The Beautiful Lady NYC Reviews and Tickets

83%

(95 Reviews)

Positive

94%

Mixed

Negative

Members say

Great singing, Entertaining, Ambitious, Absorbing, Great acting

About the Show

An unconventional musical written and composed by Tony Award-nominee Elizabeth Swados.

Set in an artists’ café during the Russian Revolution, this musical uses the words of influential poets from the time, translated by Helen Hayes Award-winner Paul Schmidt.

As the revolution swiftly turns and starts to persecute its own, the performers advocate for a free and just society, looking for meaning and purpose in their resistance. In light of the pressing issues our world faces today, The Beautiful Lady is a prescient reminder of the necessity of free speech and the enduring power of art.

Bessie and Obie Award-winning director Anne Bogart directs the music-theatre piece.

Member Reviews (95)

100

Perfection!

See it if You want to see first rate material performed by a superb ensemble.

Don't see it if You don’t like musicals at all Read more

Masterful, Great writing, Great singing, Great acting, Enchanting

See it if if you want to experience an unusual anomaly: a great musical about Russian history that is 100% relevant to what's going on right now.

Don't see it if you don't enjoy poets reciting their famous writing or history. Read more

Masterful, Great writing, Great staging, Great singing, Great acting

See it if you want to see a show that teach lessons to many of the directors and producers of the 2022/3 Broadway Musicals. What 1776 should've been.

Don't see it if the shows too frenetic start will be too much of a turn-off to overcome.If showsthat expose the"Beautiful Lady"(Mother Russia)are unbearable Read more

Masterful, Genius directing, Beautiful singing, Brilliant acting

See it if You like innovation, unexpected theater experiences. A total theater experience.

Don't see it if You like your theater conventional.

Relevant, Must see, Great singing

See it if You enjoy musicals abt. historical figures & events during & after the Russian revolution. Many suffered & died for the sake of truth & art.

Don't see it if You prefer plays which are not political in nature. Read more

Intelligent, Intense, Great staging, Great acting, Great singing

See it if This show has so many extremely talented cast members. One of the best off Broadway shows! Poetry and political turmoil.

Don't see it if So well done-can’t imagine anyone would not be impressed.

What theater should be, Brilliantly cast, Brilliantly directed, Intelligent

See it if you want theater that lifts your mind, your soul, and your heart.

Don't see it if you like your theater linear.

Intense, Great staging, Great singing, Great acting, Entertaining

See it if You want to catch a very dynamic staging of a rarely produced Swados piece, well cast and incredibly well sung.

Don't see it if You’re not interested in the Russian Revolution or its toll on artistic freedom.

Critic Reviews (2)

"For all its talk of revolution, 'The Beautiful Lady' most bluntly conveys the continuity in Russian society...It’s no fun being a futurist in a society mired in the past, one that will never truly move forward until it releases the baggage of empire."
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There is much appealing in “The Beautiful Lady,” not least Liz Swados’ terrific score. There is also something appalling — what happened to most of these historical figures after the Russian Revolution. Does “The Beautiful Lady” have something for everyone? Thanks to the score, Anne Bogart’s engaging, energetic direction, and some memorable performances, the show rewards a broader audience than might normally be drawn to ninety minutes of poets and poetry.
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Trailer

Creative team