Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil at Goodman Theatre

Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended

"...This show, evocatively designed by Christopher Oram, is something new, weird and gutsy enough to jettison most conventional expectations. Like many pre-Broadway tryouts, it has its strengths and weaknesses and a wildly uneven second half of a second act that suggests everyone simply ran out of enough time to fashion an ending that really satisfies."

Chicago Sun Times - Recommended

"...As “Midnight” on stage (which loosely follows the novel) moves from the days leading up to Hansford’s murder to Williams’ final appeal in 1989, the plot becomes a meandering jumble of barely connected threads. As it highlights the idiosyncratic Savannahians who made the novel a page turner, “Midnight” the musical feels more like a series of sharply drawn character sketches than a complete, compelling, coherent narrative."

Daily Herald - Somewhat Recommended

"...Musically, “Midnight” impresses thanks to Brown’s marvelous, Broadway-ready melodies (beautifully played by conductor Thomas Murray’s 12 instrumentalists) and affecting, clever lyrics, one of which tips the hat to Lin-Manuel Miranda’s “Hamilton” when Jim refers to famed songwriter and Savannah native Johnny Mercer, whose family home Jim restored to the envy of his neighbors."

Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended

"...Now, 30 years later, we get a musical version that blows the film out of the water. The Goodman Theatre pulled out all the stops for this production, directed by Rob Ashford, with choreography by Tanya Birl-Torres and a score by renowned composer Jason Robert Brown. Book writer Taylor Mac adds great moments of spoken word and dialogue beyond the singing. This updated musical has cultural reverence, relevance, well-rounded performances, and amazing songs."

Windy City Times - Recommended

"...This challenge of refashioning Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil into a musical is ambitiously taken up by acclaimed drag performer/playwright Taylor Mac (Hir, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus) and Tony Award-winning composer-lyricist Jason Robert Brown (Parade, The Bridges of Madison County). Their sturdy stage work emerges with far more diversity and inclusiveness in the process, though Mac and Brown may want to narrow their focus even further."

Talkin Broadway - Somewhat Recommended

"...But ultimately, the story is rather piecemeal, and although much of the comedy and the feel-good, underdog story is quite effective, the show falls flat when it strives for the dramatic, and it never quite lands the intended Southern Gothic vibe."

Stage and Cinema - Somewhat Recommended

"...The Goodman Theatre's premiere production of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil brought the beloved non-fiction book by John Berendt to life in a way that fans may love, but newcomers, like myself, will find it lackluster."

Chicago Stage and Screen - Recommended

"...And so it is that Jason Robert Brown’s latest offering, with book by Taylor Mac, stepped out at the Goodman Theatre’s Albert Stage this week. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil is an interesting choice for a musical. It's always hard to adapt non fiction to a musical, and it’s a big hill to climb taking one of the 1990’s most widely read books, which Clint Eastwood turned into a movie, and making that into something that sends folks out in the night glad they left their screens for an evening, live and in person. I’m going to bet with a bit of heavy pruning this garden will be a hit."

Let's Play Theatrical Reviews - Somewhat Recommended

"...The new musical Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, The Musical based on John Berendt's 1994 book based on a true story, made its world premiere at Goodman Theatre. This musical adaptation is drastically different for those who read the book and saw the movie. Taylor Mac's exceptional creativity and vibrant vision are evident in every aspect of this production. The incredibly talented recipient of the Genius Grant brings a glamorous and daring style to this musical, creating an experience that is both enthralling, thought-provoking, and confusing, particularly for those familiar with the original story."

Around The Town Chicago - Highly Recommended

"...Goodman knows the magic formula for creating a visually stunning, profoundly performed and incredibly memorable production. And not since Tommy took Chicago by storm, has that magic been so strong…so powerful…so directly ready for Broadway. The shower of Chicago’s Jeff Awards and ultimately Tony Awards are certain to come. This is a classic production!"

