ONCE UPON A ONE MORE TIME On Broadway - Opening Night Reviews

[jacobsnchz14]

Posted: 6/22/23 at 12:48am

BRITNEY’S BIGGEST HITS.
BROADWAY’S BEST NIGHT OUT.
OH BABY, BABY, YOU’RE GONNA LOVE IT.

When our storybook heroines gather for book club, they always discuss the same book, Grimms’ Fairy Tales — because as far as they know, it’s the only book that’s ever been written. That’s until a rogue fairy godmother drops The Feminine Mystique into their corseted laps. From now on, “happily ever after” will never be the same. Once Upon a One More Time weaves the chart-topping hits of the undisputed Princess of Pop, Britney Spears, into a brand-new kind of fairy tale.

The jukebox musical opens on Thursday, June 22, 2023 at the Marquis Theatre  

 

[Dylan Smith4]

Posted: 6/22/23 at 3:52am

This is just me, but I think the critics will be very mixed about it. The choreography looks amazing, but I don’t think they’ll like the book! That’s just me. I definitely wanna see this when I’m back in the states!

[bwayphreak234]

Posted: 6/22/23 at 6:44am

I don't think these reviews will be pretty.

[pablitonizer]

Posted: 6/22/23 at 8:42am

After 6 years in the making and a pandemic in between, I can't believe it's officially opening on Broadway! Happy opening to all the cast and creatives 
 

[ColorTheHours048]

Posted: 6/22/23 at 9:34am

One of my favorite nights I’ve ever had in a theater, but I have a feeling critics (most of them, anyway) won’t vibe with it. I’ve got my fingers crossed though.

[quizking101]

Posted: 6/22/23 at 9:46am

I think the reviews are going to decidedly fall in between BAD CINDERELLA and & JULIET, true to form.

The choreography, Guarini, and Simard are standouts and will probably get the heap of the praise, but I can definitely see critics savaging the book since, for all it's good jokes, the story is a bit overlong and clunky.

It definitely needs the good reviews for sure because these sales are ABYSMAL. (Again, you know when the cast is at the stage door thanking folks for coming back and BEGGING them to spread the word that...it's not going well.)

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 6/22/23 at 9:47am

Everything I've been seeing about this musical talks about how fun it is, how Justin Guarini is incredible...I'm worried we don't like works that are just FUN anymore. Everything has to be so serious 

[labellaragazza1]

Posted: 6/22/23 at 9:50am

I had such a blast at this show. I do think the critics won't love it, and I'm certain a few will say & Juliet does it better, but I think both did a great job of working the songs in to a pretty fun plot. I enjoyed this story setup more, possibly because of the Britney and Disney loving 90s child in me. 

I do hope this picks up because I think it's a great night of fun at the theater and honestly an awesome jukebox, but since we already have & Juliet doing the same, I do worry if this will gain a foothold or be a flash in the pan, considering the timing of its opening, but I hope it sticks around. 

[TheQuibbler]

Posted: 6/22/23 at 10:06am

hearthemsing22 said: "Everything I've been seeing about this musical talks about how fun it is, how Justin Guarini is incredible...I'm worried we don't like works that are just FUN anymore. Everything has to be so serious"

 

Well, things can be fun and good; they don't have to be mutually exclusive. The trouble is, these "fun" shows are often inept. 

 

[hearthemsing22]

Posted: 6/22/23 at 10:10am

TheQuibbler said: "hearthemsing22 said: "Everything I've been seeing about this musical talks about how fun it is, how Justin Guarini is incredible...I'm worried we don't like works that are just FUN anymore. Everything has to be so serious"



Well, things can be funandgood; they don't have to be mutually exclusive. The trouble is, these "fun" shows are often inept.

"

That's true I guess. But what critics say isn't the be all end all. I wish people would realize that. YES, I am aware someone wouldn't want to spend a lot of money on a show that gets poor reviews but is that the only opinion that matters? What if you truly wanted to see a show like Hamilton or Wicked or The Lion King but there were bad reviews? Would you not see it? Or if one of your favorite performers was in a show that got lukewarm responses-would you still not want to see them? 

[BJR]

Posted: 6/22/23 at 10:13am

tbh it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. A couple of song uses are genuinely clever, Justin is quite a strong dancer and comedian, and Jenn Simard is brilliant. I'm more mixed on the choreography. Sometimes it was thrilling, sometimes fussy and lacking in interesting stage pictures. The only truly unforgivable thing is the scenic design. One of the cheapest looking and ugly designs I've ever seen.

I must also say the entire premise hinging on Cinderella reading Betty Friedan is the highest camp!

I don't think the critics will be kind, but the audiences around me were losing their minds. So, maybe they'll get a run out of it, if the dual demos of women in their 30s-40s and gay men can keep a show afloat.

[muscle23ftl]

Posted: 6/22/23 at 10:58am

I'm not a big fan of Britney and had very low expectations and also TBH I'm a bit annoyed that we already have Moulin Rouge with songs of Britney and &Juliet and the disaster that was Bad Cinderella, so I figured it was something I wouldn't enjoy seeing, but I was pleasantly surprised. 

[RippedMan]

Posted: 6/22/23 at 6:38pm

Reviews won't be kind. But does the show deserve to charge premium pricing? Seems like a great show for New World after it runs the summer here. 

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 6/22/23 at 7:47pm

3 stars from TimeOut:

Mostly positive, praises Simard most of all.

