Review: ‘The Secret Life of Bees’ Is a Musical Lacking a Sting

I saw the performance this afternoon. The cast was superb in that the members' voices were voluminous and certainly delivered a message about being discriminated against. The very issues still exist and persist today. I read the book and saw the film. I was glad to see the story being set to music and being a live production. Kudos to the fine cast and producers for presenting it and reminding us of how we need to attempt to tackle the racism that continues to be so prolific in our society.

Everybody in the audience tonight loved it. Including me. Amazing performances, wonderful music, visceral theatrically provides the fabric through which this simple story weaves. Not the most intellectually challenging theater but very entertaining. And great for young children and families.

Completely disagree. First, the novel is slight not big. It is a small beautiful story. Second, are you reviewing your feelings about a white protagonist or what actually happens in the book of the play? And third, no emotion? What play did you see?

Enjoyed the book, liked the movie but loved the musical! A wonderful way for me to celebrate Juneteenth Day. Thanks to all who put on this glorious show.

It’s a powerful theater experience which should have kept a tighter hold on the civil rights dimensions but left the audience smiling anyway. Powerful moments we were grateful for.

Like Mr Green I loved the performances and thought the musical numbers very enjoyable. The story, however, felt too familiar and the staging disappointingly basic. There is no longer anything compelling about the bond between a white Southern girl and her black housekeeper (The Help, The Long Walk Home). It's been told so many times it's becoming a cliché.

Having never read the book nor seen the movie, I had no trouble following the plot. Nor was I ever unsure as to where the action was taking place. Maybe Mr. Green prefers plots that are easier to understand and bigger, flashier sets and costumes. Perhaps this explains his rave review of the moderately entertaining "Tootsie". The show may drag just a bit in Act I, but the performances are so strong and the songs are so enjoyable, it's forgivable in this world premiere staging. Maybe in this case it's better to just go in and enjoy what's being presented on stage versus trying to compare it to other incarnations of the source material.

I read this medium-length book a few years ago and loved it, especially all of the bee lore which was mostly left out of the play. Despite that, I really enjoyed the musical. The songs were poignant, the performers were excellent and the story came across quite well. I felt the religious aspect took up a little too much of the story while the bees receded into the background which, given the name of the book, isn’t such a good idea. Overall, I do think fans of the book will appreciate seeing it come to life.

I always have to preface any criticism with Mr. Green with the fact that I think he's a wonderful writer, and enjoy reading his reviews of things I'll probably never see. But I'm not sure why he keeps referring to this novel like it's a tome (anywhere comparable to Les Miserables, as he implies). It's actually pretty modest in length--and very little happens in the whole vast middle of it, the plot mostly relegated to the first fifty pages and the last ten or so. I have not seen the show, but it seems like it would have been a very manageable amount of story to get into a musical.

Saw this show last week and the review largely gets it right. It is a hot mess, which is unfortunate because the cast, the band and the staging are superb. The problem, as the review indicates, is the source material. The wonderful character Rosaleen captures your imagination at the play’s outset but then disappears into the woodwork. I wish that the fabulous Lynn Nottage had been given more leeway to shape the story, but the characters too often burst into song at the drop of a hat. Unlike the reviewer, I found the music, with a couple of exceptions, pedestrian at best. The performers, though, are truly amazing.

Oh but what a delicious First Draft, Mr. Green ! You are spot on with your evaluation of the book. Like The Color Purple its being far too faithful to its source. The authors need to cut the fat. As is, LaChanze and Company and that Score are front and center and that's enough for now.

I saw the show a couple of weeks ago, had read the novel years ago and did not remember any details at all - except that it is not a particularly big book. I loved this show - the music, the plot which I had no difficulty following, and the entire cast. Other friends who have seen it responded similarly. I think it's worth seeing and making up your own mind. Seems to me that the plot points are clear and interesting and frequently moving. Kudos to Nottage, Sheik and Sam Gold.

The original novel "The Secret Life of Bees" is less than 350 pages - not exactly a "thick novel" or "doorstop," as Mr. Green calls it. But I haven't read it either, so I don't know what was cut for the musical.

It sounds to me like when you have someone writing the score to a musical that doesn’t have the technique of writing scores for musicals you may get lucky with “Spring Awakening,” but it won’t sustain a successful career. (See “American Psycho” and now this.)