Broadway Birthday: Marc Shaiman

Posted on October 22, 2020 by boz

Happy birthday to EGOT-nominee composer Marc Shaiman, who was born Oct. 22, 1959, in Newark, NJ. He grew up in Scotch Plains but left home at age 16 to work in New York, starting his career as a musical director and pianist in cabarets. He later became an arranger and writer on Saturday Night Live, for which he received his first Emmy nomination in 1987 and his latest in 2015. (You can read my 2014 interview with Marc Shaiman and his collaborator Scott Wittman at Dramatics.org.)

He made his Broadway debut as music director and arranger with the 1979 Peter Allen revue Up in One, then returned later that year as vocal arranger of Bette Midler’s Divine Madness. His other early Broadway work includes the 1983 André DeShields vehicle Haarlem Nocturne, the 1985 Ellie Greenwich musical Leader of the Pack, and concerts by Harry Connick Jr. in 1990 and Patti LuPone in 1995. Below is a clip of Bette Midler as Delores DeLago in Divine Madness.

In 1988, Shaiman made his film debut with music for Big Business and music supervision for Bette Midler in Beaches. The following year, he served as music arranger for Harry Connick on When Harry Met Sally, earning him his first Grammy nomination. He received his second nomination in 1990 for Connick’s album We Are in Love. His other Grammy noms are for Hairspray (stage and film versions), the TV show Smash, and the film Mary Poppins Returns.

He received his second Emmy nomination for Billy Crystal’s 1991 Oscar opener and won for the comedian’s 1992 opener. Shaiman received further nominations for Crystal’s 2004 and 2012 Oscar work and another win for Neil Patrick Harris’s 2010 Oscar material. He also saw three Emmy nominations for his work on Smash. Below is the Emmy- and Grammy-nominated “Let Me Be Your Star” from the second episode of Smash.

Shaiman has received seven Oscar nominations: for the songs “A Wink and a Smile” from Sleepless in Seattle, “Blame Canada” from South Park, and “The Place Where Lost Things Go” from Mary Poppins Returns as well as for the scores to American President, The First Wives’ Club, Patch Adams, and Mary Poppins Returns. (The Bucket List soundtrack includes “A Seed of Grain,” which I was fortunate to record, with lyrics by Ramsey McLean set to a theme from The American President.)

His first Broadway score was for Hairspray, which received 13 Tony nominations and won eight, including best musical and best score for Shaiman. He also picked up a Grammy for the show’s cast album. His subsequent Broadway scores include Catch Me If You Can, which garnered Shaiman his second Tony nomination, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Below is the 2007 Hairspray film cast in “You Can’t Stop the Beat.”

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Broadway Birthday: Aaron Tveit 

Posted on October 21, 2020 by boz

Happy birthday to 2020 Tony nominee Aaron Tveit, who was born Oct. 21, 1983. Raised in Middletown, NY, Tveit performed in all four of his high school’s theater productions, including West Side Story as Tony. He studied musical theater at Ithaca College but left to join the national tour of Rent. He returned to Ithaca briefly but left again to play Link Larkin in the national tour of Hairspray, in which he made his Broadway debut in 2006.

In 2007, Tveit originated the role of Gabe in the Off-Broadway premiere of Next to Normal, before returning to Broadway in 2008 as Fiyero in Wicked and then in the 2009 transfer of Next to Normal. (In between its Off-Broadway and Broadway runs, Next to Normal was retooled in a 2008 run at Arena Stage, a production I was fortunate to work on.) Below is a clip of him as Gabe from the 2009 Tony Awards.

He originated the role of Frank in Broadway premiere of Catch Me If You Can in 2009 and played revolutionary Enjolras in the 2012 all-star film adaptation of Les Misérables. Below is a clip of him as Frank from the 2011 Tony Awards.

In the past few years, Tveit made his London debut as John Wilkes Booth in the 2014 revival of Assassins, starred as Danny in the 2016 TV production of Grease Live!, and received his first Tony nomination this year for his portrayal of Christian in Moulin Rouge! Below is the official video of Tveit performing the signature song “Come What May” from Moulin.

