The Untitled Unauthorized Hunter S. Thompson Musical Reviews

Washington Post- Somewhat Recommended

"...For a narrator who invented the outlandish, freewheeling style known as gonzo journalism, it feels a bit square to start this memoir at birth. But composer Joe Iconis and book writer Gregory S. Moss attempt a cradle-to-grave account of Thompson's life and career in 2 hours and 40 minutes. For Thompson fans and those who've seen filmmaker Alex Gibney's very good documentary "Gonzo" (2008), the plot will yield few surprises: his breakout embedding with the Hell's Angels, turn to covering presidential politics and eventual descent into caricature."

DC Theater Arts- Recommended

"...Despite those challenges, Iconis and Moss have produced a sharp, witty, and laugh-out-loud hilarious book. Further, their dialogue is imbued with a rhythm that can be found in the most compelling journalistic writing. And their choice to center Nixon (George Abud, exquisite) as primary antagonist and foil in the vein of the Muppets' Waldorf and Statler (not Gonzo!) is a stroke of brilliance. Needling Thompson throughout the show, and almost fueled by the public revulsion for him (sound familiar?), the character does much to keep rose-colored idolatry at bay."

MetroWeekly- Somewhat Recommended

"...An exceedingly self-aggrandizing hero - portrayed by Eric William Morris with a mischievous gleam in his eye and the genial comedic air of '80s-era Tom Hanks - Thompson eagerly breaks the fourth wall to narrate the tale himself. He's backed by a healthy ensemble of performers, appearing as his so-called demons, voices of his conscience and of his past, like his feisty mother, Virginia (Lorinda Lisitza)."

Talkin Broadway- Highly Recommended

"...Hunter S. Thompson (1937-2005) was an iconoclastic nonfiction writer who gained fame for his creation of "Gonzo Journalism," which places the writer at the heart of the story. Notorious in his time for his rampant use of drugs and alcohol, Thompson and his work exemplified the energy and excesses of the 1960s and '70s. Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia, brings him back to vivid life through a boundary-breaking work, The Untitled Unauthorized Hunter S. Thompson Musical, now in the MAX Theatre."

Washington City Paper- Somewhat Recommended

"...The Untitled Unauthorized Hunter S. Thompson Musical announces in its name that the main character might not have appreciated being given the rock opera treatment, and that's probably correct. Despite a flimsy approach to the truth and journalistic integrity, Hunter S. Thompson was regarded for his aversion to artifice, hypocrisy, and putting on a happy face when confronted with tragedy or injustice. There are elements of the musical approach that work beautifully, and others that inspire loathing, but Untitled is buoyed by some fantastic set pieces, impeccable comic timing, a successful unpacking of a cultural icon, and most of all, an extremely game and committed cast."

MD Theatre Guide- Recommended

"...From the first song's title alone-"The Opening Number Is Indulgent And Perverse"- audiences can tell "The Untitled Unauthorized Hunter S. Thompson Musical" is weird but has a sense of humor, much like Hunter S. Thompson himself. But also like its title character, the song is more radical and shocking in its self-image than reality. Hunter S. Thompson, a kinda-famous writer best known for pioneering the technique of Gonzo journalism, joins the ranks of Eva Perón and Alexander Hamilton with a dedicated bio-musical, but fists-full of uptempo earworms still struggle to make a unique case for this underdog."

BroadwayWorld- Highly Recommended

"...What can one say about Hunter S. Thompson, the infamous "Gonzo" journalist who wrote about the Hell's Angels, The Kentucky Derby, who wrote prolifically in Rolling Stone Magazine and who plunged into Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (with drug -fueled adrenalin) and who embraced political passions in Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail? It seems quite a hell of a lot ---especially if one witnesses the jam-packed minutiae and layers of Hunter S. Thompson's musically embellished narrative, --where autobiography, history and psychological facets of consciousness collide and converge in the explosive Signature Theatre production of The Untitled Unauthorized Hunter S. Thompson Musical."