The Shaggs: Philosophy of the World
Tickets and Information
SHOW INFORMATION
CURRENTLY CLOSED
Opened Jun 7, 2011
Closed Jul 3, 2011
Opened Jun 7, 2011
Closed Jul 3, 2011
Directions & Map
Visit the The Shaggs: Philosophy of the World website:
http://www.playwrightshorizons.org
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WHAT IS IT ABOUT?
Set in Fremont, New Hampshire in the early '70s, The Shaggs is based on the true story of a working class dad (Peter Friedman) who has a vision of rock n' roll destiny for his three talentless daughters, convinced they're his family's one-way ticket out of hardship and obscurity. But the girls have ideas of their own - and as their father's ambition turns to obsession, the price of familial obligation becomes all too clear.
FOUR STARS. CRITIC'S PICK. A captivating and bravely weird new musical that elicits sweet harmonies from the worlds worst rock band. There are deep, disturbing joys to be had in this oddball-underdog odyssey. Pure and original. The Shaggs deserves a serious listen.
--David Cote, Time Out New York
Remarkably -- insistently -- memorable. Jamey Hood, Sarah Sokolovic and Emily Walton are sensational. Peter Friedman is astonishing."
--Jeremy Gerard, Bloomberg News
Sweetly Shaggs-adelic and genuinely heartbreaking.
--Elisabeth Vincentelli, NY Post
One of the most provocative and strange musicals to come along, drawn with poetic license from true events of the '60s. Annie Golden is one-of-a-kind wonderful.
--Joe Dziemianowicz, NY Daily News
"As played by Peter Friedman, Austin is one of the most frighteningly tragic paternal characters to grace the stage since Willy Loman."
--Chris Kompanek, The Huffington Post
WHAT ARE CRITICS SAYING?
What are other members saying?
The Shaggs
Go see a musical about a girl group that cant sing??? Yes, yes, yes!! This is a very well put together show with a great cast, some really good songs and acting and an evocative set. Despite the off the wall subject, this based on a true story, tale is told with sympathy and impact . Dont be fooled, this is one well worth attending. There are shows about successful groups which are not as good as this.
Reviewed by MACNBOB
on Monday, Jun 27th, 2011
RE:Amazing Cast
This great, great cast really brings the songs home, though I will especially single out Annie Golden who took her one big number and just dazzled the audience. The relationships and drama between the characters provide an interesting backstory for the music, sufficient to care about the characters, and whatever weaknesses in the story are overwhelmed by the sheer talent of the cast to bring this work to life.
I laughed during and after the show to the point of tears, though in making the show so accessible to mainstream audiences I felt it was a ultimately a little cruel and insulting toward the Wiggin family. Its too bad that the actual music had to be held up to derision, but this speaks more to my own feelings about outsiders than to the art of the show itself, which is a wonderful experience and left me singing and dancing. I look forward to the cast record!
Reviewed by redbankmick
on Saturday, Jun 11th, 2011
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recommend, approve and/or guarantee such events, or any facts, views, advice and/or information contained therein.
©1999-2012 TheaterMania.com, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms of Use & Privacy Policy
A sad story of a man's pursuit of a promise of fame and happiness comes discordantly to life in The Shaggs: Philosophy of the World, now playing at Playwrights Horizons in a co-production with New York Theatre Workshop. It's an ambitious new musical that inspires almost consistent admiration, while also proving to be curiously distancing.
The show relates the true story of how Austin Wiggin (Peter Friedman), a blue collar worker in Fremont, New Hampshire in the 1960s, compels his teen daughters Betty, Dot and Helen Wiggin (played by Sarah Sokolovic, Jamey Hood, and Emily Walton, respectively) to form a band called The Shaggs because of his deep belief in a prediction that his late mother m[...]