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Everybody’s Talking About Jamie Preview

Posted on October 20, 2020 by boz

Max Harwood

The Olivier-nominated stage musical Everybody’s Talking About Jamie, adapted by Dan Gillespie Sells (music) and Tom MacRae (libretto) from the 2011 TV documentary Jamie by Jenny Popplewell, has itself been adapted for film, helmed by original stage director Jonathan Butterell in his feature debut. The creative team also includes Dan Gillespie Sells and Anne Dudley (score), Tom MacRae (screenplay), Christopher Ross (cinematography), Mark Everson (film editing), and Kate Prince (choreography).

The cast includes Max Harwood (Jamie), Sarah Lancashire (mom Margaret), Lauren Patel (Pritti), Shobna Gulati (Ray), Ralph Ineson (dad Wayne), Adeel Akhtar (Iman), Samuel Bottomley (Dean Paxton), Sharon Horgan (Miss Hedge), and Richard E. Grant (Hugo aka Loco Chanelle). Below is a trailer for the film.

The stage musical premiered Feb. 8, 2017, at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield, England, and transferred Nov. 6, 2017, to the Apollo Theater in London’s West End. Principal photography on the film began in Sheffield on June 24, 2019, and was originally scheduled to be released Oct. 23, 2020, but was postponed to Feb. 26, 2021, due to the pandemic. Below is a clip of the stage musical from the 2018 Olivier Awards.

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American Utopia Review Roundup

Posted on October 19, 2020 by boz

David Byrne (center) in American Utopia

HBO has begun streaming American Utopia, which was filmed live during the show’s original Broadway run Oct. 20, 2019, to Feb. 16, 2020, at the Hudson Theatre. The creative team includes David Byrne and Brian Eno (lyrics and music), Daniel Lopatin (addl. lyrics and music), Spike Lee (direction), Ellen Kuras (cinematography), Adam Gough (film editing), Annie-B Parson (musical staging, choreography), Rob Sinclair (lights), Pete Keppler (sound), and Karl Mansfield and Mauro Refosco (musical direction). The cast includes David Byrne (guitar), Jacquelene Acevedo (percussion), Gustavo Di Dalva (percussion), Daniel Freedman (percussion), Chris Giarmo (vocals), Tim Keiper (percussion), Tendayi Kuumba (vocals), Karl Mansfield (keyboard), Mauro Refosco (percussion), Stéphane San Juan (percussion), Angie Swan (guitar), and Bobby Wooten III (bass). In April, the New York Drama Critics’ Circle awarded American Utopia a special citation, and the show plans to reopen Sep. 17, 2021, on Broadway.

Entertainment Weekly (Leah Greenblatt): Lee’s hand in all this seems to be a light one; aside from his clean, low-key camerawork, the show appears essentially as it did in the live performance. … Mostly he just lets the night unfurl itself, with Byrne as ringmaster, host, and resident sage — neatly soft-shoeing through the tuneful detritus of a wild, wild life. B+

The Guardian (Peter Bradshaw): Everything is brought off with perfect synchronicity and charm. And the hits keep coming. … There is no moment where Byrne dramatically opens up, either on stage or off, but perhaps that’s not the point. It’s a treat for Byrne fans, and could well make converts. 4 of 5 stars.

The New York Times (Manolha Dargis): One of the pleasures of this movie is how well it works (plays) scaled down. It’s a handsome, intelligently visual entertainment. … Using a variety of camera angles … Lee shows you parts of the show that normally only the theater crew would see. At other times, when a camera dives in alongside the musicians and dancers.

Roger Ebert (Brian Tallerico) American Utopia is a joyous expression of art, empathy, and compassion. … Byrne’s music and Lee’s craftsmanship work together to shake people out of complacency in multiple ways — find your joy, find your outrage, find something. … Seeing something this vibrantly alive feels like a miracle. 4 stars.

