The Black Suits -- the new garage-band musical at the Kirk Douglas Theatre co-written by Robert Emmett Maddock and composer Joe Iconis -- has received average reviews all around. 

In his review in the Los Angeles Times, Charles McNulty objects to the play's banality: "Iconis and Maddock set up the dramatic situation with all the edginess of an After School Special. Will this justifiably insecure white suburban band realize Chris' dream of winning the St. Ann's Battle of the Bands? Forgive me if this local contest didn't exactly have me on the edge of my seat." He goes on wonder what would compel someone to return after intermission, saying, "Certainly not the music, which is pleasant enough if you like homemade rock processed through a glee club filter." Noting that Iconis is "best known for writing the song "Broadway, Here I Come" for Season 2 of the now-defunct backstage theater soap opera Smash," McNulty concludes, "The Black Suits will likely be as swiftly forgotten as that much-derided NBC series."

Jenelle Riley, in Variety, is a bit more forgiving, saying, "Not unlike the garage band it portrays, The Black Suits is rough around the edges but offers considerable charms. The new musical ... would benefit from more script development and some judicious trimming of numbers, but strong performances and an appealing setup suggest the show could have a healthy future."

But Laura Hertzfeld in Entertainment Weekly, gives the play a C+, saying it "has its heart in the right place, but the music is more Smash than Smashing Pumpkins." And she complains, "The Black Suits never gets deep enough into the roots of suburban angst to make you feel like these guys really have something to rage about — nor does it come up with light, frothy pop numbers that urge you to bop along." 

The Black Suits plays through November 24 at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver CIty, located at 9820 W. Washington Blvd.