Allegro at Classic Stage Company

The New York Times - Somewhat Recommended

"..."Allegro" was in part a cri de coeur from Hammerstein, who was starting to find his vast success a cramping burden. He was particularly stung by the failure of this work. Mr. Doyle's production allows us both to understand why "Allegro" failed but also to experience anew how deeply personal it must have felt for its creators."

Hollywood Reporter - Not Recommended

"...Musical theater aficionados, of course, will want to catch this production of the rarely seen work, although its truncated 90-minute running time indicates serious cutting. But much like its original incarnation, this Allegro can only be judged as a noble failure."

Vulture - Somewhat Recommended

"...The cast therefore serves double duty twice: as actors and instrumentalists but also as individual characters and members of the ensemble. They are all onstage throughout, and are uniformly fine. Doyle's no-ham diet ensures that each stands out in bright relief, vibrating with contradiction. If this feels contemporary, it's not applied; it's in the material. Hammerstein really was far ahead of his audience with Allegro. And perhaps far ahead of his own abilities. In truth, part of what makes this heartbreaker of a musical seem so contemporary is that it's so imperfect."

Entertainment Weekly - Somewhat Recommended

"...This update, with its original, copious Agnes DeMille dream ballets excised to reach a fairly tight 90 minutes, will satisfy completist palettes and there's never any denying Doyle's arresting choices: pristine spatial distancing of actors to suggest various emotions, one number performed chiefly with the house lights on (on a thrust stage, no less), a violinist cleverly inserted between a prospective romantic pairing to suggest a love triangle. But unlike the director's other projects (or perhaps because the original material does not warrant it), the production doesn't allow its well-chosen cast much leeway toward etching out anything terribly singular. When one character asks, ''You get kind of wrapped up in these people, don't you?'', you're tempted to respond with a slightly resigned ''No, not so much''."

TheaterMania - Not Recommended

"...Unfortunately, Rodgers and Hammerstein's most experimental show just happens to be their most boring, suffering from both an unremarkable score and a predictable story. And while it may have been a novelty for Broadway, it's hard to claim any kind of form-pushing theatrical legacy for Allegro. No amount of time, perspective, or auteur direction can change that. Rodgers and Hammerstein were undeniably geniuses of musical theater, but even geniuses have their flops."