"The ick factor here is dangerously high, a problem that the production labors hard to mitigate through aesthetics...It would be enough of an achievement to make this story palatable...But Mr. Rosser and Mr. Sohne were even more ambitious: They have two more stories to tell...Still, the music rewards the ear...What’s more, it is beautifully sung...To make a successful musical on this subject would require exquisite discretion, but discretion is exactly what the subject forbids."
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"An unusual, profoundly affecting chamber musical...Creators Tim Rosser and Charlie Sohne amp up the drama in the second act, and push it further still in a coda. Their musical, optimally staged by Tony Speciale, taps into a universal source of pain and confusion: that phase of youthful innocence when, unable to fathom the adults who control us, we wishfully mistake them for gods."
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"A challenging, courageous, and beautiful new musical...Rosser and Sohne employ a comfortingly familiar songwriting style to push thrillingly fresh ideas...Sohne's book efficiently places this human tragedy in the context of its society...Director Tony Speciale realizes Rosser and Sohne's vision with brilliance and thrift...A wholly original musical that is both emotionally and intellectually stirring. Anyone who cares about the future of the American musical should run out and see it now."
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"An impressive feat of imagination, delving with remarkable sensitivity into a culture that might seem bizarre, even repugnant, to American audiences...Rosser and Sohne lay out the situation with clarity and without melodrama...The big issue in Speciale's production has to do with the casting of Paiman and Feda...The choice of older actors might be necessary, but it also adds a level of dishonesty to what is otherwise an admirably well-intentioned piece of work."
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"To their credit, Rosser and Sohne, along with director Tony Speciale and choreographer Nejla Yatkin, have embraced the setting of 'The Boy Who Dances On Air' but don't allow it to suffocate their story in sadness or revulsion...A surprising breath of fresh air...It's not without its flaws, but blessed with a talented and committed cast, savvy direction, passionate dancing and a fearlessness to break boundaries, it has the power to open your eyes and pierce your heart."
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"While the ugly practice of bacha bazi seems like a disturbing conceit for a musical, director Tony Speciale blends the offensiveness with inspiration and theatricality, and the cast sings with compelling power...The well-crafted production and gifted performers bring an intriguing, though certainly unsettling tradition to the stage with the actors' layered sensitivity and the human strength of love and spirit. With some editing, this innovative musical has staying power."
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“Initially intriguing but ultimately unsatisfying…Sohne’s earnest book has an abundance of stiff dialogue, repetitiveness, and a drawn-out, extraneous subplot…The show’s arresting aspects clash with the uneven book and score, and at two hours and 20 minutes, 'The Boy Who Danced on Air' is periodically dull...'The Boy Who Danced on Air' is billed as a fable, and those aesthetic qualities are imaginatively rendered. As an integrated musical, it stumbles in its form, and in presenting reality.”
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"While the book gets a bit muddled, particularly in Act 2, I found myself moved by Paiman’s plight and interested in the moral complexity of the entire show. It’s refreshing to see a new musical grapple with multi-layered conflicts while exposing New York audiences to parts of the human experience we haven’t seen before. Another major highlight of the production is the gorgeous music...It also helps that the score is executed by such gifted singers."
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