Everything basic in "Goldilocks" is on a small scale—the sardonic story of the double-dealing director of silent movies, the diamond-hard wit of the dialogue, the dexterity of the lyrics, the well-bred charm of Leroy Anderson's music.

But Walter Kerr, director and co-author with his wife, Jean, has conceived of "Goldilocks" as a full sized Broadway musical….

Even if the production were leaner, it is possible that the book is not sufficiently well-knit to make a clear statement in the theatre. It leaves the chief characters at loose ends as people. But the contrast between the grandeur of the physical production and the meticulous style of the material leaves "Goldilocks" neither one thing nor the other. The production gets little support from the story and the dialogue, which, in turn, are muffled by the production.

Brooks Atkinson, "Mixed Company," in The New York Times, Section II (© 1958 by The...