'A Walk on the Moon' review: all rocket, no liftoff

The Apollo program, which catapulted Neil Armstrong and crew to the moon, had deep pockets. While the musical A Walk on the Moon may not have cost nearly $26 billion, the production offers plenty of bells and whistles. Unfortunately, it lacks the oxygen needed to sustain any theatrical life.

The Off-Broadway production, based on the film of the same name, is set at a Catskill Mountain retreat circa 1969. Marty and Pearl Kantrowitz (Max Chernin and Talia Suskauer) have arrived with their kids in tow for another summer under the stars in upstate New York. But when “blouse man” Walker Jerome (Sam Gravitte) enters the scene with a new stock of ladies’ accessories and a six-pack, Pearl starts to question her happiness.

Throw in some tie-dye and soon-to-be-legendary musical festival in nearby Woodstock, and A Walk on the Moon hopes to capture both the nostalgia and unrest of a pivotal point in modern American history. But no amount of scene changes and video projections—and there are plenty—can get the production on its feet, let alone walk.

The daughter who sees everything needs her own musical

Sophie Pollono and Oscar Williams in "A Walk on the Moon." — Sophie Pollono and Oscar Williams in “A Walk on the Moon.” Photo by Joan Marcus.

AnnMarie Milazzo’s score offers little to exemplify Pearl’s struggle for agency over her own life. Instead, her trio of besties bemoans Betty Friedan’s The Feminine Mystique. “Who’s got time to grow?” they ask, singing the cringy “We’re Girls With Somethin’ To Do.”

Pamela Gray’s book offers a bit more nuance, particularly through the lens of Marty and Pearl’s teenage daughter, Alison (a fiery Sophie Pollono). “They’re gonna plant a flag like America OWNS it!” she exclaims in disgust of the moon “invasion.” When Alison discovers her mother topless at Woodstock with the blouse man, the affair threatens to implode the family.

In development since 2014, A Walk on the Moon still hasn’t found its stride. An underwritten small ensemble of fellow vacationers feels like filler in the family drama, while Andréa Burns’ tea leaf-reading Jewish mother only amplifies the clichés. NASA spent billions to put a flag on the moon. A Walk on the Moon spends plenty too—and still can’t find enough air to put a pulse on its own stage.

The cast of "A Walk on the Moon." — The cast of “A Walk on the Moon.” Photo by Joan Marcus.

Is ‘A Walk on the Moon’ worth seeing?

A Walk on the Moon spends like NASA but can’t generate the oxygen to bring its own story to life.

Laura Pels Theatre, 111 West 46th Street, New York City
Notable performers: Andréa Burns, Max Chernin, Sam Gravitte, Sophie Pollono, Talia Suskauer
Running time: 2 hours and 30 minutes, including one intermission
Performances through August 22, 2026