"Jenn Thompson’s UNPRETENTIOUSLY IMAGINATIVE STAGING, in which Edward Watts and Ellie Fishman play to perfection the lead roles that were created on Broadway by Robert Preston and Barbara Cook, vacuums the choking cobwebs of convention off a too-familiar warhorse. The result is THE BEST STAGE PRODUCTION OF "THE MUSIC MAN" I'VE EVER SEEN, one comparable in quality to the show’s justly admired 1962 screen adaptation."

- Terry Teachout, The Wall Street Journal

 

“A GRAND MIDWESTERN SPECTACLE…Thompson’s staging FLOWS BEAUTIFULLY into

choreographer Patti Wilcox’s INSPIRED dances…The production is so sound,

SO BRIGHT AND MERRY…a MIGHTY, WHIP-SMART exercise in nostalgia at Goodspeed.”

 -The Hartford Courant

 

"FRESH...EXHILARATING...A SPARKLING PRODUCTION OF ONE OF THE ALL-TIME CHAMPS... 

Director Jenn Thompson, captures the film’s spirit while adding a few welcome nuances. She and her ace choreographer Patricia Wilcox use all of the space on hand — on stage and in the aisles — to keep the pace crisp and the performance visually interesting."

- The New Haven Register

 

“IMAGINATIVE…SPLENDID…PERFECTLY CAST…This Music Man SHINES ANEW thanks to a RESPLENDENT production.”

 - Talkin’ Broadway

 

"AMAZING...THRILLING...BRILLANT...exactly what you want in a piece of classic musical theatre...

as FRESH as the day it premiered...whether you have seen The Music Man a hundred times or not

at all, YOU WON'T WANT TO MISS THIS PRODUCTION!"

- Broadway World

 

"SASSY...EXUBERANT...A DELIGHT...the Goodspeed production, directed by Jenn Thompson,

is FULL OF LIFE...YOU'RE LIKELY TO LEAVE THE THEATRE FEELING UPLIFTED!"

- The New London Day

 

“FANTASTIC...PITCH-PERFECT...BRILLIANTLY STAGED, designed, and choreographed and is

ONE OF THE BEST SHOWS OF THE YEAR!"

- The Journal Inquirer

 

"OUTSTANDING...DELIGHTFUL...The old-fashioned fun is nonstop, the dancing is INFECTIOUS,

the songs are classics and the cast gives it their all. As a tribute goes, this one is the tops, under the fine direction of Jenn Thompson...March yourself right over for tickets to this WONDERFUL, JOYFUL tale. DON'T MISS IT!"

- The Middletown Press

 

"SUPERB...GLORIOUS...the most sumptuous of presentations couldn’t top the warmth, the charm,

the poignancy, and the gorgeous voices in Jenn Thompson’s SPLENDID and SPARKLING production...Thompson keeps the pace swift, and the comic timing diamond-sharp.

And her casting is perfect. The “Think Method” may have its merits, but don’t just think about seeing this show: BRING EVERYONE YOU LOVE, AND COME AND JOIN THIS JOYFUL PARADE."

- The Shoreline Times

 

“WONDERFUL…WITTY…PICTURE-POSTCARD-PERFECT…energetically helmed by Goodspeed favorite Director Jenn Thompson.

- South Shore Critic

 

"SOULFUL...MESMERIZING...DELIVERED WITH PERFECTION! If you’re up for a good time at the theater, then treat yourself to The Music Man."

 - WMNR Fine Arts Radio

 

“EXUBERANT…AMAZING…WONDERFUL…tickets are bound to be scarce for this DELIGHTFUL charmer. Don’t miss out!”

- The Record-Journal

 

"PERIOD PERFECT...EXUBERANT...NOT-TO-BE-MISSED!...an OUTSTANDING 28-member

cast and production team bring Meridith Willson's story of a huckster boys band salesman gone

right to ROLLICKING life."

- In The Spotlight

 

"FRESH, BREEZY and LOADS OF FUN! As directed by Jenn Thompson this show, as adorably

corny as Iowa in August, with waving flags and a marching band, set in small-town bygone America,

is PERFECTLY CAST to reflect 2019 America."

- Critics on the Aisle

 

"BRILLIANT...AMAZING...If there is trouble on the Goodspeed stage, it is only the new pool table in River City, Iowa and the very best kind of trouble that EXHILARATES and ENCHANTS! The Music Man, which is opening the Goodspeed season, is a SHEER DELIGHT."

- Berkshire Fine Arts

 

"TREMENDOUSLY SATISFYING...GRACEFUL...EXUBERANT...big-boned, spirited, infectious,

with a lot of wonderful ensemble numbers that show off the way imaginative staging can make

a limited space feel like it’s being expanded from the inside."

- Critics At Large

 

"TERRIFIC...BEAUTIFULLY TOLD...As SATISFYING a production as any I’ve ever seen...

Director Jenn Thompson has the tone just right. This production is RICH with feeling and, although

I know The Music Man inside out, I was moved to tears several times..."

- Cabaret Scenes

 

"It's GREAT, it's GLORIOUS...indulges all our senses with such great flavor, that we give a humble

bow and kudos to all, especially Director Jenn Thompson, Jenn Thompson, Jenn Thompson – say it soft and it’s almost like praying- (sorry wrong musical this is not “West Side Story”) but we must truly recognize her praiseworthy visionary contribution in making this production so memorable and

A NOT TO BE MISSED THEATRICAL EVENT."

- BATV

 

“ENTIRELY BLISSFUL AND SUBLIME…wonderfully directed by Jenn Thompson…A DREAM OF

A PRODUCTION and one of the strongest shows I have ever seen at Goodspeed Opera House.”

 - Zander Opper, CT. Critics Circle