Shen Yun Performing Arts Chester Theatre reviews
Underwelming
Found "Shen Yun Performing Arts" musical to be lackluster and pandering, capturing the essence, the milestones of it's inspiration I do expect that it. However, I'm never one to think that a movie need be exactly like the book upon which it was based, and neither do I feel the same thing about a musical adaptation of a movie. I was wishing that I could have been one of the lucky people who saw the understudy, who I'm certain was a much more seasoned and competent performer. If you have some affinity for Fantasia, perhaps then, like apparently everyone else in the performance I saw, you'll be happy to see how well she's doing despite any significant performing experience.
It was an awkward, shambling mess. However, I must say that Fantasia was by far *not* the problem with this play. The sentiment was never deserved or earned. There was a lot of hoots and hollers from the audience, usually at such stirring lines as "Tell you what chil', no man gonna put his hands on me!". It was clearly the writing and directing.
I give it 2 stars only because much of the singing and dancing was well performed, or fell off the stage. Also, no one forgot their lines.