A Glorious Opening For Glory Days?

(May 7, 2008) Broadway's newest musical "Glory Days" opened last night at the Circle In The Square Theatre; and today the critics state their opinion. The musical stars a cast of four, and was written by two twenty-somethings named Nick Blaemire and James Gardiner. Overall, the critical opinion was unenthusiastic about the story of four recent high-school graduates. The consensus among critics was that the show was not quite ready for Broadway, though they all look forward to the future for Blaemire and Gardiner. Excerpts below:

"...the production manages to seem fresh and seriously stale at the same time."
-Ben Brantley, New York Times

"...Glory Days and the meeting by the bleachers spells the end of a beautiful friendship. There may be those who are touched by this, but it rings false much of the time..."
-Malcolm Johnson, Hartford Courant

"THE best thing about Glory Days is that it lasts 90 minutes. But those 90 (intermissionless) minutes seem longer than all of "Tristan and Isolde" without Wagner."
-Clive Barnes, New York Post

"For a first effort, however, it's pretty impressive."
-Jay Handelman, Herald Tribune

"The show is a bit gawky and unsure of itself, much like the youthful characters it celebrates."
-Michael Kuchwara, AP

"Blaemire and Gardiner deserve encouragement. But Broadway is tough enough on pros; it's no place for novices."
-Jeremy Gerard, Bloomberg

"...as an entrant in Broadway's intense seasonal bake-off, the "Glory Days" that opened last night at Circle in the Square feels a bit undercooked."
-Peter Marks, Washington Post

"I like to think that the glory days for Messrs. Blaemire and Gardiner, and their collaborators, still lie ahead of them. This seems odd to say about a Broadway debut, but perhaps it will be all uphill from here."
-Eric Grode, New York Sun

"After enduring all 90 painful minutes of this undercooked, horribly amateurish show, you'll be wondering how the hell it got to Broadway."
-Matt Windman, am New York

"As it is, Glory Days is a solid 10-yard-gain for its young creators, but very far from a touchdown."
-David Finkle, Theatremania

For additional Broadway features visit http://www.broadway.tv/broadway-features-reviews

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Glory Days, Circle In The Square Theatre, Nick Blaemire, James Gardiner, Ben Brantley, New York Times, Malcolm Johnson, Hartford Courant, Clive Barnes, New York Post, Jay Handelman, Herald Tribune, Michael Kuchwara, AP, Jeremy Gerard, Bloomberg, Peter Marks, Washington Post, Eric Grode, New York Sun, Matt Windman, am New York, David Finkle, Theatremania