take the show at face value, you’ll likely not get it. If you do a tad bit of research and allow yourself to embrace it for what it is, you’re bound to appreciate it."
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"Adventurous but unfocused...Two and a half hours of a horny mansplainer who seemed to feel zero compassion for anyone and viewed himself as flawless...Most of the jokes in 'Beardo' go on for far too long...Rasputin has long been the subject of cultural fascination...but modernizing him through adolescent humor and cheap jokes, and making him nothing more than an entitled man-child, is not an effective or creative way to explore this subject."
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