Theater Thursday - The Magnificent Seven

We were given complimentary tickets to The Magnificent Seven for review purposes. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own. 

What: The Magnificent Seven 

Where: Theater Row

             410 W. 42nd St.

             New York, NY

Who: 8 and Up

When: This show concluded its run on Sunday, July 19. 2022

Me - The Magnificent Seven is a show about the 1996 Olympic Women's Gymnastic Team. It was a pretty good show. I didn't really know anything about that team prior to seeing the show so I learned a lot. The acting and singing were good. Some of the songs were nice. The show was interesting but a little too long especially because there wasn't an intermission. It was fascinating the way they tried to make it seem like they were actually doing gymnastics in the show, but overall, there wasn't a lot of action. That made it seem even longer. Accordingly, although I enjoyed the show I would have enjoyed it more if it was a little shorter or there was more action or at least an intermission.

Mom - The Magnificent Seven musical is not based on the Western film of the same name but rather is the story of the first US Women's Gymnastic team to win the team gold medal in the Olympics. The show is jampacked with songs although some of them are better than others. With so many songs and most of the action simulated, since obviously, they cannot fully recreate gymnastics routines on stage, the show might benefit from an intermission. It feels a little long in its current state and is likely to challenge the attention span of the younger audience members its subject matter is sure to attract.

Each character in the show gets a chance to shine and each actress takes full advantage of her opportunity in the spotlight. However, some of the gymnasts are portrayed kind of harshly, Shannon Miller in particular. She is depicted as someone who only cares about being on top even if it's at the expense of her fellow teammates. The show is not really a farce so it doesn't make sense that they would just single out a character to portray in this way especially when the characters are based on real people, and there is nothing to indicate that Miller is anything like she is portrayed in the show. Maybe, the writers just didn't know what else to do with her character. 

Overall, it is a fun show. If you remember this team and these athletes, it is nostalgic to relive their story. If not, it is interesting to learn about them. It is a particularly good story for young girls who may be inspired by these women and what they were able to achieve.

And that's our view. For more about The Magnificent Seven the musical, visit www.magnificentsevenmusical.com.

Tune in Saturday for this week's Sunday Scoop.