"Simard is delicious; the rest of the show, if you turn off your brain, is merely yummy in a candy-coated way. That’s not nothing: Once Upon a One More Time is a well-assembled and entertaining diversion."

https://www.timeout.com/newyork/theater/once-upon-a-one-more-time-broadway-musical-review-britney-spears

 

[Sutton Ross]

Posted: 6/22/23 at 7:59pm

Best merch right now on Broadway! I expect mixed reviews for this one. 

[theaterdrew]

Posted: 6/22/23 at 8:23pm

The Princess has spoken:

• britneyspears
  
  Verified
  
  Good luck to the hardworking cast and crew of “Once Upon a One More Time” on opening night tonight 🌹💃🏼✨ !!! I’ve seen the show and it is so funny, smart and brilliant 🤩 !!!
  
   

[pablitonizer]

Posted: 6/22/23 at 8:31pm

theaterdrew said: "The Princess has spoken:

• britneyspears
  
  Verified
  
  Good luck to the hardworking cast and crew of “Once Upon a One More Time” on opening night tonight 🌹💃🏼✨ !!! I’ve seen the show and it is so funny, smart and brilliant 🤩 !!!
   

"Just saw this post of our princess! This will help the show A LOT! 

 

Updated On: 6/22/23 at 08:31 PM

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 6/22/23 at 8:32pm

The review that matters most. Anything else is gravy.

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 6/22/23 at 9:02pm

B+ from Entertainment Weekly:

Once Upon a One More Time review: Justin Guarini and Briga Heelan charm in Britney Spears musical

https://ew.com/theater/theater-reviews/once-upon-a-one-more-time-review-britney-spears-justin-guarini-briga-heelan/

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 6/22/23 at 9:03pm

NY Daily News is a pan:

BROADWAY REVIEW: Oops! Awful Britney Spears jukebox show ‘Once Upon a One More Time’ is waste of pop star’s music

https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/broadway/ny-broadway-britney-spears-jukebox-musical-awful-20230623-pqw63uxcyjbe5dk3r462vmiv5a-story.html

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 6/22/23 at 9:04pm

Deadline is positive:

‘Once Upon A One More Time’ Broadway Review: Britney Spears Goes Into The Woods With Betty Friedan In Wickedly Charming Musical

https://deadline.com/2023/06/britney-spears-broadway-review-once-upon-a-one-more-time-deadline-1235421229/

"Smart, funny, splendid to look at and all with a beat you can dance to, this tribute to the Brothers Grimm, the sisters of the Second Wave and, not least, the indomitable Ms. Spears, is a delight."

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 6/22/23 at 9:04pm

Observer is negative:

Review: ‘Once Upon A One More Time’ Won’t Leave Britney Alone!

This family-friendly jukebox musical cobbled around Britney Spears songs see a group of classic fairytale princesses rebelling against a faithless Prince. But it's more marketing gimmick than fractured, feminist fairytale.

https://observer.com/2023/06/review-once-upon-a-one-more-time-wont-leave-britney-alone/

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 6/22/23 at 9:06pm

Vulture is negative:

Once Upon a One More Time Bungles Britney on Broadway

https://www.vulture.com/2023/06/theater-review-once-upon-a-one-more-time.html

" The highlights come when Jennifer Simard’s Stepmother storms onstage to “Work Bitch” (references to Maserati and Bugatti have been replaced with “posh carriage” and “hot marriage&rdquo and later on, when she chases around Godley’s narrator while singing “Toxic.” I felt like Goldilocks, who does appear among the other fairy-tale beings: When the characters started singing, I wondered what this had to do with the storyline. When the characters started talking, I wanted to get back to the Broadway Sings Britney concert. By the end of the show, Once Upon a One More Time sloughs off any semblance of a plot and heads, probably wisely, toward the latter. "

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 6/22/23 at 9:07pm

Theatrely is positive:

ONCE UPON A ONE MORE TIME Crowns a Pop Princess — Review

https://www.theatrely.com/post/once-upon-a-one-more-time-crowns-a-pop-princess-review


"Once Upon a One More Time pays its truest homage to Britney, not by wringing its hands over how to make pop serious, but through its bouncy understanding of fierce fun with laser-sharp choreography. Don’t overthink it, just intoxicate yourself."

[MemorableUserName]

Posted: 6/22/23 at 9:09pm

Vincentelli in NYT is mostly negative:

‘Once Upon a One More Time’ Review: Cinderella, Liberated (Again)

The Britney Spears jukebox musical, about fairy tale princesses fighting for their emancipation, comes up short as a narrative of feminist awakening.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/22/theater/once-upon-a-one-more-time-review.html

"this big, splashy show, which is quite entertaining at times, is hampered by a shambolic jumble of sisterhood 101 messaging and defanged fantasy revisionism."

 

"And though the numbers for “ … Baby One More Time,” “Circus” and “Crazy” look fantastic, the one-size-fits-most staging can become repetitive, and is not as effective in those moments when a less in-your-face approach is needed.

Worse, the songs often barely suit the story, even with some tweaked lyrics. Exceptions include Cinderella’s stepsisters (Ryann Redmond and Tess Soltau) commanding her to “Work Bitch.” The Max Martin jukebox musical “& Juliet,” which is playing a thousand feet away and features five Spears hits, integrates book and songs with less visible seams and more wit."