Review Roundup: Idina Menzel & More Star in WILD: A MUSICAL BECOMING- The Critics React!

Erik Bailey, BroadwayWorld: The score is incredibly energizing and uses a variety of genres to tell the story. The opening number, "Mouths to Feed", sets the tone of the show. This song fits in the country/folk genre of music which helps tell the audience where the show is set and helps introduce the people well meet. In the universe of the show, WILD's show stopping number "Panic", is written by the children of Outskirtsia. Tranter and Pennell use more of a pop-punk style of music for this number which really separates it from the numbers that are more focused on the adults of the town. The book, however, left me wanting more. The dialogue felt disconnected from the score and didn't feel as fleshed out. It felt as though the script was merely there to pass the show from one song to another. At one point the show did a complete 180 and turned into a fantasy musical. There was no signs of this coming and it really felt random. However, this is a "musical becoming." I look forward to seeing how the script becomes more fleshed out in the future.

Maura Johnston, Boston Globe: "WILD: A Musical Becoming," receiving its world premiere at the American Repertory Theater, has an energy that resembles a spontaneous rally. It's a concert presentation of a well-crafted musical fable that is shot through with magical realism and carried by a cast of strong performers, including Broadway veteran Idina Menzel and up-and-comer YDE. The "let's put on a show" feel afforded by some actors carrying around scripts, costumes made from repurposed denim, and the stripped-down stage setting at the Loeb Drama Center add to the uninhibited affect. But the songs, which thread the bulk of the show's narrative, burn with urgency, and their smolder makes the underlying message of "WILD" - that the climate catastrophe is a dire threat to future generations - linger long after the curtain calls have subsided.

Kathi Scrizzi Driscoll, Cape Cod Times: The multi-genre score is terrific, from the rousing opener of "Mouths to Feed" to the toe-tapping "Paradoxical Dilemma" to Bea's anthemic "Wild" - and director Diane Paulus makes the most of this strong music with the concert style and on-stage band. The story, though, is not fully formed and will need the most work as this musical moves forward. Some might argue that it's too late for subtlety about the climate change emergency, but more character development to soften the caricatures, fleshing out the starkly good vs. evil story, and a less in-your-face approach overall could make the story's messaging more effective.

Jacquinn Sinclair, wbur: The story - which is sure to morph over time if its name holds true - rings with urgency and altruism and gets spurred along with the music of Grammy-nominated songwriter Justin Tranter (who has worked with Ariana Grande and Lady Gaga) and Caroline Pennell (Demi Lovato, Selena Gomez). I'm partial to musicals, but the songs are catchy and memorable and the voices - including YDE's Sophia, whose "Dear Everything" brought a nearby show-goer to tears - are remarkable.