Amber Iman, Austin Scott, Nick Rashad Burroughs and more join GODDESS at the Public Theatre - Spring 2025- Page 3

[Miss10036]

Posted: 5/20/25 at 6:33pm

I went over the weekend and while I found parts of this exciting, it's muddled and sorely needs focus...  I'm bummed they didn't have it together more because when this is good, it's intoxicating.  The band's invigorating, the design elements are lush, there are some real scene-stealers in the cast, and there's savvy direction and some really cool puppetry which I'd have loved to see more of.  It's got a distinctive musical profile and some incredibly catchy tunes, especially the duets and group songs like that Boom Boom number that will be stuck in my head forever.  But unfortunately I was far more enamored with the storytelling than the story itself, which is lacking.

They need to be way more ruthless with the material.  Amber Iman is stunning, and her vocals are stunning, but her solos and the solos more broadly are generally the weakest songs in the show, with the exception being one solo in the second act from a character that doesn't get much airtime otherwise.  The lyrics are too direct to grip you, and while some directness can be a good thing when deployed the right amount, it loses its impact when all of Nadira's (Iman's character) and Omari's (Austin Scott) songs are them planting and telling us exactly how they feel without specificity.  Even the song titles reflect this, like "I Want to Live in the Music" doesn't go much deeper than that.  These songs could be cut down to snippets or cut entirely and the show would still say just as much.  Nadira's motivations for being on Earth are not clearly explained, either.  (It reminded me of Boop! in a way, where you have a sensational performer at the center of it but the book kind of strands her and leaves her drive underdeveloped.)  The core relationship of the show, between Nadira and Omari, lacks heat and isn't developed enough for an audience to understand why it's special or matters.  Meanwhile, the supporting characters aren't built up enough, so when they get bigger moments or are suddenly thrust into the spotlight, like the B-couple and Madongo, it doesn't feel earned.  It also just feels like there are too many characters floating around.  It needs more book and a better book.

The mythology elements are more compelling than the human storyline and I wish they leaned more into what makes this piece unique.  Perhaps a more mythology-forward version of this is not the story they want to tell, even though that would feel higher-stakes and play to the show's strengths, but if they're going to try and balance the divine and the earthbound/political storylines, at least work to make the those storylines rise to the heights of the goddess stuff.

I thought a lot about Lempicka afterward, which also contained real flashes of promise but (evidently) suffered from getting tinkered with for too long and losing what could've made it special...  Meanwhile, Goddess has thrilling moments and fresh ideas, but has probably been tinkered with for too long and needs a firmer guiding hand to get everything to coalesce.  The highs are high enough that I'd love to see them figure this out someday, but as it stands that'll take a significant amount of work.

[GottaGetAGimmick420]

Posted: 5/20/25 at 7:49pm

[1 Minute Critic]

Posted: 5/20/25 at 9:51pm

Amber Iman delivers Goddess-level vocals as an African deity hiding in Kenya's club scene. If your suspension of disbelief is well-honed, Goddess is captivating, but not always otherworldly. Full review here ⏰

 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 5/20/25 at 10:34pm

Jesse Green is mixed. Finds the book "lumpy" and overworked, dislikes some of the lyrics, likes the staging and design, and looooooves Amber Iman.

Review: How Music Came Down to Earth, in ‘Goddess’

Updated On: 5/20/25 at 10:34 PM

[quizking101]

Posted: 5/21/25 at 12:00am

The reviews are universally euphoric about Amber Iman and it’s well deserved.

I would even go insofar as to say that, if she was was eligible this year, she might’ve taken that Tony out from under Audra and Nicole. You can already tell when this transfers that she will be the focal point of every awards conversation 

[Ensemble1698878795]

Posted: 5/21/25 at 12:54am

quizking101 said: "The reviews are universally euphoric about Amber Iman and it’s well deserved.

I would even go insofar as to say that, if she was was eligible this year, she might’ve taken that Tony out from under Audra and Nicole. You can already tell when this transfers that she will be the focal point of every awards conversation"

Based on the reviews this won’t transfer. This is their second run in a couple years and the book still lacks clarity. There’s work to be done. 

 

[quizking101]

Posted: 5/21/25 at 6:32am

I didn’t mean to imply that a transfer was imminent (and don’t think I did). I was mostly just speaking to the fact that the reviewers all agree on Amber Iman. 

