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

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

I don't think these reviews will be pretty.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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/

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."

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. "

Vincentelli in NYT is mostly negative:

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.