WOMEN ON THE VERGE... Reviews

Today is Thursday, November 4, marking the official opening night performance of the world-premiere musical "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown", starring Sherie Rene Scott, Patti LuPone, Laura Benanti, and Brian Stokes Mitchell, et al., at the newly restored Belasco Theatre on 44th.

Tony-nominated collaborators - of "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" fame - David Yazbek (music and lyrics) and Jeffrey Lane (book) adapted the source material for the stage. Lincoln Center Theater's resident director Bartlett Sher helms the show, based on Pedro Almodóvar's Oscar-nominated 1988 cult film.

This is how LCT bills the show: "Both touching and hilarious, it's a story about women and the men who pursue them... finding them, losing them, needing them, and rejecting them. At the center is Pepa (Scott) whose friends and lovers are blazing a trail through 1980s Madrid. And why do they all keep showing up at her high-rise apartment? Is it her gazpacho? Along with Pepa, there's her missing (possibly philandering) lover, Ivan (Mitchell); his ex-wife of questionable sanity, Lucia (LuPone); Pepa's friend, Candela (Benanti), and her terrorist boyfriend; a power-suited lawyer (Aziza) plus a taxi driver (Burstein) who dispenses tissues, mints and advice in equal proportion. Mayhem and comic madness abound, balanced by the empathy and heart that are trademarks of Almodóvar's work. And of Bartlett Sher's too."

My best to all involved!

- M

This is not going to be pretty. I can guarantee it.

Neither do I!

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First review calling it "a flavorless mess". ouch!

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someone needs to explain to the wall street journal that is a WORK IN PROGRESS!

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uncageg, don't encourage him.

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Talkin' Broadway predictably tears the whole thing to shreds save Benanti, who gets a love letter.
Review

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USA Today gives it two and a half out of four stars, but thinks its talented cast and crew deserves much better. Latin-flavored Muzak is pretty rough.
Broadway's 'Women on the Verge' is all over the place

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LA Times: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/culturemonster/2010/11/theater-review-women-on-the-verge-of-a-nervous-breakdown-at-the-belasco-theatre.html

AP/ABC news: http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory?id=12060635

NY1: http://www.ny1.com/content/ny1_living/theater_reviews/128368/time-out-theater-review---women-on-the-verge-of-a-nervous-breakdown-

ShowBiz411: http://www.showbiz411.com/2010/11/04/women-on-the-verge-musical-the-gazpacho-is-sour

Showbiz's review is pretty funny, but so far ABC News probably has given it the best review. Not saying much still.

Updated On: 11/4/10 at 09:08 PM

Thank you.


Does anyone know at what time does the NYT review usually come out at?

Ok, child.

Not looking good, I was actually looking forward to seeing this, when I fly over from London next week.

This getting slaughtered by the critics and Spiderman being cancelled, yeap a CRAP day!

I don't think this is like Valentine's Day at all. It is a new world premiere musical with some well known Broadway stars in it... I don't think the issue is that it has too many stars in it.

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