Total Rating: 
***
Previews: 
August 19, 2008
Opened: 
September 18, 2008
Ended: 
November 9, 2008
Country: 
USA
State: 
New York
City: 
New York
Company/Producers: 
Russell-Sharpe Productions, Inc. (Barbra Russell & Ron Sharpe, exec prods), Bernard Brogan, Sharon A. Fordham (Fordham Entertainment Mktg) / Theater Associates/David Sonnenberg, The Monagle Group, Fanok Entertainment, Mary Laminack, Gasperino Entertainment, Vincent Russell. Assoc Prod: William Broderick, Harry Casey & David Bryant.
Theater Type: 
Broadway
Theater: 
Al Hirschfeld Theater
Theater Address: 
302 West 45th Street
Running Time: 
2 hrs, 45 min
Genre: 
Musical
Author: 
Book/Score: Jill Santoriello, adapting Charles Dickens novel.
Director: 
Warren Carlyle
Choreographer: 
Warren Carlyle
Review: 

A Tale of Two Cities, with book, lyrics and music by Jill Santoriello, 'tis a far, far better show than I expected. James Barbour rocks the theater with his powerful, base-baritone voice and deep emotional commitment, the very beautiful Brandi Burkhardt shakes chandeliers when she sings, the entire cast is top Broadway-level in acting and voice, and the active imaginative set by Tony Walton, good classic costumes by David Zinn and fine lighting by Richard Pilbrow, all directed and choreographed by Warren Carlyle, add up to a Broadway spectacle that, although speckled with flat spots and very little humor, is mostly an engaging musical-theater experience. Yes, some portrayals are caricatures, some sections of carousing are boring, and I did not walk out humming any of the very derivative music, but ultimately it is a simple entertaining show that the audience enjoyed - an historical drama that is sort of a Les Miz reduced.

Not the best of times, but far, far from the worst.

Parental: 
gunshot
Cast: 
James Barbour (Sydney), Brandi Burkhardt (Lucie), Aaron Lazar (Darnay), Kevin Earley (Ernest), Michael Hayward-Jones (Lorry), Craig Bennett (Jerry), MacKenzie Mauzy, Katherine McGrath (Pross), Gregg Edelman (Dr.), Les Minski, Natalie Toro, Nick Wyman (Barsad), Drew Aber, Catherine Brunell, Alison Cimmet, Jennifer Evans, William Thomas Evans, Randy Glass, Kevin Greene, Michael Halling, Tim Hartman, Fred Inkley, Georgi James, Miles Kath, Jay Lusteck, Ray McLeod, Catherine Missal, James Moye, Walter O¹Neil, Dan Petrotta, Devin Richards, Rob Richardson, Rebecca Robbins, Jennifer Smith, Anne Tolpegin, Eric Van Tielen, Mollie Vogt-Welch, Alison Walla.
Technical: 
Orchestr: Edward Kessel, Wendy Bobbitt Cavett, Kevin Stites & Bob Krogstad. Set: Tony Walton; Light: Richard Pilbrow; Costumes: David Zinn; Sound: Carl Casella & Domonic Sack. Music Dir: Kevin Stites. Arr: Edward B. Kessel & Wendy Bobbitt Cavett
Other Critics: 
TOTALTHEATER.COM David Lefkowitz 10/08 +
Critic: 
Richmond Shepard
Date Reviewed: 
October 2008