"Every now and then, as yet another peppy cliché prances across the stage, you may pause to ponder the pioneering achievement of 'In Transit'...Acknowledging this is rather like admiring the ingenuity that must have gone into a sentimental picture of a rainbow...The likable, hard-working cast does achieve marvels of vocal synchronicity...But the Broadway-style belters’ voices, which are abrasively amplified, are often at odds with the aural smoothness of a cappella."
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"This Broadway iteration, sprucely directed and choreographed by Kathleen Marshall and with a charming ensemble, better showcases the book and score. But the central problem remains: harmonic overload. If you listen to Pentatonix on repeat and own the box set of 'Glee,' you might spend 100 minutes in bliss. The rest of us will grow tired of numbers that sound like ’70s sitcom theme songs or advertising jingles. This is where I get off."
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"'In Transit' is less a musical than a collection of unrelated clichés strung together in the manner of a themed revue. All the expected touchstones, from Dr. Zizmor to Pizza Rat, are here...But the larger problem is that the theme with which the authors try to elevate the material is so baggy and banal...The a cappella element is a great deal more successful, even if it’s just as random...I can’t square the musical sophistication of 'In Transit' with its narrative hackwork."
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"The pop-song score is so watery and texturally unvaried that the initial charm of seeing an a cappella show wears off long before 'In Transit' winds to a close…As for the book, it’s straight from the recycling center, a rickety assemblage of spare parts in which no one utters an unforeseeable word…Everyone in the cast is good, but they, too, are saddled with material so lacking in distinction that they fail to make the strong impressions they would surely make in a better show "
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"A mediocre show that is selling itself as Broadway’s first a cappella musical...The songs are as generic as those descriptions suggest, and — notwithstanding the efforts of the talented ensemble — nothing in Marshall’s uninspired staging on Donyale Werle’s sanitized subway station set makes them of even passing interest while, say, waiting for the train. It’s hard to imagine how this show made it to Broadway, but I suspect it will be on the express train to the next station."
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"Next stop, Banal St. Broadway’s first a cappella musical, set in and around New York City’s subway system, is stuck in that unfortunate place. A talented cast and tight harmonies can’t make it budge...A show packed tighter with clichés than a rush-hour train with straphangers...Stock characters can still work, provided the story takes us to unexpected places or songs transport us. Expecting either to arrive in this show at Circle in the Square is like waiting for a 9 train."
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"A charming a cappella musical of metropolitan life that’s rapturously harmonious...What gives 'In Transit' its new swipe is what’s not there—the orchestra—and what is—glorious, pitch-perfect voices, set to Deke Sharon’s rich and expressive arrangements...The book is by-the-numbers, with the audience’s minds moving ahead of the plot faster than a scurrying subway rodent. All the performers bring a high degree of likability to otherwise plaintive roles...It’s a surprisingly moving experience."
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"'In Transit,' while boasting engaging performances, features cliched characters and situations too bland for a sitcom, let alone theater...The bouncy score has been ingeniously arranged by Deke Sharon, who performed similar chores on the two 'Pitch Perfect' movies. Its pleasures, however, are somewhat negated by the overly heavy amplification, which rivals that of a rock concert...Other than the undeniably impressive vocal performances, the show is mostly forgettable."
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