'Giulia: The Poison Queen of Palermo' Off-Broadway review — Jennifer Nettles alchemizes deadly history into a killer musical
6 / 10
Giulia: The Poison Queen of Palermo promises delicious, righteous darkness, like a feminist, Renaissance Sweeney Todd for the 21st century. The songs can’t quite deliver that darkness, though, and at their weakest feel trite and even derivative. But at their strongest, as Giulia and her women sing their woes to a Palermo skyline, there was a visceral emotion being stirred in my audience. And when it came to the finale, Giulia seamlessly stuck a landing that had everyone on my night on their feet, cheering for more.
