Maestro NYC Reviews and Tickets
Show-Score Member Reviews (69)
See it if You like biographical plays, you are interested in exploring various aspects of Leonard Bernstein's life, you enjoy piano music.
Don't see it if You expect the personification of Leonard Bernstein, you don't like one person plays, you don't enjoy piano music.
See it if You appreciate the music and life of Bernstein
Don't see it if You want lavish settings and big production numbers
See it if You have an interest in Leonard Bernstein and his music & talent.
Don't see it if You're not a music lover.
See it if you enjoy biographical one-man shows, especially if a great musician, Leonard Bernstein, career and life is being explored.
Don't see it if one-man shows aren't your thing. If you don't like classical or Broadway music.
See it if You love music and you are interested in lives of great people
Don't see it if You get bored with one-actor plays; you don't care about music or Bernstein
See it if you had to overcome life with difficult parents, dreamed of achieving a big life goal or have an interest in music. Fantastic use of stage.
Don't see it if you dislike classical music or Broadway show tunes.
See it if You're a Leonard Bernstein fan and want to see a masterful recreation of his life
Don't see it if You don't like one-actor shows and like light blockbuster theatre
See it if you want to learn more about the great composer and conductor Leonard Berstein.
Don't see it if you hate biographical pieces.
Critic Reviews (27)
"Mr. Felder doesn’t have the magnetism of the musician who inspired a generation of artists...The music that Mr. Felder plays, quite nicely on a gleaming grand piano, is the best part of this show, which at an intermissionless 105 minutes is both overlong and insubstantial...The script lacks the necessary grace, but 'Maestro' has some amusing moments...Mr. Felder never manages to slip into Bernstein’s skin, though...It’s a surface-skimming survey of a fascinating life."
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"What begins as a fairly dense talk on music theory transitions into something much more personal...Felder fully commits to the kind of broad and ballsy choices necessary for a good solo show. That still doesn't alleviate the falseness that creeps into the play...But if Felder's portrayal of Bernstein feels occasionally inauthentic, his musicality is the real deal...In the end, the showmanship of 'Maestro' compensates for the messiness of the script."
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"The show enjoys exceptional direction by Joel Zwick...Get your tickets now. This production is sure to be a sell-out...Bravo to Hershey Felder for bringing Leonard Bernstein to life right before your eyes. Felder completely masters the role with his own extraordinary musical gifts and showmanship. He captivates the audience from the first moment he steps onstage to the curtain call...Music lovers and many more will relish the opportunity to see this show."
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“An insightful and unapologetic chronicle of a true genius and a truly flawed man…The manner in which Felder actualizes Bernstein’s epiphany is nothing short of pure theatrical magic…It is a riveting piece of stage craft. Moments of this kind of singular beauty have become increasingly rare in contemporary theater…This writer, an admitted Bernstein fanatic who was already fully aware of all the important events, still found himself sitting on the edge of his seat."
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"Felder's performance gets at the torment of an artist chasing too many muses, wearing his soul out in the process. A fine pianist, Felder adds resonance to the proceedings by playing various excerpts...If 'Maestro' largely amounts to a brisk guided tour of Bernstein's life, it powerfully suggests the intoxicating effect of music on a complex character torn between creative and self-destructive impulses; as such it is far more dramatic than so many solo biographical plays."
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"The play and Felder are better when they abandon the pretense and strip away the theatrical excesses...Felder has no trouble making him surface-level compelling, so the evening is not hard to watch, and it's frequently enjoyable as far as it goes...But it's tough to worry too much about whether Bernstein has found his particular immortality through 'second-rate' compositions when, in his own story, he's willing to come across as a supporting player."
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"An enjoyable narrative with some wonderful music...Felder's not looking or sounding like Bernstein doesn't really matter since he frequently segues into other key figures...He handles the singing and stage presence required to do so competently...Whatever the shortcomings of the script and Felder being a truly compelling Lenny, he deserves credit for giving equal time to the compositions that Bernstein was so eager to have appreciated as much as his more popular theater scores."
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"'Maestro', the one-person play written by and starring the extraordinarily
talented Hershey Felder, is both deeply moving and frustrating, as any
story about a genius usually is—frustrating because of the difficulty of
getting into the head of a awesome talent."
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