Wonder Reviews

The Boston Globe - Highly Recommended

"...The most striking aspect of the new musical "Wonder" is the light touch the creative team takes to heavy subjects. Not light as in "superficial;" instead, it's more subtle, introducing ideas and then letting them unfold in a way that allows the audience to choose what's important to them. The result is an extraordinarily heartfelt story that avoids dipping into cliche."

WBUR - Highly Recommended

"...The dynamic world premiere boasts an excellent ensemble with impressive vocals and begs audiences to change the way they see the world. Based on R.J. Palacio's novel of the same name (which was made into a film), the play is written by MacArthur Fellow and Pulitzer Prize-finalist Sarah Ruhl with music and lyrics by Ian Axel and Chad King, the Grammy-winning pop duo known as A Great Big World."

Stage and Cinema - Highly Recommended

"...American Repertory Theater’s world premiere of the musical adaptation of R. J. Palacio’s best-selling Wonder and the eponymous 2017 film, is, indeed, filled with wonders. The children’s novel is not only the story of a boy with a facial difference, though that is its most visible marker, but also the story of his family and friends, and how his struggle to make his way in a world that isn’t always kind affects them."

The Arts Fuse - Recommended

"...One of the more compelling sub-themes of the story is the complex mix of feelings Auggie’s sister, Via, has toward Auggie. She is a devoted and protective sister, a true ally, and yet she also chafes at the way the family seems to rotate around him, like planets around the sun. Kaylin Hedges, as Via, communicates this ambivalence well. Even more outstanding is the performance of Paravi, who plays Via’s estranged best friend, Miranda, who harbors ambivalent feelings about Via’s family because her own family is falling apart."

New England Theater Mirror - Highly Recommended

"...This is the premise of Wonder, the new coming-of-age musical drama débuting at American Repertory Theater. Based on R.J. Palacio’s best-selling 2012 young adult novel, Sarah Ruhl’s play tells the story of Auggie Pullman, a boy born with Treacher Collins syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that interferes with the development of facial features."

The New England Theatre Geek - Not Recommended

"...Wonder: The Musical, with a book by Sarah Ruhl, music and lyrics by A Great Big World (Ian Axel and Chad King), and direction by Taibi Magar, largely misses the mark, even falling prey to tropes that the source material managed to avoid."

Boston Arts Diary - Highly Recommended

"...The music, though thematically uniform throughout, is played beautifully, and the songs, though quite similar in tonality, carry a kind of beautiful comprehensive effect that relies on the honesty and heartfelt-ness of the writing and potency of the production rather than upon the inventiveness of the material. Indeed, sometimes the most simply expressed poems can be greatly affecting, and this is very true of this endearing, moving and beautifully executed production."

On Boston Stages - Recommended

"...Despite its imperfections, “Wonder” is blessed with a plethora of young talent, some very smart staging and choreography, and an upbeat message – choose kindness — strongly and clearly sent."