"The show’s defiantly feel-good message about being comfortable in one’s own skin is in philosophical conflict with its creative impulses, which are otherwise thoroughly conformist…'Gigantic' is very comfortable with unexamined stereotype, particularly where its female characters are concerned…The kids at Camp Overton want to blend in, but 'Gigantic' needs to stand out. For the show, a little more creative audacity might have done a lot."
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"The writing devolves into cliché and contrivance; in the second act, it largely abandons coherence...'Gigantic' seems to use the fact that it’s a musical as an excuse not to have to make sense, culminating in one of the most bizarre floppo numbers I’ve ever seen...It’s unforgettable, at least, which can’t be said of the rest of this musical, in which the huge talent onstage is mostly wasted."
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"I have nothing against silly musicals if they’re smartly crafted or thrillingly tuneful or genuinely funny or at least touch on some form of reality. 'Gigantic' goes zero for four…The material has been deliberately dumbed down, as if the authors believed that their nominal subject were so distasteful it could never succeed on its own. Is this what we are reduced to? As a former husky person, I resent that; as someone who loves good musicals I resent it more."
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"The perky charms of this offbeat musical, penned by Randy Blair and Tim Drucker, are obvious. The music is upbeat, the lyrics are funny, and the direction is quick and clever. The show’s flaws — the book is overwritten and the songs are monotonous — are also conspicuous in this Vineyard Theater production, but the cast is so cute and so committed to their roles, they make it fun."
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"A clunky but cute, feel-good musical…The pop-rock songs are generic but have a lot of drive behind them. The storyline is messy and the humor is often strained… Wilcox has genuine charisma in the lead, while Redmond makes for an assertive counterpart. Leslie Kritzer gleefully plays up her supporting role as an eccentric, jumpsuit-wearing camp counselor."
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"Berger's lyrics aren't nearly as clever as they could be...The book offers a mixture of hackneyed characters and ham-fisted pop-culture parody…The cast is absolutely perfect, and director Schwartz guides them to distinct, over-the-top performances that still manage to feel emotionally grounded...One can't help but wonder if 'Gigantic' really sides with the feelings of the rail-thin cheerleaders instead of the lovably unconventional heroes it purports to celebrate."
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"The result is flat and tasteless, desperately in need of an infusion of wit…To the degree that any of these tedious shenanigans are amusing you can thank a hard-working and often charming cast…The score contains too many similar-sounding numbers...Scott Schwartz directs like the pro he is, keeping the action moving at a good clip…'Gigantic' tries to coast on the easy-sell premise that got it its festival exposure. But it lags in the execution department."
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"The show has tipped into bland conventionality…Gone is the gently wacky edge that gave the writers and performers the permission they needed to be weird, something that's absolutely required in a show like this one…Things are listless and leaden — not terrible, but not invigorating...This isn't a poor-looking or poor-sounding show, but it's one that doesn't seem to know what it's supposed to be or how it's supposed to accomplish its goals."
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