Chicago Tribune - Highly Recommended
"....You'll be glad to know that the show is well sung throughout. "Wonderful Town" is no "Candide" and it requires a much lighter musical tone, and it acquires one here while still celebrating Bernstein, without whom, let's be honest, we would not be caring about this show anymore. I would not say the show feels scaled to Broadway, which is another of the pleasures of this charming production, a work of theater that asserts its point of view and has a really good time doing so, freed from preconceptions of all stripes."
Chicago Sun Times - Highly Recommended
"..."Wonderful Town," the zany musical comedy "cartoon" version of New York that features fabulously eclectic, endlessly danceable music by Leonard Bernstein, and shrewdly proto-feminist lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green, opened Sunday night at the Goodman Theatre at the very moment the latest terror attack in Manhattan was still unfolding. So among many things, the notion - fantastical as it might ever have been - that the city once possessed a unique positive excitement and innocence (never mind the quotidian prostitutes, thieves, gross apartments with stratospheric rents and spirit-destroying competition) felt like a genuine tonic."
Time Out Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...As for the leading ladies, Molina and Sudia make a fine sister act. Molina, late of Zimmerman's Candide, is delightfully daffy as aspiring actress and man-magnet Eileen, while Sudia (Shining Lives, A Musical at Northlight; Far from Heaven at Porchlight) essays a star-making turn as aspiring writer Ruth, witty and wise but not nearly as worldly as she'd like to project. Her brassy Act I rendition of the self-deprecating "One Hundred Easy Ways" should alone earn some kind of award. Wonderful Town might be on the frivolous end of the musical meter, but the Goodman imbues it with enough zip to power a city."
Stage and Cinema - Highly Recommended
"...Kudos in all directions: There's enough heart and joy in half of Wonderful Town to fuel a dozen of 2016's shallow shows. Zimmerman finds it all, thanks also to Ana Kuzmanic's class- conscious Eisenhower Era frippery, TJ Gerckens' primary-colored happy lighting, and an ensemble ripe to conquer Chicago as much as New York. Bernstein's evergreen score reinvents hope and youth in exquisite songs like "A Little Bit in Love," "What a Waste," "It's Love," "A Quiet Girl," and "Conversation Piece," a comedy masterpiece depicting some very boring chitchat."
ChicagoCritic - Highly Recommended
"...Wonderful Town, from 1953 won five Tony's including Best Musical. It was revived in 2004 on Broadway. It is a mystery why Drury Lane Theatre and Marriott Theatre have never done Wonderful Town? It could be because of the large cast? Kudos to the Goodman Theatre for mounting this classic Broadway musical comedy gem, Wonderful Town is one of the best shows of 2016 mounted in Chicago. Don't miss this 'wonderful' show."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...here is nothing like an "old fashion" musical! Back in the old days, the stories were simple, the tunes were fun and often memorable and the over all production was designed to make sure that once the overture began, we would forget about our work, our bills, our kids and just have a good time! For those of you whi miss the "good old days", they are now back, and in full force at The Goodman Theatre. On their Albert Stage right now is Leonard Bernstein's "Wonderful Town" with a book by Joseph A. Fields and Jerome Chodorov and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green. These are the people who truly made the lights burn brightly on Broadway. The story is based upon the play, "My Sister Eileen (the same writers who did this book, created that) and the stories of Ruth McKenney ( who just may be Ruth Sherwood in the play)."
Chicago Theatre Review - Highly Recommended
"....This is a beautiful, colorful production and another feather in director Mary Zimmerman’s cap. The show’s a sparkling opening to the Goodman’s new season. It’s rewarding to see and hear Leonard Bernstein’s seldom-produced musical classic, given a loving revival in the Windy City that will long be remembered for its sass, humor and optimism. With gorgeous music and great, comic performances, this flashback to the unoffensive 1950’s is a welcome breath of fresh air."
Chicagoland Theater Reviews - Highly Recommended
"....The Goodman Theatre decided to present “Wonderful Town,” with Mary Zimmerman as director, and when Zimmerman directs a show, attention must be paid. The result at Goodman is production that is very entertaining, helped along with inventive staging, energetic choreography, and a deep pockets budget. The revival includes a full 17-piece pit orchestra and a huge cast of singers and dancers. Best of all, it has Bri Sudia, about whom more later."
The Fourth Walsh - Recommended
"...WONDERFUL TOWN has plenty of heart and humor. The loving sisters heap it on. Their "Ohio" duet is harmonious wishful singing. The ladies describe the good and bad elements of life before NYC. The homespun goodness appeals. Dreamers confront the unexpected on an adventure and pine for the familiar. These sisters are likable. They are the girls next door. Ruth is the tough, smart one. And Eileen is the magnetic, pretty one. The part of Ruth was originated on Broadway by Rosalind Russell. An outstanding Sudia delivers a Russell-worthy performance. As the irresistible Molina breezes through every situation, a resigned Sudia side-bars with hysterical wise-cracks. The protective Sudia races to jail only to find an imprisoned Molina enjoying the police attention."
Third Coast Review - Highly Recommended
"...Goodman Theatre’s vibrant production of Leonard Bernstein’s Wonderful Town recounts a tale as old as time: two sisters migrate from the countryside to the big city in the hopes of becoming stars. What follows are a series of hijinks and love triangles riddled with the underlying message that together, we can do anything. Renowned director Mary Zimmerman does a terrific job at transforming this coming-of-age story into a delightful production."
NewCity Chicago - Highly Recommended
"....The Chicago performers (not imported actors) take this fable to heart and then toss it fearlessly to the audience. Given the nearly impossible task of essaying a role written specifically for an icon, Bri Sudia lands every Russell-esque zinger yet makes the part her own. Lauren Molina plays a fine line between precocity and man-predator, succeeding brilliantly."