Variety (Owen Gleiberman) Spike Lee’s playful and entrancing big-screen version of David Byrne’s American Utopia is better than the next best thing — it feels more like a whole new thing. … There’s nothing ironic about the title of American Utopia. It’s David Byrne and Spike Lee reveling in the majesty, and hidden magic, of the here and now.

The Washington Post (Ann Hornaday) With his assembled troupe of artists from around the globe, representing a range of looks and sensibilities, he’s created his own perfect world onstage, one that Lee and his longtime cinematographer Ellen Kuras make intimately accessible to filmgoers. American Utopia is just the kind of healing, inspiring balm that the audience needs right now.

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The Last Five Years Review Roundup

Posted on October 16, 2020 by boz

Higginson and Lynch

The London revival of The Last Five Years, Jason Robert Brown’s two-hander musical, has received near universal acclaim. The production opened in March before the West End shutdown, then reopened October 5 with socially distant measures at Southwark Playhouse. For the record, the cast includes Molly Lynch (Cathy) and Oli Higginson (Jamie), with book, music, and lyrics by Jason Robert Brown, direction by Jonathan O’Boyle, music direction by George Dyer, choreography by Sam Spencer-Lane, set and costume design by Lee Newby, lighting design by Jamie Platt, and sound design by Adam Fisher. The production was filmed by stream.theatre and will be available for streaming November 26-29.

British Theatre (Ray Rackham) 5 of 5 stars. Such is the success of this re-rendering, it is nigh on impossible to see the seams between staging, music and performance; so what is delivered is a rich tapestry of actor-musicianship that even goes some way in challenging the norms of that, already nuanced and alternate way of story-telling through song. … There will have to be a pretty special piece of theatre to topple it off its well-earned pedestal.

The Independent (Ava Wong Davies) 4 of 5 stars. Brown’s score remains sprightly and fluid, his book filled with deftly amusing lyrics, and it’s all performed with rich gusto. … Higginson and Lynch are armed with a veritable boatload of talent and charisma – the megawatt, star-making kind. … It’s a piece as much about love as it is the disappointments of growing older — of that encroaching fear that one’s life might just be mediocre. This production is anything but.

London Theatre (Matt Wolf) 5 of 5 stars. Maybe it’s just our current thirst for theatre in whatever form. … Whatever the reason, the production this time around possesses a newfound emotional amplitude that is something to behold. … The Last Five Years is more than fine: for the first time in my experience of a much-produced show, the characters’ giddiness and desolation, their rapture and heartache, propelled me tearily into the night.

TimeOut London (Andrzej Lukowski) It’s a terrific production from director Jonathan O’Boyle, reuniting his two original cast members. Lynch is excellent as the more sympathetic of the pair. … Jamie is a self-regarding idiot. Higginson conveys that, but he does so with a lusty rock star charisma that almost steamrollers your objections. … If there are more enjoyable things you can do while wedged inside a see-through plastic box, I hope I get to experience them.

Variety (David Benedict) The production takes every opportunity to use music to flesh out the drama. In the penultimate sequence … Lynch lifts a mallet and powerfully strikes a tubular bell. It’s as arresting an image of the two of them as characters as it is musically effective. The Last Five Years will always be more of an ambitious song cycle than a fully-fledged musical, but this smart production with its suitably young cast … makes the best case for it.

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2020 Tony Nominations

Posted on October 15, 2020 by boz

James Monroe Iglehart, a 2014 Tony winner for his featured role as the Genie in the musical Aladdin, announced the nominations for the 74th annual Tony Awards today at noon. The original eligibility cut-off for Broadway openings in the 2019-20 season was April 23, but when the pandemic ended the season on March 12, the American Theatre Wing decided that only shows open by February 19 would be considered for the 2020 Tonys, which meant only four musicals were eligible. The West Side Story revival that opened February 20, the new musical Girl from the North Country that opened March 5, and the new musical Six that was to open March 12 were not eligible. No date has been set yet for this year’s virtual ceremony.

