New York Musical Theatre Festival (NYMF) 2011

Tickets and Information

[Ed. Note: This is the fifth in a series of TM review roundups of shows in the eighth annual New York Musical Theatre Festival.]

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Kiki Baby, a new musical by Lonny Price, Grant Sturiale, and Kitt Lavoie now at Theatre at St. Clement's, abounds with whimsical charm as it tells the story of its precocious title character.

The show -- which is based on the 1947 novel Sing, Brat, Sing -- is narrated by Kiki (Jenn Collela) who was catapulted into the spotlight at just four years of age, and is now writing her memoirs and looking back on her fifteen minutes of fame. Colella glows in the role, instantly endearing us to her as she flits about onstage. Even as she becomes a baby d[...]

[Ed. Note: This is the fourth in a series of TM review roundups of shows in the eighth annual New York Musical Theatre Festival.]

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Romance abounds in Date of a Lifetime, the utterly charming new musical at the McGinn/Cazale Theatre, featuring book and lyrics by Carl Kissin and music by Robert Baumgartner, Jr. Under Jeremy Dobrish's assured direction, the work is a breezy fun-filled evening that is sure to appeal to couples no matter what stage they are in their relationship.

The premise is simple. Katie (Farah Alvin) and Marvin (Jamie LaVerdiere) arrive at a speed-dating event, and after an amusing montage of their other potential matches of the evening, they meet one an[...]

[Ed. Note: This is the third in a series of TM review roundups of shows in the eighth annual New York Musical Theatre Festival.]

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One of many shrewd decisions marking the gratifyingly successful adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, at Signature Theatre Company's Peter Norton Space, is the inclusion of Austen herself as a main character, played with verve by Donna Lynne Champlin.



Co-composers-lyricists-librettists-arrangers-adapters Lindsay Warren Baker and Amanda Jacobs perused the Austen biographical facts, noted the book had been rejected by the first publishers to whom it was sent, and that only 10 years or so later did the author return to it, unsure of [...]

[Ed. Note: This is the second in a series of TM review roundups of shows in the eighth annual New York Musical Theatre Festival.]

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Drew Gasparini and Louis Sacco's charming new tuner Crazy, Just Like Me, at TBG Theatre, features a pleasant pop musical score with occasional funky flourishes. And while the book scenes sometimes stretch credulity, there's enough heart in the show to win audiences over in the end.

The musical follows the lives of 20-something roommates Simon (Andy Mientus) and Mike (Andrew Kober), who have been best friends since they were kids. Simon is feeling increasingly depressed, partly due to the continuing presence of Mike's girlfriend Lauren (Lexie P[...]

[Ed. Note: This is the first in a series of TM review roundups of shows in the eighth annual New York Musical Theatre Festival.]

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The story of Billy the Kid has been told numerous times, in many, many different ways, but the entertaining new musical Outlaws: The Ballad of Billy the Kid, at the McGinn/Cazale Theater, manages to make the story seem fresh.

The show's book -- written by Perry Liu, Joe Calarco, and Alastair William King -- may be set in the 1800s, but the language used by the authors feels very contemporary. So does Liu and King's catchy score, which ranges from the hard-driving rock anthem, "We Do Whatever We Want," to the tender ballad, "A Place in the Sun,"[...]