"The cliché-ridden new musical...Henry’s biggest challenge involves deciding who is meant for him...Common sense dictates the answer, but musicals, and love, don’t run on common sense. Still, watching a handful of romantic comedies for guidance would have saved a lot of anguish...Elish collaborated on the lyrics with Cohen, who composed the bland tunes that never test the cast, but he bears sole responsibility for the book."
Read more

“A romantic comedy about dating and love in the 21st century...The cast moves effortlessly amid the scenes with some impressive vocal stylings...The telling of Henry's story is clichéd at times...but thanks to the authenticity of the actors' portrayals, it's easy to invest in the story...’The Evolution of Mann’ has a lot of potential and is a great date musical...Any adult could relate to the heart of this show. It's a witty how-to for establishing lasting relationships.”
Read more

“It feels stuck in its own personal time warp...If the score wanders all over the map in terms of quality, it does have a few nice things...We're supposed to be charmed by the self-involved, immature Henry, but it's an uphill battle...He's a pro, but, really, there's a limit to what anyone can do with this material...The conflicts are forced, the gags are a little moldy, and the behavior of the natives only superficially resembles that of human beings.”
Read more

"The writers often veer into clichés, but explore them with freshness and candor, even dealing with Henry's embarrassing reaction when he embraces Christine after their first date ('Hard'). There is one shtick, a much-repeated dirty phone call, that was unnecessary and increasingly annoying. Meant to test one of the character's faithfulness, it just didn't work."
Read more

“A pleasant enough escape for 90 minutes, especially as performed by the likable cast...The music is generic and the lyrics aren't much better, but there are some bright spots in the score...Where writers Cohen and Elish really succeed is in the hilariously groan-inducing musical that Henry is writing based on ‘The Great Gatsby,’ the funniest thing in the show. Also to his credit, Elish writes an ending that, while still hopeful, does not go the completely predictable route.”
Read more

"It is a little gem, bearing resemblances to the 'Tales of Hoffmann'...That a musical could be produced at the tiny Cell theater demonstrates creativity writ large...The clever book was written by Dan Elish who also wrote the meaningful lyrics with Douglas J. Cohen, who also composed the music. The music is organic—it conveys what it’s meant to convey, but it’s unlikely you come out whistling any of the tunes."
Read more

“If you don’t mind fluff ‘The Evolution of Mann’ is just right for you. The cast is as talented as can be, the direction by Joe Barros, smart, the music tuneful, but I seriously wondered who is this show audience?...Crumm brings more to the character than the script does. Trimm is a wonder bringing a distinctive life to each of the women she plays...It’s not that I didn’t like this show, but I wish they had shown real emotions that just didn’t lie on the surface.”
Read more

"Catchy music and lyrics...The songs that tell the cumulative story are the best part of the show, making more of an impression than the requisite dialogue...’The Evolution of Man’ could use a bit of tightening. It is only 90 minutes...but Henry’s plight and searching begins to feel over-extended. However, the geniality of the cast is steadily pleasing and there is a tidy ending that you may or may not see coming.”
Read more