Critical Reaction

Critical Reaction

"The songwriter is notably irascible, but this songfest should leave him tickled. In a word, it's Finntastic. ...Equal parts hope, joy, spring and laughter is what we get in this uproarious and moving soundscape of the world as seen by William Finn."
– Variety

"A treat for fans of Finn's music or those just being introduced to the composer/lyricist. ...Includes joyous songs about love, humorous takes politics and songwriting, and touching remembrances of family and loved ones who have died. ...[Finn] marries intelligent, tender and witty lyrics with delightfully interesting melodies and beautiful harmonies. Mr. Ruggiero has chosen strong material that showcases the composer and his songs in an entertaining collection."
–  Talkin' Broadway

"A carefully constructed... production that gives Finn's rich material its due. ...Nobody on Broadway writes with so much unabashed passion. ...What truly distinguishes this revue is the chance to hear some lesser-known Finn songs. Yes, some of the composer's best known songs are missing from the revue, but it's the mark of this composer's output that everything here is worthy of inclusion."
– TheaterMania

"William Finn is the Walt Whitman of show tunes: a stubbornly unique composer and lyricist whose vibrant, idiosyncratic voice – always personal but rarely merely so – finds potential for transcendence amid the haphazard zigs and zags of the everyday. ...Witty, wistful, jaunty, sad, neurotic and brave all at once: Such are the contradictory impulses that animate Finn's work. He contains multitudes and, in his own offbeat way, he's one of the musical-theater greats."
– TimeOut New York

"Make Me a Song is funny, touching and full of tunes that will be stuck in your head the next morning. But as light-hearted as the show is, it examines life as it is, not just as we'd like it to be."
– Isthmus