Starship The Musical Reviews

Chicago Tribune - Somewhat Recommended

"...For the record, there is very real talent in this group. Russ Walko's puppets are delicious creations. And the cuts (cuts!, cuts!) should not come from Criss' score, which is quite chipper in a pop sort of way. The singing is generally strong. And there are at least four really gifted performers who clearly should be watched: Brant Cox (Roach), Meredith Stepien (who does a neat robot-voice as Mega-Girl), the quirky Lauren Lopez (Bugette) and, especially, Dylan Saunders, who plays a massive crustacean (and three-person puppet) named Pincer and who kills throughout. You will be reading more about all of them."

Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended

"...Set on a planet dominated by giant socialist insects, Starship pits misfit Bug against his hyper-conformist society as well as a band of witless colonizing humans. Half of Darren Criss's catchy pop songs are lyrically uninspired, but the script by Matt Lang, Nick Lang, Brian Holden, and Joseph Walker ingeniously turns satire into heart-tugging romance. This joyous show has "next big thing" written all over it."

Windy City Times - Somewhat Recommended

"...At its best moments, Starship is reminiscent of the legendary Warp!, the world's first science-fiction epic in serial form, a seminal hit (along with Grease) of Chicago's young, early 1970s off-Loop theater movement. At those moments Starship displays inspired silliness, clever staging on a shoestring and bold parody of the heroic space-opera formula."

Centerstage - Somewhat Recommended

"...Truly, the show’s major problem is its length, but that’s no trivial flaw. A good writer doesn’t just write, he edits. Even if every minute of a script lends humor or character development or entertainment, if it runs more than two hours and William Shakespeare didn’t write it, the length will overshadow the content. So, while “Starship’s” awesomely creative romp amuses, it also suffocates. In the end though, it likely doesn’t matter, the Chicago run is sold out and the shrieking teens would have happily spent the night."

Time Out Chicago - Recommended

"... Criss’s skimpy score is mostly unmemorable, but Starship features impressive production values (particularly in June Saito’s costumes and Russ Walko’s remarkably sophisticated puppets) and a number of appealing performances. Its biggest misstep is overstaying its welcome."

Chicago Stage and Screen - Somewhat Recommended

"...I would only somewhat recommend this production out of the large amount of respect I have for original productions and their ambitions.  There's not doubt the highly talented group of Starkid has what it takes to put on a great show, but “Starship” just doesn't cut it.  I understand the enormous immortality attained by the show “Glee”, but just because one of its actors decided to write a musical isn't quite enough to sell some people.  While older generational theatre lovers will not enjoy this show, some younger crowds probably will."

Chicago Theater Beat - Recommended

"...Because the show borrows so widely from so many sources, it barely works as a subversion of the mindless action sequences of “Starship Troopers,” with its semi-fascist message that soldiers are more important than citizens. But the true believers in the opening night audience (mostly teen girls and tweener fans) were delighted with every thudding cliché. Sometimes it really helps not to know a show’s influences – another way that ignorance is bliss."