Star Tribune - Somewhat Recommended

"...Ivers’ production feels way overcooked and self-aware. The ad-libs work sporadically or long overstay their welcome in a cartoon world (however lovely it is in Richard L. Hay’s set) and the whole affair misses the easy sophistication — dare we say the droll and subtle confidence — of the Marx Brothers. The actors fall in love with their own charm as they labor for laughs."
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Twin Cities Pioneer Press - Somewhat Recommended

"...The antic silliness of the brothers' movie "The Cocoanuts" powers a musical playing at the Guthrie that captures the combination of puns, door-slamming farce, sight gags and frenetic slapstick that made the brothers -- represented by leering Groucho, silent Harpo and snotty Chico -- superstars. Although there is fun to be had in the show, which updates the act with a few contemporaryish references (Sir Mix-A-Lot, the "Christmas Carol" next door), it proves difficult to sustain over the course of nearly 2 1/2 hours."
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How Was The Show - Recommended

"...A palimpsest (as you undoubtedly know) is a manuscript in which the original text has been erased and new text written over it. Ah, but the original text is still visible. The Guthrie‘s hyperly wonderful The Cocoanuts is the theatrical version of this. The 2015 play zips right along, ah, but in the b.g., perfectly visible, are the original Marx Brothers and their wonderful movies. Our enjoyment of the Guthrie version depends entirely on our awareness of, and reverence for, the original Marxists."
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