Medicine the Musical

See it if you like supporting new writers & young performers. Here, 1st yr med students are put thru the wringer by Profs, a bully, & life in general.

Don't see it if you prefer big-time polished professional productions. Still feels like it's in its early stages, but not currently ready even for previews.

Also Show needs re-casting. STAT.

Some very good singing & acting gets upstaged by other very cliched amateur cast-mates.

A lot of Theater 101, particularly from Ethan Crystal (preppy bully "Blake"), who has an otherwise very good singing voice. Also, Gregory Driscoll (smart life-saver "Tyler") is very stiff & gets lost (disconnected) unless he's talking or singing.

A TON of unnecessary over-the-top mugging - very 'Dancing w/the Stars' - especially dancer Matthew Farilee (Nurse). Even harsher is Sarah Chapin (rich "Christina"), who has a great voice but her mugging & razzle-dazzle "Broadway" body-language (the kind that gets great singers rejected on 'Idol') is excruciatingly distracting, especially BECAUSE she's so vocally talented, & Bdwy IS an assumed goal.

Stand-outs: Dan Rosenbaum ("Prof Crutch) has an amazing presence, excellent vocal-range & great acting chops; love-couple Ethan Kirschbaum (troubled "Eddie") & Marina Laurendi (club-dancer "Tiff") are both strong singers & actors.... Read more Read less

See it if You’d like to see a Grey’s Anatomy/Scrubs/ER and musical theatre mashup. Pretty much what you’d expect.

Don't see it if You want an original story. It’s basically the first season of Grey’s set to music.

See it if you want to see a currently flawed show that should be Broadway bound

Don't see it if third preview had exceptional number of technical errors and talented, but a not ready for prime time cast, turns you off.

Also Michael Ehrenreich, who wrote the entire show, might have to give up his day job as dermatologist. The show has all the writing elements of a very successful Broadway musical.

Unfortunately, this production, at least the preview I saw, is very flawed. The show's doors opened 15 minutes late without explanation, which usually means technical issues which should have been taken care of hours before. The sound board and lighting work was very uneven.

The set was poorly designed for this theater. There was no seat which allowed an audience member to see the entire stage including all the casts' entrance and exit points. The set often failed to function properly and props often made a lot of noise backstage.

Sarah Stewart Chapin's "Christina" is the only main cast member whose performance was consistently exceptional. The rest need more seasoning.

Ensemble member Alaina VI Maderal is exceptionally well-trained as a singer and dancer and should be a star in the future.... Read more Read less

See it if You like black box theatre productions, with decent staging and production value, which needs work, but, is totally workable. Singing is ok,

Don't see it if Could be better. Some songs were catchy, others not so much. Some actors needed diction lessons, while singing. But, it's quirky and hopeful

Also There is a slight LGBT moment, for those uncomfortable and light cussing, otherwise, totally "family-friendly", whatever that means, as there were a number of kids in the audience. One of the ensemble actresses was totally engaging and had great stage presence for her little self! She should've had a marquee role!... Read more Read less

See it if You like musicals,young cast with amazing voices.The show about the first year struggles of med students,bullying, personal drama,misfit ppl

Don't see it if You do not like musicals, not a fan of cliche story, predictable ending, no surprises

Also What a wonderful new musical, catchy songs (reminded me the scores in Rent musical), very young & ambitious ensemble, some actors are definitely Broadway bound, incredible voices. Though the story is a classic one, the songs & dialogues makes it worthwhile . Definitely a good one to see if you have 90 min to spare. I would definitely recommend it.... Read more Read less

See it if You like ensemble musicals with a poppy score. Chapin is a real talent and her scenes lift the musical and that maybe worth seeing.

Don't see it if You mind unfocused musicals with somewhat repetitive scores and a cliched plot.

Also Ensemble musicals are hard because you have to develop many character arcs and so you spend to much time often on character introduction and character doubt songs. This one falls hard for that trap. I don’t think they developed the over arching unifying arc they needed so things got very cliched. I don’t mean cliched in a well executed way but in an eye rolling I bet they do this and that will be boring way. The simplest things work best though. As I noted Chapin is really good and elevates the musical everytime she performs. Additionally, there is a single moment of emotional power in the play. There is potential here but there is so much eye rolling stuff and so much repetition I can’t recommend it without caveats. They need to edit it to create a more central character arc.... Read more Read less

See it if If you like funny energetic productions with great staging and singing

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

See it if You enjoy well written pieces about medical students and their struggles

Don't see it if You don’t enjoy musicals, bullying and attempted suicide

See it if If you like medical shows and musicals, you’ll love this. Also if you like to support young talent.

