Review Roundup: JOHN CULLUM: AN ACCIDENTAL STAR; Streaming Now

Vineyard Theatre, Goodspeed Musicals, and Irish Repertory Theatre in association with Jeff Berger present John Cullum: An Accidental Star, which premiered on April 8 and will be available for streaming on demand through April 22. Streaming tickets are available now at https://www.vineyardtheatre.org/an-accidental-star/.

Conceived by John Cullum and Jeff Berger, the 80-minute intimate evening of stories and songs spanning Cullum's illustrious career is told and sung by the 91-year-old two-time Tony Award winner. Directed and filmed earlier this year by Lonny Price (110 in the Shade with Cullum) and Matt Cowart (associate director, 110 in the Shade), An Accidental Star features a book by David Thompson (The Scottsboro Boys with Cullum), music supervision by Georgia Stitt and music direction by Julie McBride.

An Accidental Star takes you behind the scenes with Broadway icon John Cullum -- from his 1960 debut in Camelot and Tony Award-winning performances in Shenandoah and On the Twentieth Century, to his starring roles in On a Clear Day You Can See Forever, Urinetown and The Scottsboro Boys. John captivates with songs from the Golden Age of the American Musical and never-before-heard stories of working with friends Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor, Robert Goulet, Julie Andrews and more. An Accidental Star is a rare opportunity to revisit the making of some of Broadway's greatest shows, illuminated by funny, moving and fascinating encounters John had along the way.

Let's see what the critics had to say...

Michael Dale, BroadwayWorld: One very moving personal moment deals with his decision to openly talk about how for decades he's held himself responsible for a family tragedy. With music director Julie McBride at piano, he sings several selections he introduced on Broadway (and a couple he would sing when the star was out) and one endearing ballad that was his big moment in WE TAKE THE TOWN, a musical that had Robert Preston starring as Pancho Villa, which closed after Philadelphia tryouts. Naturally the robust quality of his voice has faded a bit, but what remains is the wise and perceptive skill of a very fine actor; one who has spent over six decades in this town regularly appearing both on and off Broadway as a star, as a supporting player, as an originator and as a replacement. John Cullum is beloved in the theatre community, and in AN ACCIDENTAL STAR, it's very apparent that the feeling is mutual.

Roy Berko, BroadwayWorld: John Cullum: An Accidental Star is a wonderful opportunity to become acquainted with one of Broadway's "unknown" stars and learn about the making of some of the important musicals. This is a delightful 90-minutes of entertainment!

David Finkle, New York Stage Review: About Cullum's star quality: He always conveyed confidence, strength, authority, forthrightness, decency as well as a hint of playfulness. Those attributes are no accident. He still has them. They're on happy display here.

Bob Verini, New York Stage Review: Are the pipes what they used to be? 'Course not, he's 91. But that fact alone is the third, and for me most compelling selling point for this 80-minute streaming event. Reaching back through the years, Cullum performs the tongue-twisting lyrics of "Come Back to Me" with all the urgency with which he summoned back Barbara Harris in '65. There's no diminution of tenderness when Anderson sings to his late wife Martha, no dimming of the gleam of defiance in Oscar Jaffe's eye as he swears vengeance on his enemies. Kudos to the co-producers-Vineyard Theatre, Goodspeed Musicals, Irish Repertory Theatre, and co-conceiver Jeff Berger-for this vivid reminder that a nonagenarian can still have it, and still bring it, and still triumph.

Jonathan Mandell, New York Theater: This is show biz legend stuff , and easy to eat up. But there are two other moments that venture far from Broadway, in different ways. One , quite odd and quite moving, is the story he tells of how, the same year he arrived in New York, his father back in Tennessee called to tell him that his mother had been killed in a car accident. That was 64 years ago, and Cullum, who seems to blame himself, says he's just starting to recover from his grief. The other moment is really small, a throwaway line really, when he tells the story of how he reacted when he got the script for "Urinetown," which he considered the most offensive title, and "the more I read, the more confused and annoyed I got. The lyrics made no sense at all."

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