Hot off the presses, Milwaukee’s critics are singing the show’s praises.

“A LITTLE COMEDY WITH A BIG HEART” – Journey Sentinel

“A LAUGH-A-THON” – On Milwaukee

“A HILARIOUS TAKE ON TOLERANCE, PRECONCEIVED NOTIONS ANDTHE PERFECT PATH TO HARMONY” – UPAF

“THE FABULOUS LIPITONES IS NON-STOP FUNNY WHILE CONTAINING SOME VERY SERIOUS SOCIAL COMEDY ABOUT IMMIGRATION, RACISM, AND THE POWER OF MUSIC TO BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER” – Ozaukee Living

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This email arrived in our inboxes from the producers of the first Canadian production:

Dear John and Mark,

Well, we got The Fabulous Lipitones open last night and we’re just delighted with the response!!

And you were right about the Sikh Community. They are very keen and supportive of the play. And helpful. I’ll give but one example. In our ignorance, we got the wrong kind of material for turban cloth. The right kind is not available in our town. In the evening we put out e-mails to anyone who could lend us material and by morning we had more than we could use. We have a fellow who has volunteered to come to the theatre before every performance to tie Bob’s turban. When Anne has offered him tickets for the show he’s been politely evasive. It’s pretty clear he has zero interest in seeing a theatre production, but does want to support our efforts to properly represent his traditions. When he came just before the half hour for yesterday’s Opening Night, I think he sensed a buzz and Anne suggested he stay. He said he could only stay for a short while so Anne gave him a seat closest to the exit. I expect you can guess what happened. He got hooked. He stayed to the end and we have a hunch he will return with his family. Of course this again speaks volumes about your script. We receive an especially nice e-mail from a supporter who does a lot of work for us. She spoke of how much everyone enjoyed the show and then ended with, “Have to admit I had tears in my eyes…”

So we are off to a happy start of our run. And a special thank you to you, and your partner Mark, for what you have created for so many to enjoy and learn from!

All the best,
Ted and Anne

Artistic and Managing Directors, The Miracle Theatre

Read more about it at their website.

In its California premiere The Fabulous Lipitones by John Markus and Mark St. Germain sounds like a silly promo for an overrated sexual enhancement product and with its initially corny lines could easily fall into the category of ‘sitcom onstage’ comedy, but thank heavens it rises far above and beyond. Lipitones is a deliciously funny and substantially reflective take on what might happen if a traditional barbershop quartet inducted a culturally un…suitable replacement.

Read the full review at Grigware.com

Never before have I seen such perfection and expression of totally in sync synergy as flows in a tidal wave of laughter from the stage at the Colony Theatre in Burbank. The current show, The Fabulous Lipitones is simply peerless. To achieve that rare level requires the best from all involved; the writers, director cast and crew and it is all there in perfect harmony.

Read the full review on Examiner.com

The Making of Harmony: A Review of ‘The Fabulous Lipitones’ in New Brunswick

“The Fabulous Lipitones” doesn’t set out to be fabulous, and that makes this friendly show all the better. Indeed, this a cappella musical works just fine without much glitter or glamour — its greatest pleasures spring from the simplest of intentions. Read the full review in The New York Times…

It’s not on Broadway (yet) but momentum for The Fabulous Lipitones musical keeps building

Barbershop is not back on Broadway—at least not yet. But it had a month-long run in a major professional theater on the other side of the Hudson River—the sixth run so far of The Fabulous Lipitones, a musical comedy centered around a fictional barbershop quartet. Society great Steve Delehanty advised on barbershop culture for the show’s debut run; by show two, he was Musical Director, providing expert arranging and coaching.

Premise: The Lipitones are an Ohio-based barbershop quartet that lost their lead to a fatal heart attack. (But, he holds his final high B-flat until the end of the song, winning the regionals.) They fall in love with the voice of “Bob” over the phone. But when he shows up for the audition, he’s not the person they’d imagined. The show features a lot of rapid-fire humor as the quartet deals with the overt racism of one of its members, plus some proudly convoluted plot twists.

The show’s sixth run took place at the 375-seat George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick, N.J., from Nov. 18 to Dec. 14. It received wide-spread, mostly positive reviews from area media including The New York Times. Runs in Atlanta, Seattle and Los Angeles have either run or been planned. Written by The Cosby Show head writer John Markus and acclaimed playright Mark St. Germain, they’re hoping the show builds in popularity and eventually books a New York City run as well.

Markus told CentralJersey.com, “Barbershop singing is the like the high-wire act at the circus. There can be no mistakes. If one guy goes down, he’ll take the other guys down with him. The singers have to have perfect intonation, meaning they have to hit the notes on the money.

“Secondly,” Markus continued, “they are not allowed to hide behind the vibrato … We have cast in some of these productions, very experienced Broadway actors who have been completely overwhelmed … The craft of it has to be precise, and you have to listen to the people you’re singing with on that stage. It’s a thing of beauty when it is done very well, and this cast is singing beautifully already, prior to previews.”

In addition to the show’s 10 public domain numbers, Randy Court and Mark St. Germain collaborated on two original numbers. Society quartets, including including 2014 International Seniors Champopm Faces 4 Radio, performed on afterglows associated with the New Jersey production. The cast included YouTube sensation Rohan Kymal and Broadway veterans Donald Corren, Wally Dunn, and Jim Walton.