See it if You like heartwarming stories about early America and you enjoy small, intimate theater experiences. Nice way to spend 80 mins on a hot day.
Don't see it if You are looking for a large-scale theater production with very high production values.
See it if You like historical musicals
Don't see it if You dislike child actors
See it if Good singers, bad songs; strained story, great message. Headache inducing digital display is primary setpiece. Very talented teenage lead.
Don't see it if General admission with chairs being scraped around by late arriving tourists chatting with their kids, FREEZING a/c, pretty unendurable.
See it if You want to learn a bit abt the statue of liberty. Great voices, some songs slower than they should be.
Don't see it if You are plan to bring young children, or are expecting a fast paced show.
See it if You want a family friendly show to bring older children that have patience to sit through a slow moving show. Does pick up toward the end.
Don't see it if You want a fast moving, uplifting exciting show. This was slow moving.
See it if you are dressed for winter and appreciate the fiction in historical fiction and feel that accompaniment is more important than words.
Don't see it if you have any knowledge of the story behind the plot and you are not dressed for winter.
See it if you seek educational kid friendly shows; it teaches about immigration by presenting the Statue of Liberty as if she were a human immigrant.
Don't see it if you want good musical theatre - the actors are very talented, but the songs and story are not fully developed, not engaging, and need work.
See it if You like simple shows.
Don't see it if You want a well written and intriguing musical.
"Undeniably well-intentioned but ultimately tepid...The nice idea here is to have the statue portrayed by a young girl and treated very much like a living person. There’s another strong idea couched in a song called 'America for the Americans,' which has the effect of reminding audiences that the victimizing of immigrants then is still going on today as Donald Trump campaigns...The music throughout is generically rousing and the figures depicted are also generic."
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"Liberty' is blessed with some talented singers and a story that should capture American’s heart, but sadly doesn’t...This musical seems amateurish and trite. Maybe if we cared about the statue, the show would have made us care just a little bit more…This 80-minute show is filled with seventeen songs that all sound alike. The canned music for the most part overpowers the terrific singers…The staging by by Evan Pappas seems forced and extremely boring after the first 20 minutes."
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“An informative musical that hopes to teach, which gets in the way of a clean, fleshed-out story...Whether it was the canned instrumentation or the music itself, the score was very much cartoony, but not in a good way…‘Liberty’ has a capable company. It’s evident these performers are seasoned. It’s a shame their material didn’t match their talent...The story of Lady Liberty is cool in concept but this musical didn’t know what it wanted to be.”
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"Liberty is portrayed as a young girl (delightful performance by Abigail Shapiro)...The famous lines 'Give me your tired, your poor…' are made into a beautiful song 'The New Colossus' and makes everybody’s eyes sparkle with tears...'Liberty, a Monumental New Musical' is a very engaging rendition of history from human perspective. Directed by Evan Pappas, it is a delightful family show."
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“The production is fun, and kid-friendly, but very uneven. While the libretto is outstanding, the music by Jon Goldstein sounds canned; all the tracks seem to have been created on a synthesizer. The stage also feels small, not only because it is small, but because Evan Pappas’s staging lacks dynamics and, at times, deflates the production. Some choreographed movement would have given the actors some breadth and depth and the production real musical-theater flair.”
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“Purposely written on a grade-school level to attract families. I am not sure how many parents will find the show all that involving, but children should enjoy it...Shapiro needs much more guidance. Her singing voice has moments of loveliness...I will place the blame here with Pappas who has not guided her properly. She has definite possibilities...All these reservations could be rectified for the show itself has an appealing quality, it just needs to be executed to its full advantage.”
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"It gave me goosebumps. In this intimate theatre, this show explodes with talent, history, original songs and acting that is thrilling to experience...A show that is appealing to patrons of all ages...Experience 'Liberty, A Monumental Musical' with your family. It will give you a sense of history, but more importantly, you will be proud to be an American. To see this statue finally step onto her pedestal and raise her torch is something you won’t soon forget."
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“The story might be confusing to younger kids who don’t understand symbolism yet, but I found it very compelling and moving. ‘Liberty: A Monumental New Musical’ is a charming musical that left me feeling patriotic and grateful to be living in a city so rich in United States history - I might even hop the ferry and visit Lady Liberty soon myself.”
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