I concur that there is book work to be done, but I don’t rule out the possibility of a transfer in a few seasons provided they do the necessary work on the book

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 5/21/25 at 8:28am

Ensemble1698878795 said: "Based on the reviews this won’t transfer. This is their second run in a couple years and the book still lacks clarity. There’s work to be done."

I think a transfer is pretty inevitable for this one. The reviews are encouraging enough, it has sellable elements, and Mara Isaacs (Hadestown and Gypsy lead producer) and Christine Schwartzman (a lady with a ton of money) are the lead producers.

Maybe not next season. They probably need to take it back into the studio for a 4-week workshop like SUFFS did after the Public. But it’s not like this show is unsalvageable…it’s just a matter of getting Saheem to pare it down and kill some darlings. 

[BJR]

Posted: 5/21/25 at 11:06am

Yeah, this definitely is going to move. 

It does seem like if any other show had two tryouts, and even booted off a bookwriter between them, and still had book trouble, there usually would be more naysayers. But I guess Thurber's music and Iman's star power both are enough to keep it on track.

[Kad]

Posted: 5/21/25 at 11:29am

Regardless of reviews, this production just doesn’t seem to have any heat or buzz around it at all. 

[inception]

Posted: 5/21/25 at 11:50am

But there's always someone with money dumb enough to lose a bunch of it.  

[OhHiii]

Posted: 5/21/25 at 1:20pm

Schwartzman entirely self-funded Bad Cinderella's massive weekly losses. This will move and probably in the Fall if I were to place a bet.

[Robbie2]

Posted: 5/21/25 at 1:37pm

quizking101 said: "The reviews are universally euphoric about Amber Iman and it’s well deserved.

I would even go insofar as to say that, if she was was eligible this year, she might’ve taken that Tony out from under Audra and Nicole. You can already tell when this transfers that she will be the focal point of every awards conversation"

LOL and transfer? This won't last on Broadway. 

[SteveSanders]

Posted: 5/21/25 at 2:17pm

Kad said: "Regardless of reviews, this production just doesn’t seem to have any heat or buzz around it at all."

Seems like maybe this has been the case for much of The Public's most recent efforts?  I know there have been some exceptions, but I just don't hear them as regular a part of the buzz as they once were.  Maybe others are and my experience is in the minority.

[Kad]

Posted: 5/21/25 at 2:23pm

SteveSanders said: "Kad said: "Regardless of reviews, this production just doesn’t seem to have any heat or buzz around it at all."

Seems like maybe this has been the case for much of The Public's most recent efforts? I know there have been some exceptions, but I just don't hear them as regular a part of the buzz as they once were. Maybe others are and my experience is in the minority."

I would generally agree. It's not that they're putting up weak work, per se, but that they don't seem to be leading the conversation the way they were pre-pandemic.

[raddersons]

Posted: 5/21/25 at 2:34pm

Ensemble1698878795 said: "quizking101 said: "The reviews are universally euphoric about Amber Iman and it’s well deserved.

I would even go insofar as to say that, if she was was eligible this year, she might’ve taken that Tony out from under Audra and Nicole. You can already tell when this transfers that she will be the focal point of every awards conversation"

Based on the reviews this won’t transfer. This is their second run in a couple years and the book still lacks clarity. There’s work to be done.

"

Poor Amber Iman trapped in these shows where “work is to be done.” People were saying the same thing about Lempicka at Williamstown and La Jolla and they were just never able to nail it down. 

[OhHiii]

Posted: 5/21/25 at 4:19pm

Kad said: "SteveSanders said: "Kad said: "Regardless of reviews, this production just doesn’t seem to have any heat or buzz around it at all."

Seems like maybe this has been the case for much of The Public's most recent efforts? I know there have been some exceptions, but I just don't hear them as regular a part of the buzz as they once were. Maybe others are and my experience is in the minority."

I would generally agree. It's not that they're putting up weak work, per se, but that they don't seem to be leading the conversation the way they were pre-pandemic."

I feel like there's also been an effort on the part of The Public to manage expectations given they've had a string of shows that had a lot of hype behind them that ultimately came up short when it came time for reviews/word of mouth. Suffs and Hell's Kitchen being the two examples I'm thinking of. Obviously, HK has done well for itself on the back of Alicia's fame, but since Hamilton I've felt like any musical that goes there has outsized expectations working against it.

