Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended
"...To call “August Rush,” the new musical at the Paramount Theatre in Aurora, a pre-Broadway tryout is a major overstatement. What is up on that historic stage at present is more akin to a workshop — a preliminary, 85-minute working through of ideas of how this 2007 Warner Bros. movie about a lost kid trying to hear the music and find his way to his distant parents might become a Broadway show. Nothing here was remotely ready for a full production in a theater with over 40,000 subscribers and some 1,800 seats. And if you haven’t seen the film, good luck following the story."
Daily Herald - Somewhat Recommended
"...Unfortunately, the concept misses the mark in "August Rush," partly because while the production boasts able instrumentalists, not all of them possess the vocal heft and acting chops audiences expect from a Paramount production. In a musical that clearly aspires to an emotional connection, that's a problem."
Let's Play at ChicagoNow - Somewhat Recommended
"...August Rush: The Musical seems to focus too much on the music and needed more dialogue about Evan and his parents to provide a better climactic ending of Evan finding his mother and father, which this musical misses to have an overall good ending close to the original film."
Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended
"...Leave it to the Paramount Theatre to bring their first “original” musical to their stage. The play is “August Rush: the Musical” based on the film of 2007 detailing the story of a musically gifted orphan, Evan, who runs away from his orphanage to New York searching for his “birth” parents. Along his way, he is taken under the wing of the Wizard ( some of you might recall, Robin Williams played this character), a homeless man, who lives in an abandoned theater. Once he sees Evan’s talent, he changes his name to August Rush and devises a plan to profit from this talented young man."
WTTW - Not Recommended
"...With a score by Mark Mancina and Glen Berger, the musical (based on the 2007 film, with its story by Paul Castro, a screenplay by Castro and James V. Hart, and a score of many existing hit songs, as well as others by Mancina), the new musical has been directed by the Irish-bred, Tony Award-winning John Doyle. His approach to the work is often questionable at best, and creepy at worst, and ultimately unsatisfying. And while he has employed the use of musicians as storytellers (a technique that proved so galvanizing in the musical “Once”), and he was given a story about the allure of music for a lost boy that in some ways parallels the passion for dance of the child in “Billy Elliot,” the dramatization ends up feeling like just so many disconnected traffic patterns."
Chicago Theatre Review - Somewhat Recommended
"...This original, New York-bound production is extremely brief, too short, really, to expect audiences to pay typical Broadway prices for tickets. This new piece, directed by John Boyle, is primarily a concert built around the suggestion of a plot. The production could almost be thought of as a unique dance concert, because, thanks to Joann M. Hunter's choreography, it's a creative melding of movement, singing and the orchestral accompaniment. Mark Mancina's luminous score is the star of this presentation, as presented by a multi-gifted cast guided by Musical Director/Conductor Greg Jarrett, with orchestrations and arrangements by Dave Metzger. Perhaps if, in time, the work becomes expanded to include more of the movie's story, it will be a more satisfying production."
Chicagoland Theater Reviews - Highly Recommended
"...“August Rush” never moved me much emotionally, but I was filled with admiration for its highly listenable music, the uniformly excellent performances, and the visual look of the production. There is an honesty and sincerity in the performances that is irresistible, and was duly recognized by the enthusiastic audience response at the curtain call. The show is in exceptionally good shape for a new vehicle in an out-of-town tryout and nothing I saw and heard seemed to demand radical adjustment. The production is ready for the next step in its present condition, if some other theater will give it the chance. Good luck to everyone involved!"
Chicagoland Musical Theatre - Somewhat Recommended
"...It’s the broader, more metaphorical moments that could use some rethinking. After running away from his caretakers (or, rather, “running toward,” as he insists) and beginning to discover his talents, Evan falls under the spell of the Wizard (John Hickok), a devilish Fagin figure who rules a small band of drifting buskers through tortuous means. At the same time, the vision of Hope (Leenya Rideout) appears to Evan and tries to unlock his full potential away from the Wizard’s corrupting power."
Storefront Rebellion - Not Recommended
"...Most unforgivable of all the show’s bizarre decisions, though, is that despite having all the tools of musical theater at its disposal, we’re given no view into August’s inner life; the boy doesn’t appear to have any emotions. This may be a fairy tale of sorts, but the characters need to be human. The whole production, honestly, feels like a rush job."
Picture This Post - Recommended
"...August Rush: The Musical is about a young boy who learns to create hope in the dark world around him. Whether you are a fan of the film or have never before heard the story, this writer certainly feels there is a little something to love for everyone."
NewCity Chicago - Not Recommended
"...But Doyle’s approach to compact storytelling has led to a significant quandary facing “August Rush: The Musical” in the early stages of its life. The piece, as it exists, seems trapped between two musicals: a more traditional story with a straightforward narrative and rich character development, and an allegorical, abstract fable that exists outside of the real world and sensical narrative progression. When the first musical seems to falter, it falls upon the second to magically vanish away any lingering plot questions we might have. It gets frustrating and bewildering far too often throughout the show’s under-ninety-minute runtime."