Three of the four eligible musicals received multiple nominations, including best musical: Jagged Little Pill (15); Moulin Rouge! (14); and Tina (12). The fourth show, The Lightning Thief, received none. For the first time in Tony history, only plays were nominated for original score, since all three musical nominees use existing music. Only eight previous years even saw a play nominated for best score. Also, for the first time since 1994, when the revival category was split, no musical revivals were eligible. Finally, there is only one nomination for leading actor in a musical, the fewest since 1985, when none at all were announced.

Among writers, the nominees for best book include Diablo Cody (Jagged Little Pill), John Logan (Moulin Rouge!), and Katori Hall with Frank Ketelaar and Kees Prins (Tina). Nominees for best score include Christopher Nightingale (A Christmas Carol), Paul Englishby (The Inheritance), Fitz Patton (The Rose Tattoo), Lindsay Jones (Slave Play), and Daniel Kluger (The Sound Inside). Nominees for best orchestrations include Tom Kitt (Jagged Little Pill), Katie Kresek, Charlie Rosen, Matt Stine, and Justin Levine (Moulin Rouge!), and Ethan Popp (Tina).

Best direction nominees include Diane Paulus (Jagged Little Pill), Alex Timbers (Moulin Rouge!), and Phyllida Lloyd (Tina), while best choreography nominees include Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui (Jagged Little Pill), Sonya Tayeh (Moulin Rouge!), and Anthony van Laast (Tina).

Among designers, nominations for best scenic design went to Riccardo Hernández and Lucy Mackinnon (Jagged Little Pill), Derek McLane (Moulin Rouge!), and Mark Thompson and Jeff Sugg (Tina). Best costume design nominees include Emily Rebholz (Jagged Little Pill), Catherine Zuber (Moulin Rouge!), and Mark Thompson (Tina). Nominees for best lighting design include Justin Townsend (one for Jagged Little Pill and one for Moulin Rouge!) and Bruno Poet (Tina). Finally, best sound design nominees include Jonathan Deans (Jagged Little Pill), Peter Hylenski (Moulin Rouge!), and Nevin Steinberg (Tina).

Performers nominated for best leading actress include Elizabeth Stanley (Jagged Little Pill), Karen Olivo (Moulin Rouge!), and Adrienne Warren (Tina). The sole nominee for best leading actor is Aaron Tveit (Moulin Rouge!). Best featured actor nominees include Derek Klena and Sean Allan Krill (Jagged Little Pill), Danny Burstein and Sahr Ngaujah (Moulin Rouge!) and Daniel J. Watts (Tina). Finally, the nominees for best featured actress include Kathryn Gallagher, Celia Rose Gooding, and Lauren Patten (Jagged Little Pill), Robyn Hurder (Moulin Rouge!), and Myra Lucretia Taylor (Tina).

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Sleepless Review Roundup

Posted on September 3, 2020 by boz

Walsh and McGuiness in “Sleepless.”

The musical Sleepless: A Musical Romance, based on the 1993 film Sleepless in Seattle, opened September 1 at London’s Troubadour Wembley Park Theatre to mixed reviews. The creative team includes Michael Burdette (book), Robert Scott (music), Brendan Cull (lyrics), Morgan Young (direction), Morgan Large (sets), Sue Simmerling (costumes), Ken Billington (lights), Ian William Galloway (video), Simon Biddulph (sound), Larry Blank (orchestrations), Chris Walker (music direction), and Richard Mawbey (wigs and hair). The cast includes Jay McGuiness (Sam), Kimberley Walsh (Annie), Charlie Bull (Victoria), Daniel Casey (Walter), Harriet Thorpe (Eleanor), Tania Mathurin (Becky), Cory English (Rob), in addition to Colin Burnicle, Christie-Lee Crosson, Laura Darton, Leanne Garretty, Matt Holland, Ross McLaren, Gary Murphy, Dominique Planter, Annie Wensak, Benjamin Wong, with Theo Collis, Mikey Colville, Jobe Hart, and Jack Reynolds rotating as Jonah.

