CMU School of Drama


Friday, October 08, 2021

Review Roundup: LACKAWANNA BLUES Opens on Broadway!

www.broadwayworld.com: Manhattan Theatre Club's Broadway premiere of Ruben Santiago-Hudson's Lackawanna Blues, opens tonight at MTC's Samuel J. Friedman Theatre. Read all the reviews as they roll in! Lackawanna Blues is written, performed, and directed by Tony Award winner Ruben Santiago-Hudson, with original music by Bill Sims Jr. performed on stage by Grammy Award-nominated blues guitarist Junior Mack.

2 comments:

Sarah Bauch said...

Its so exciting to see that new work is being put up after the pandemic. For a while I was thinking that Broadway might only put on revivals or stick to long-running shows like Wicked, Phantom of the Opera, or Chicago while they begin to recoup everything that they had lost. I am so happy to see that this thought was wrong! Now is the perfect time for new work to come on the scene because people are desperate for new content and a more diverse Broadway season. While some people might only make their way back to Broadway for the first time since the pandemic for revivals, I know there are a great deal of people who are eagerly awaiting to see what new works Broadway brings to the table after being held accountable by We See You White American Theater. Even after Broadway was locked down for so long, new work will make its debut. Nothing can stop art, especially not a pandemic.

Sidney R. said...

Performing in this show truly sounds like a feat, but based on the reviews, Ruben Santiago-Hudson has got it down. I love the idea of paying tribute to people who made you who you are--it makes me think of the idea that you are a sum of all the people you've met and loved. This production also veers away from the typical content on Broadway. I like the quote from the Time Out NYC: "It satisfies a hunger that Broadway seldom serves." I'm also interested in diving into the idea that the blues doesn't necessarily mean pure sadness, but that it has an aspect of melancholy and even love to it. This article does seem to only include positive feelings about the production though, and I wonder what some criticisms are (if any). Although, with Broadway World articles, I feel like the main goal is to summarize the beauty of a production and encourage you to see it.