"Cohen is clearly an intelligent, well-read man, familiar with the twists and turns of different periods and styles. 'Midnight Street' is chock full of ideas, poetic meanderings and some worthwhile melodies but just doesn't add up. His direction can't overcome the pretentious language and heavy-handed symbolism. Only a Lotte Lenya or, perhaps, a Patti LuPone might have given Mr. Cohen's songs the right gravity, not to mention finding sense where none exists."
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"All three actors in 'Midnight Street' offer very capable performances, but unfortunately, the script is too thin and underdeveloped to allow them to shine. None of the characters have any depth or dimension...Clearly, 'Midnight Street' is not trying to offer a realistic depiction of what it means to be a prostitute. But if not, then why this story and these characters? We don't ever learn. I have to wonder what compelled Cohen to romanticize prostitution in the year 2019."
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"Danielle…rambles on in…artificially inflated prose, sometimes bordering on abstraction, talking about her disillusion with men, her use of her body to make money, her attraction to women…Barely any narrative is expressed as Danielle goes on and on, valiantly singing one instantly forgettable song after the other…sometimes screeching the high notes…Half the time it's hard to figure out what anyone is talking about or to accept anyone as being human enough to care."
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"This is not a musical, but a cabaret with some beat poetry...We have the main character, a prostitute played by Emily Afton, who sings well, but has no acting skills. Every song sounds the same...The seventy minutes of this show seemed like two hours and sadly there is nothing to recommend it."
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"'Midnight Street’ follows the prostitute Danielle through an hour of an essentially glorified, convoluted monologue...The musical simply does not address what its message or purpose or characters truly are, leaving audiences to scratch their heads and bolt from the theater unassuming of any larger meaning or impressions...An amalgamation of caricatures, poetic meanderings, and pretentious language with confusing symbolism—a bold but perplexing flop.”
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“The stunning music, Cohen’s lovely, poetic dialogue, and Afton’s breathtaking vocalizations, were skillfully integrated, flowing from words to notes to the hearts of the audience...Afton’s part...could easily stand on its own as a song cycle in a concert...Had the men been integrated into the plot a little sooner, it would not have seemed quite so jarring...That said, the two men were extremely effective...A lovely, thought-provoking production.”
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