This was how anxious last night I was to read the New York Times review of the new Broadway musical "[title of show]" starring Fresno's own Heidi Blickenstaff: I found it on the Times Web site on my mobile phone at the intermission of "The Music Man," and just as I was able to scroll down to start reading, the house lights dimmed. And since the Times, true to form, didn't have a headline that actually told you whether it was a postive or negative review, I had to put my curiosity on hold through the second act.

Well, it was worth the wait. Here's what Christopher Isherwood, the second-string critic for the Times, had to say:

It is genial, unpretentious and far funnier than many of the more expensively manufactured musicals that make it to Broadway these days ... Consider “[title of show]” the class clown of Broadway. Certainly it will never be part of the popular crowd, like those snooty smash hits “Wicked” or “The Lion King.” It’s not the straight-A, critic’s-pet type like “Spring Awakening,” either. But like all class clowns, it wins you over by making fun of the big shots and bursting with its own distinctive personality.

The musical also got a strong review from the New York Daily News, but it got panned by the Post.

Did Heidi and her gang luck out by opening when first-string critic (and noted terror of Broadway) Ben Brantley was out of town or on vacation? Perhaps. But a Times review is a Times review, and a positive one means a lot. Congrats to all. [Photo: New York Times]