Arts Desk (Marianka Swain): The premise of the show also lends itself to the era of social distancing, with a pair of lovers who seldom occupy the same physical space. More resonant, too, is the deep sense of loss. … The flipside is that it’s challenging to land the “com” of this romcom. … This production essentially trades off nostalgic affection for Sleepless in Seattle. Yet there’s also nostalgic joy in simply attending an actual fully-fledged musical, in a theatre, with other people: bliss! Treacly it may be, but this feel-good Sleepless does offer sweet dreams. 3 out of 5 stars

Evening Standard (Nick Curtis): It’s stodgy, but this musical adaptation of Sleepless In Seattle feels like a sweet treat in showbiz-starved times. … The first large-scale indoor production to open with an audience since March. It’s a remarkable feat. Cast and crew were tested every day, seating capacity has been cut by two thirds, and Morgan Young’s well drilled production features subtle distancing. … It is a joy to watch McGuiness take Walsh’s hand and whirl her around in the finale. Such a simple act: so affecting now. 3 out of 5 stars

Guardian (Arifa Akbar): Dear Sleepless, … This isn’t the love letter I had hoped to send. It’s frustrating because you seemed so right on paper. … But I just didn’t feel a charge this time around and I hope it won’t hurt your feelings too much to say that my heart didn’t miss any beats. … It all feels like they – you – are going through the motions, not driven by passion and yearning. … As Annie says in the show, “All those stars, they’re just stars, they don’t mean a thing.” But for me, you are probably a two out of five.

London Theatre 1 (Chris Omaweng): The show takes a while to get going, but patience is rewarded for those who like a bit of razzmatazz. … It’s an unlikely success story as a musical, constrained as it is by a narrative that dictates that the (eventual) central love interests, Sam and Annie, spend a considerable amount of time with respective significant others, Victoria (Charlie Bull) and Walter (Daniel Casey) respectively. That said, the story’s ending lends itself well to musical theatre. … Not quite ‘Weepy in Wembley’ – it has its poignant moments, but I left the theatre with a smile on my face. 4 stars

New York Times (Matt Wolf): Sleepless: A Musical Romance … is more noteworthy for what it represents than for the show itself: London’s first fully staged indoor musical since the coronavirus pandemic. … And for that at least, three cheers. It helps that the musical has as its source Sleepless in Seattle … that is unusual for keeping its romantically inclined leads apart until the very end. The result builds into the plot a geographical separation that chimes with our socially distanced age. … You leave Sleepless pleased that it happened, and restless for more and better theater to come.

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NAMT 15-Minute Musical Challenge

Posted on August 21, 2020 by boz

The National Alliance for Musical Theatre has announced the 12 winners of its 15-Minute Musical Challenge. The contest was created in March as a push for creativity during times of self-isolation during the pandemic. “We were amazed by the passion and talent across the nearly 300 submissions we received,” said NAMT Executive Director Betsy King Militello. “The selected award recipients displayed work that was inventive, challenging, humorous, and heartfelt. We will be thrilled to see what happens for them in the future.”

Recipients were selected by a panel including Marleen and Kenny Alhadeff, Victoria Bussert (Baldwin Wallace University), Susanna Gellert (Weston Playhouse), Jim Joseph, Eric Keen-Louie (La Jolla Playhouse), Brian Moreland, and Arpita Mukherjee (Hypokrit Theatre Company). Awards were given on two levels, with winners receiving a cash prize supported by the Alhadeff Family Charitable Foundation.

The six First Award Level winners were Dragons & Dungeons by Kennedy Kanagawa, Holo by Nico Juber, Mimosa by Lauren Taslitz (book, lyrics) and Danny Ursetti (music), Monster on the Lawn by Obed De la Cruz, Perpetual Sunshine and the Ghost Girls by Sara Cooper (book, lyrics) and Lynne Shankel (music), and White Man’s Burden by Eric C. Jones (book, lyrics) and Joshua Davis (music).

