New Jennifer Nettles musical, GIULIA, will premiere in NY this fall — Page 2

I think Orchestra is great for this one. Had two different friends sit in the mezzanine/balcony levels and say they had some trouble seeing everything, but the orchestra seems to be on progressive tiers all the way to the back. I was a few rows from the back in the orchestra and had a straight shot of the whole stage. Emphasis on house right if you want a full view of the stairway as well.

Juan Ramirez’s review for theatrly is ringing true for me on this one.

I thought this was an amazing concept for a new musical with a lot of ingredients to make something great, though Zimmeran’s direction couldn’t quite mix them all together in the right way.

I couldn’t help but admire Nettles’ ambition with this story & could feel she was creating it from and inspire place and in earnest, but that she needs a strong collaborator to help her shape it into its potential.



I hope this show continues to move forward—but they need to take the time to nail the tone down and really make it all work. It most likely needs a new director.

but if Nettles is up for the task of editing this thing and perhaps getting a co-lyricist or book writer to help finesse it, I think there’s something potentially very special here. In spite of its flaws, it’s a show I haven’t stopped thinking about.

Seems like alot of good music and great performances struggling to overcome a crappy book--weve seen this a thousand times before, so lets hope Nettles (or those around her) can fix it for future iterations.

im seeing it next week, and happy to see Didi Romero and Quentin Darrington get so much praise.

Man, oh man. This really has the makings for a really special new musical.


First off, I’ve been a huge fan of Jennifer Nettles for years and I’m loving her branching out into theatre. Her Broadway album is amazing and she also was an incredible Jenna in Waitress. She has created a truly beautiful score and what a joy it was to hear a truly original score in an original musical that was actually very, very good.


I do agree that the book is a bit muddy, but the show itself has GREAT bones. There are a few too many characters (and some characters can be condensed into one). There needs to be more of a focus with Giulia because, due to the book, she does tend to fade into the background a bit. Also, we need a duet between her and her daughter, who (I don’t have the cast list in front of me, so apologies for not knowing her name) gives a truly star making performance here - but this also is a problem. She had so little to do in act 1, that when her two big songs in act 2 come, they feel every slightly unearned. We need more of the both of them.


It was such a treat seeing Nettles and the world she created. This is also probably the most beautiful sounding ensemble in NYC. From what the cast and Nettles herself said at stage door, talks of a transfer are happening, so I do hope the work is done because this could easily be one of the best original musicals in years with some tweaking.


Stage door report for anyone who wants it - the majority of the cast did come out the stage door (I didn’t see Andrew Kober) but there were no barricades set up, and there were so few of us nobody really bothered them as they were leaving. Jennifer Nettles came out after about 40 minutes or so with her husband and she is truly just the kindest human. She shook everyone’s hand, introduced herself and asked what their name was, had a conversation with everyone one on one and then gave everyone a hug and asked if they wanted a picture. Truly a class act.

i really hope this gets a hard revisit with some new directorial/creative talent because theres ALOT of good stuff here, namely one of the better new scores weve heard in a while and such a fantastic ensemble singing them.

Nettles gives herself a slew of solo talk-to-the-audience barn burners and she nails each one, but they blend together after a while, and they arent necessary in a show with 20ish songs. Quentin Earl Darrington is singing absolutely bonkers perfectly, but he gets 2 or 3 wrenching solos, when his character only needs 1.

these cuts would help the show, as would refining the eyeroll-silly too-neat ending. and why is the best song saved for the curtain call? why not have Giulia sing a version of it earlier on, maybe with her daughter, and then bring it back out at the end with the audience singing along (which they already are based on the clips of it circulating online)?

I would not bother with all this second guessing Monday morning quarterbacking if i didnt really enjoy the show and want it to succeed. As I said earlier, Nettles voice is gorgeous steel, and 8 shows a week is no problem for her, she sounds impeccable. And shes written some fun characters who walk away with many scenes-- Christopher Ramirez is especially good at being slimy/sexy/funny, and Didi Romero steals literally every moment she has (and id give her character more- she only really comes alive too late in the show).

The music is too loud (Bre Jackson was hard to hear but seems like shes having the most fun and doing the most vocal runs) and the direction very one note but i still thought it was an embarrassment of musical riches, and im glad I caught it.

Why does every song have to be belted full throttle directly into the audience’s face?


OK, we get it. Yes, we love you and we’re affected.



Now go away



Why is every song a sociological examination of feminine oppression? I guess that’s the point of the musical but, man, that’s a lot of heavy lifting

I saw Giulia last week and went in with high expectations because of the subject matter, the director, and the creator coming from another medium—pop country. I came out disappointed that it never quite gelled.

The production, from the direction to the sets and costumes, was perfectly in period, some of it gorgeously so. The score was my first disappointment. It was an amalgam of styles—pop, rap, Broadway, and some interesting turns on Italian folk and religious music. It worked hard against the period visual cues. It might have worked—see Hamilton or Jesus Christ Superstar—if the lyrics had more impact and were better focused.

Beneath the score are some of the best arrangements and orchestrations I've heard in a long time. I would welcome listening to a cast recording, but I would not relish sitting through the two-hour-and-forty-minute show again.

The book, which is pretty much sung through, keeps the story moving, but it doesn't do a great job fleshing out or deepening the characters, nor does it always set up the story for the most interesting musical moments. Once those moments arrive, the lyrics rarely elevate beyond recitative.

This has the potential to be Evita-like in thrusting its leading character into musical theater lore. As it is, it feels like a series of missed opportunities.

They're using the Italian spelling, Giulia. Rather than mimic Les Hamilton, the show should be "Salvaci, o Giulia!" Instead, it often feels generic—more "Hey, Julia!" than distinctly Italian.

n2nbaby said: "I do agree with a lot of what you said but man, oh man. I can’t get so much of this score out of my head. I need a cast recording yesterday.

I do hope they do the work because it has got GREAT bones."

I'm shocked by this. Only two moments really gelled into something musical and lyrical for me, and that was the solo for Giulia's daughter, and the song that occurred AFTER the curtain call. To me, the music and lyrics seemed to just ramble.

Would love to see Jennifer in a fresh revival of Whorehouse!

The music was so loud when I saw this musical. I felt the actors had to screech and sing above the musicians.Isn't the sound person aware of this. We all felt the music ar times drowned out the singers.

I definitely agree. The worst thing for me was the tone. It has this earnest quality to it like Suffs without the moral rectitude. It is like a serious version of Teeth without the amazing razor sharp satire and criticism. She was definitely listening to Hamilton when writing it, I also don’t care much for sung through shows. The very ending was amazing.

sorano916 said: "The official social account of the show (not PAC) posted this lyric video of "Next Time":
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=9PnhSVpOTEs

I thought it was one of the stronger songs in the show."

What even is the tone of this show? The title is clearly referencing Sweeney Todd, and the subject matter implies some kind of mass murder by poison, but everything I read or hear about it gives none of that. It all sounds treacly and basic. And I can’t even get started on those endless curtain call videos and the cast hopping and dancing around like they’re in high school and the director hasn’t staged bows yet.