Don't see it if You don’t like to hear women singing who clearly need voice lessons. I got bad chills up my spine whenever Tiff and Christina sang.

Also Kudos to Michael Ehrenreich for his achievement here. My objections were the nasally, throaty singing of Christina and Tiff, and the stereotyping of the women as boyfriend-seeking over study and rich bitch. Two better stereotypes would have been sexually harassed student and single mother trying to have a career. But the truth doesn’t get laughs. I loved the concept of the legacy kid-in my experience they don’t let them quit.
I would love to see this show succeed and I look forward to Michael’s next show.... Read more Read less

See it if you’re in the mood for a fairly short and harmless but otherwise forgettable musical about first-year med students.

Don't see it if you’re expecting “Scrubs.” Aside from a few chuckles, it doesn’t strive for comedy so much as earnest portrayals of med school experiences.

See it if you want to have fun with a medical romp through the rock score of first year medical students.

Don't see it if you have difficulty enjoying a show that is somewhat cliche but still enjoyable.

Also There were some foot stomping songs that were presented by acceptable singers. Although, many weak points, you still left with a smile and rewarded with an enjoyable evening.... Read more Read less

See it if an original medical concept musical with some peppy songs, enjoyable choreography, occasional humor, and a mixed-talent cast is enough

Don't see it if you also desire a strong book, lyrics, or character development

See it if You like stories concerning the medical profession.

Don't see it if You expect to see an elaborate musical with highly talented singers and a very credible story.

Also At least one of the characters in the story did not seem credible considering how competitive getting into medical school is. I thought that the singing was mediocre. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this show.... Read more Read less

See it if You’ve been through or know someone who has been through medical school friends or family. Or if you just like medicine.

Don't see it if You don’t like musicals.

Also Realistically and briefly touches upon the myriad of issues that students and teachers grapple with, which resonates beyond medicine.... Read more Read less

See it if You have been to medical school and enjoy a laugh.

Don't see it if You don’t like musicals.

See it if You enjoy considering (or remembering) some of the key issues that arise for those launching medical careers. You enjoy terrific dancing.

Don't see it if You expect great writing. You need comfortable seats and an intermission.

See it if You want to see something new & vibrant & unusual that deals with serious topics in mental health & race relations but has dancing corpses.

Don't see it if You want a linear plot line or storylines that really finish for each individual character. Or if you’re triggered by content like suicide.

See it if you like musicals and stories about students with positive, inspiring messages

Don't see it if you only want to see completely original material. The topics in this show have been done many times, but songs are new..

Also Singing, dancing, and band were excellent! Marina Laurendi (Tiff), in particular, was awesome!

I thought some of the characters and story lines were not developed enough, such as the relationships between the main characters - seems like they tried to squeeze a lot into the 90 minute show.

Great show overall - I was entertained and enjoyed it!... Read more Read less

See it if You enjoy musicals with a Grey’s Anatomy theme.

Don't see it if You are not into musicals.

See it if Like musicals based on student experiences - this one 1st year medical students

Don't see it if Some bullying & subject matter on death

See it if You like musicals and you like medical shows

Don't see it if You don’t like musicals and you want to see a serious show

See it if You are interested in the subject matter and aren't too picky about the quality of the songs or the plot.

Don't see it if You are expecting the music to be as good as the music in successful Broadway rock musicals like Rent or Chess. The book just isn't there.

Also This musical was a cute idea and mostly well executed. All of the performers were energetic and talented; a few stood out as people who should be on Broadway. I thought the choreography was excellent.

A few of the songs, particularly the duets, were good. However, most of the music was underwhelming -- instead of taking a good song with a strong melody, and then using the power and edge of rock to add passion and interest, a lot of the songs just seemed to have the singer shouting along with some rock-style background.

I did like the concept and some of the lyrics behind the songs, though -- the writer knows the field and did a good job of using the songs to illustrate concepts the students learn in their first year. I'd like to see the writer collaborate with someone more experienced to make these songs more catchy and compelling.

As for the plot and character development, they felt pretty heavy handed. I'm not sure what more you could do in 90 minutes, though.... Read more Read less

See it if You know someone inside the cast, or desperately need some music.

Don't see it if You're expecting a good, emotional story or great writing.

Also The actors are doing a good job- some great voices in the cast.
The writing is a little flat and the song lyrics are just written without much intelligence.... Read more Read less

See it if You want to revive what you felt when you started college!

Don't see it if You have no interest in medicine or college stories...

See it if iI you're looking to see an upbeat show about med students trying to make their way in life! A must see for every doctor or doctor-to-be!

Don't see it if You are a theater "purist" and are not comfortable with content that sits "outside the box."