The six Second Award Level winners were Fanny & Stella: The Westminster Hall Trial by Sevan (book) and Eamonn O’Dwyer (lyrics, music), Femmebodys, or the way we leave by Éamon Boylan, Obscene, Lewd, Lascivious, and Filthy! adapted from One v. Otto K. Olesen (1957) by Adam J. Rineer (music, addl. text), Rodeo Clowns by Dale Sampson (book, lyrics) with Marc Campbell and Dale Sampson (music), Sanctuary by Rajendra Ramoon Maharaj (book, lyrics) and Paul Edward Wilt (lyrics, music), and We Love by Ronve O’Daniel (book, lyrics, music) with J Kyle Manzay (book) and Jevares Myrick (music).

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Godspell Review Roundup

Posted on August 11, 2020 by boz

Nicholas Edwards

Reviews were generally positive for Berkshire Theatre Group’s revival of Godspell, which opened August 7 (and runs until September 4) in a tent outside the company’s Colonial Theatre in Pittsfield, Mass. The production is the first (and only) Equity-approved live musical since the COVID-19 pandemic began. The creative team includes John-Michael Tebelak (book), Stephen Schwartz (music, lyrics), Alan Filderman (direction), Gerry McIntyre (choreography), Andrew Baumer (music direction), Randall Parsons (sets), Hunter Kaczorowski (costumes), Matthew E. Adelson (lights), and Nathan Leigh (sound). The cast includes Nicholas Edwards (Jesus), Tim Jones (Judas), and Hanna Koczela (Host) with Alex Getlin, Najah Hetsberger, Kimberly Immanuel, Isabel Jordan, Emily Koch, Brandon Lee, Dan Rosales, Michael Wartella, and Zach Williams.

The Berkshire Eagle (Lily Goldberg): “BTG’s Godspell chooses to embrace the vulnerability of current theater and champions the resilience of its 10-person company. … Among the themes tackled in Godspell is betrayal. … But Godspell offers a way out from the devastation of betrayal: radical faith. … Faith in each other and the importance of sharing live art is what drove these theater-makers to submit themselves to twice-weekly testing, what helped them adapt to plexiglass and temperature checks, what gave them the bravery to leave their friends and families to live with one another, and what allowed them the chance to share, with tears and triumph, their joyful noise with audiences once again.”

Broadway World (Marc Savitt): “One of the highlights of this production is ‘Beautiful City.’ … Nicholas Edwards’ performance is both poignant and powerful. It drives home what may be the prevailing point to take away. Despite the challenges thrust upon us, although we may not be able to gather in ways we’ve grown accustomed to, we can still be collaborative, supportive, and nurturing. … You will experience a new, fresh, relevant, powerful, topical, and most certainly different production. You will also be making history as part of what many see as the rebirth of theatre in America.”

New York Stage Review (Bob Verini): “Godspell is a particularly apt choice for our present situation. … Hints of socially engaged folk music tie into the show’s inevitable pivot away from COVID to an even more virulent societal disease. … There are all the lessons about loving your enemies, and turning the other cheek, and appreciating the value of every human life. … In 50 years I’ve yet to encounter a single Godspell, pro or am, that didn’t seek to address its historical moment. This one succeeds more than most. … BTG’s Godspell offers lots of pleasure, deserving of our thanks. If, to quote one last rock star, you can’t always get what you want, it’s awfully nice to want what you can get.”

The New York Times (Ben Brantley): “The very existence of this version of John-Michael Tebelak and Stephen Schwartz’s half-century-old slice of story-theater uplift qualifies as something of a miracle. … In reimagining a string of biblical life lessons and folkified hymns and gospel songs for the age of the coronavirus, Mr. Filderman and company are speaking to contemporary fears bred by isolation and inaction. … As a metaphor for how so many of us have been living since March, this form of theatrical communication feels both heartbreaking and valiant. We adapt, we make do, even as we long to return to the age of the handshake and the hug.”