 

[Ensemble1698878795]

Posted: 5/22/25 at 12:29am

OhHiii said: "Kad said: "SteveSanders said: "Kad said: "Regardless of reviews, this production just doesn’t seem to have any heat or buzz around it at all."

Seems like maybe this has been the case for much of The Public's most recent efforts? I know there have been some exceptions, but I just don't hear them as regular a part of the buzz as they once were. Maybe others are and my experience is in the minority."

I would generally agree. It's not that they're putting up weak work, per se, but that they don't seem to be leading the conversation the way they were pre-pandemic."

I feel like there's also been aneffort on the part of The Public to manage expectations given they've had a string of shows that had a lot of hype behind them that ultimately came up short when it came time for reviews/word of mouth. Suffs and Hell's Kitchen being the two examples I'm thinking of. Obviously, HK has done well for itself on the back of Alicia's fame, but since Hamilton I've felt like any musical that goes there has outsized expectations working against it.

"

Amen to this. Lots of hype and not a lot of craft is the consistency coming out of The Public these days. NYTW too. 

[CoffeeBreak]

Posted: 5/23/25 at 12:14am

Agree.   This should not transfer.  It's had its moment in NYC hopefully. 

[bwayobsessed]

Posted: 6/15/25 at 9:32am

I saw it last night and I loved it. The energy is amazing. I’d say the first 45 minutes or so and the ending are perfection. The middle could use a bit of tightening. Amber Iman is a literal goddess and deserves her mid show ovation. I hope it transfers (with a little work). 

[quizking101]

Posted: 6/15/25 at 10:15am

CoffeeBreak said: "Agree. This should not transfer. It's had its moment in NYC hopefully."

I mean, it has definitely caught some momentum in the last few weeks with all performances sold out or nearly sold out. 

As I’ve told many people, it’s definitely a spiritual cousin of BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB with a bit of XANADU mixed in. It’s an odd combo, and I’ve mentioned the book needs tightening, but (like someone said) if they kill some darlings, it could be a hit and Lord knows we are craving for original works. If anything, the score alone is worthy of celebration. 

IMHO, there are too many external conflicts for Marimba and Omari - if they can focus more in on their budding connection in spite of their familial expectations, then you have a much tighter story.

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 6/15/25 at 11:13am

When we look back, the Hamilton/Fun Home era of the Public will likely be the high point of Oskar’s tenure (an era that also included doing that Richard Nelson play ON election night 2016). Trying to replicate that will only end in failure.

GODDESS feels like a close cousin of a 90s Disney animation movie. And I do think it could find a Broadway audience if it opens in the right moment and can get better reviews. At its core it feels like it is trying to be a populist musical.

I think this show is in much stronger shape than LEMPICKA, and while it might help to do it out of town again, they might get the same results from doing a 5-week workshop in New York. Cutting and focusing should be the focus of rewriting. I also think the design could benefit from some more money.

[bwayobsessed]

Posted: 6/15/25 at 12:20pm

Imagining the design of the finale with more money is enough for me to want them to write the checks now

[quizking101]

Posted: 6/15/25 at 12:58pm

bwayobsessed said: "Imagining the design of the finale with more money is enough for me to want them to write the checks now"

I know the set designer. He’s usually very good about upscaling when a show moves to a bigger house. (See his recent Tony-nommed work for BVSC)

[Kad]

Posted: 6/15/25 at 1:14pm

ErmengardeStopSniveling said: "When we look back, the Hamilton/Fun Home era of the Public will likely be the high point of Oskar’s tenure (an era that also included doing that Richard Nelson play ON election night 2016). Trying to replicate that will only end in failure.."

I would extend that era back to Hair/Twelfth Night in the park, and then set the cutoff point to the pandemic. It's an incredible period in which the Public really dominated the American theatre. 

However, I do think the pandemic exposed a great deal of the weaknesses behind Eustis' tenure. The expense of massive growth and large capital campaigns (I remain deeply unsure that the addition of a mezzanine level and the Library restaurant was really worth the expense, particularly when their theatre spaces themselves continue to need updates and renovation), the pursuit of Broadway transfers, the large disparity in pay between the executive positions and rank and file staff- things that could be glossed over pre-pandemic as the theatre churned out high profile productions, but the abrupt halt of the industry really jarred them and revealed that it wasn't as sustainable as it appeared. These problems aren't unique to the Public, of course- other companies like Signature are in a similar place. 

Updated On: 6/15/25 at 01:14 PM