Inner city lives struggle for peace against the daily challenges they face in this entertaining and original musical".

Gold also told Variety that he made a " 'rookie mistake' by underestimating the amount of capital necessary to keep the $8 million show running".

[6] Marilyn Stasio, in her review in Variety, wrote: "The true believers won't care about such pedestrian matters as the predictable book and clumsy characterizations...The music...is terrific....

It's not the life of Tupac Shakur.... it's the generic tale of a thug named John...who comes out of prison determined to go straight, only to be drawn back into the violent gang culture of the neighborhood by friends who demand his undying loyalty to the clan philosophy of life-as-war.

While many reviewers appreciated the attempt to stretch the jukebox musical format in new directions, going beyond the safe parameters of Baby Boomer hits, most found the story of racism, poverty, crime, violence, community and redemption mired in plot cliches and stock characters....It was apparent from the outset that not only was the show's marketing not working, but also that producers had made a mistake in bypassing the developmental opportunities of an out-of-town tryout and the fine-tuning window of a longer preview period.