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Howard Review Roundup

Posted on August 8, 2020 by boz

Howard, a documentary on the life and career of musical writer Howard Ashman, premiered this week on Disney+ (watch here). The film originally debuted at the Tribeca Film Festival in April 2018 and began a limited theatrical run that December. The creative team includes Don Hahn (director, screenwriter), Lori Korngiebel and Jonathan Polenz (producers), Alan Menken (composer), and Stephen Yao (editor). In addition to Hahn and Menken, the film features interviews with actors Jodi Benson and Paige O’Hara, Disney execs Jeffrey Katzenberg and Peter Schneider, and Ashman family members Sarah Gillespie and Bill Lauch.

Chicago Tribune (Michael Phillips): “Hahn and company handle the rougher edges and volatile contradictions of Ashman’s life and personality with discretion. … Ashman wanted success, of course, on his creative terms. In the film Ashman speaks eloquently on the topic of the “I want” song — a number sung early in a show (or a movie), usually by the heroine, expressing what’s in her heart and her vision of happiness and fulfillment. Ashman poured that concept into his life’s work. … Ashman cemented his own legacy on the musical stage and on the Disney animated musical soundstage, just in time. Three and a half stars (out of four)”

The Daily Beast (Melissa Leon): “The film is riddled with gems from the production of now-iconic films … and insight into the life and legacy of a man whose lyrics everyone knows, yet whose premature death fewer are familiar with. … Howard begins by highlighting early work from Ashman, stretching back to his childhood, that testifies to his preternatural capacity as a writer and storyteller … the man who reinvigorated Disney’s animation studios and inspired a new era of musicals — one now coming full circle back to the stories he and Menken told through song.”

The Guardian (Peter Bradshaw): “There’s something exciting about a film that immerses you in the life of a creative artist, and so it proves with this documentary about Howard Ashman. He was the fiercely talented lyricist and musical-theatre wizard. … Ashman set a standard of flair, invention and Broadway-style showmanship in Disney lyrics that continues to this day. Where I disagree (heretically) with the film is suspecting that Disney wasn’t necessarily a great career move for Ashman. … A sacrilegious thought. Four stars (out of five)”

The Hollywood Reporter (Frank Scheck): “The film delivers an extremely personal portrait of its subject. It’s not surprising, considering that longtime Disney veteran Hahn produced 1991’s Beauty and the Beast, Ashman’s final project. … Besides its insightful commentary, the documentary offers a wealth of fascinating archival footage. … Paying suitable tribute without resorting to hagiography, Howard provides a thoughtful, warts-and-all profile of its subject. It succeeds beautifully in inducing both joy and sorrow: joy at the remarkable work Ashman produced, and sorrow that he left us so early and deprived us of the talent that still had so much to give.”

Rolling Stone (Peter Travers): “There is nothing Disneyfied about this frankly intimate documentary on the late Howard Ashman, the brilliant lyricist behind such animated Mouse House musicals as The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin. … Directed by veteran Disney producer Don Hahn, Howard is a labor of love that shows admirable restraint about using spoonful of sugars to make the medicine go down. … Blunt honesty and rare introspection sets Howard apart from the usual cut-and-paste trips down memory lane. … Think of Ashman and the talent he showed that, as Lauch tell us, was “just the tip of the iceberg.” It’s hard to argue.”

Variety (Daniel D’Addario): “There’s stuff there to appeal to anyone who’s ever hummed along to “Under the Sea” or “Be Our Guest,” too. … Many children live in fantasy worlds of their making; few grow up to bring them to bear on quite so grand a stage. That wit as well as that rock-solid adherence to the traditions of American popular culture (all the better to subvert them) ported in a fragrant camp sensibility to animated films remembered, and frequently re-adapted, still today. Ashman’s legacy is secure; this film exists to share it, as well as biographical detail that, for its audience and context, feels happily refreshing, a tie to the recent past that keeps it from slipping away too quickly.”

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