Chicago Theatre Review - Recommended

"...But the true star of this musical is, without any doubt, Tony Award-winning Broadway star, J. Harrison Ghee. Making history as the first non-binary actor to win in a leading individual performance category for playing Daphne/Jerry in SOME LIKE IT HOT, this truly gifted performer dazzles in every scene as The Lady Chablis. Taylor Mac, and through Ghee’s performance, has smartly elevated this character from supporting status to becoming a character equal in importance with Jim Williams."

Buzz Center Stage - Recommended

"...The Goodman Theatre has conjured a spellbinding spectacle with the world premiere musical adaptation of John Berendt's captivating "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil." Tony Award winning Director Rob Ashford masterfully weaves together a tapestry of music, movement, and Southern Gothic, transporting audiences to the heart of Savannah's veiled secrets and vibrant eccentricity."

The Fourth Walsh - Somewhat Recommended

"...Berendt’s book was spellbinding. The 1997 movie wasn’t quite as engaging. And the 2024 musical is less good and evil and more fun and dull."

Chicagoland Musical Theatre - Recommended

"...As a rule, when it comes to the arts, I’m all for letting the rule-breakers into the clubhouse. So when producers hire an unapologetic bomb-chucker like Taylor Mac to work under the aegis of commercially minded musical theater, attention must be paid. Pair that bomb-chucker with a stickler for theatrical songwriting craft like Jason Robert Brown and interest doubles. Such is the case of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, now playing a world premiere production at the Goodman."

Third Coast Review - Not Recommended

"...The new and eagerly awaited production of Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil at Goodman Theatre fails to present a unified story and collapses under its own weight of plot and character. After two-and-a-half hours of Midnight, I can only conclude that it fails as theater."

Chicago Theater and Arts - Highly Recommended

"...Without a doubt “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” is the best musical I have seen in years. You will be hearing a lot about this for some time as word spreads of this world premier production currently at the Goodman Theater."

Chicago On Stage - Highly Recommended

"...Brown’s songs are full of humor even when they are focused on dark themes. Williams himself, played by Tom Hewitt, often acknowledges that he is not a particularly nice guy, and his lover Danny (Austin Colby) is the kind of guy John Steinbeck once described as “just a ole walkin’ chunk of mean-mad.” Danny is anger personified, a broken person possessed of a deep-seated need to hurt people and break things because he’s been hurt and broken so much before. (Interestingly, he acquires a sense of perspective after he is murdered, and Colby becomes less a percussive antagonist than a calming presence.)"

PicksInSix - Somewhat Recommended

"...Depending upon where in the audience categories you may fall, “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil” will leave you with a range of conflicting emotions. In its current iteration, the choice of replacing a universal narrator with characters telling their own stories places a lot of responsibility on the audience who clearly serve here as both author of the story being told and as a participating partner with Lady Chablis’s clever and enjoyable repartee. How that story transcends to a Broadway stage rests on the enormous talents of Ghee and Hewitt to keep things on track."

Splash Magazine - Recommended

"...Having now seen the entire two hour and forty minute production, I can confidently state that I have no clear sense of the overall story, which frankly does not matter to me at all. Influencers on BookTok sometimes describe novels as “no plot, just vibes,” and that’s an apt description for this show. The vibes, though, are immaculate, and I had such a good time, I am unbothered by the fuzzy narrative."

BroadwayWorld - Somewhat Recommended

"...MIDNIGHT IN THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL is a sprawling, messy musical that weaves together the threads of several characters in 1980s Savannah, Georgia. Composer/lyricist Jason Robert Brown draws on a variety of different musical styles, while Taylor Mac’s book scenes present a series of vignettes for the Savannah residents. Brown uses a hodgepodge of musical styles to develop the characters, but the result is a score that lacks cohesion and is occasionally redundant. Along with director Rob Ashford, Mac and Brown took a “go big or go home” approach to MIDNIGHT. I admire the musical risk-taking, but the adaptation of John Berendt’s 1994 best-selling book is full of character threads but relatively light on plot."

NewCity Chicago - Highly Recommended

"...“Midnight” is a sparkling, engaging night at the theater, and will make you want to book a weekend in Savannah. It’s worth seeing, especially for Ghee. To use the vocabulary of restoration, it needs just a little cleaning and polishing to be a Broadway hit."