Monte Cristo: A New Musical Off-Broadway Reviews

The York Theater production that just opened, however, didn’t get that memo. Imagine a stage version of “Gone With the Wind” in which Scarlett and Rhett run off together, or a “Casablanca” with Rick boarding the plane to stay with Ilsa. Tha...

The York Theater production that just opened, however, didn’t get that memo. Imagine a stage version of “Gone With the Wind” in which Scarlett and Rhett run off together, or a “Casablanca” with Rick boarding the plane to stay with Ilsa. That is the equivalent of what Peter Kellogg, the “Monte Cristo” book writer and lyricist, presents, in a departure from Dumas’s original (published in serial form from 1844-46). Generally, he seems to lean on Charles Fechter’s 19th-century play variation, which is not a good idea.

It’s also no way to treat Dumas’s classic. Or to update it for modern audiences in a way that feels fresh. The director, Peter Flynn, seems overwhelmed by the scope of the material; some numbers end, bizarrely and abruptly, while the soloist is w...

It’s also no way to treat Dumas’s classic. Or to update it for modern audiences in a way that feels fresh. The director, Peter Flynn, seems overwhelmed by the scope of the material; some numbers end, bizarrely and abruptly, while the soloist is walking off stage into darkness. Monte Cristo misses both the novel’s romanticism and its propulsive energy. Despite noble intentions and some promising elements, call this one down for the count.

I suspect any theatergoer who is a faithful devotee of Dumas’ novel will be disappointed, as is anyone who is truly expecting an early look at a musical that will become the next Broadway blockbuster. But everyone else can count on being at least m...

I suspect any theatergoer who is a faithful devotee of Dumas’ novel will be disappointed, as is anyone who is truly expecting an early look at a musical that will become the next Broadway blockbuster. But everyone else can count on being at least modestly entertained and relish the excellent efforts of this mostly top-notch cast!

As for the creatives, set designer Anne Mundell has an ominous prison cell up-stage center and to its left an arch through which can be glimpsed Shawn Duan’s atmospheric projections. Stage left is a curtained stage that gets plenty of use when the ...

As for the creatives, set designer Anne Mundell has an ominous prison cell up-stage center and to its left an arch through which can be glimpsed Shawn Duan’s atmospheric projections. Stage left is a curtained stage that gets plenty of use when the curtains are withdrawn. Alan C. Edwards lighting and Joanna Lynne Staub’s sound complement the set and significantly give Monte Cristo the look of something that belongs on Broadway, if that’s the ultimate goal. David Hancock Turner underlines the score’s urgent moods at the head of a seven-member musical contingent.