Ben
Brantley

March 23, 2007

As befits a musical about a musical, “Curtains” — the talent-packed, thrill-starved production that opened last night at the Al Hirschfeld Theater — features an assortment of upbeat anthems to this business we call show. But the number that best captures the essence of the latest (and, sad to say, one of the last) of the collaborations from the songwriting team of John Kander and Fred Ebb is a low-key ballad called “Coffee Shop Nights.”

March 22, 2007

Usa Today

March 22, 2007

"In Curtains the new musical that opened Thursday at Broadway’s Al Hirschfeld Theatre, the jokes may be cheap, but some of them come at the expense of theater critics."

March 22, 2007

"Hyde Pierce, with his polished comic timing and more than serviceable singing skills, is the (show’s) most invaluable asset. His detective is a memorable comic creation who rescues this show from being just another self-satirizing musical spoof."

Ny Daily News

March 22, 2007

"Brings a gust of giddy good fun to Broadway. The score is lighter than Chicago and Cabaret, but the legendary team has penned a show’s worth of good tunes. The dancing is athletic and intricate and will knock your socks off."

March 22, 2007

"Any show that gleefully trashes critics in what’s virtually its opening number can’t be all that bad. But Curtains – that title is another way to tempt fate – tries very hard to be not good."

March 22, 2007

"So, as they’ve been raising Curtains for Broadway consumption, the show’s creators — minus the late Ebb and Stone, but including director Scott Ellis and choreographer Rob Ashford — have ladled on the razzle and the dazzle until they’ve fashioned a product that defies exiting consumers to say they haven’t been entertained. Only a curmudgeon — perhaps someone like this reviewer — could walk away muttering about the substitution of craft for inspired musical comedy art."