From The Tuscaloosa News:
The University of Alabama’s “An Italian Straw Hat” is about as weighty and consequential as its title. Pretty and precious, but not so rare, perhaps; a featherweight musical comedy that moves forward like a shark, except a good bit funnier than most predatory beasts.
Seriously, if you ripped the plot from this thing, like boning a fish, you’d still have left lots of tasty goodness. Five minutes after leaving the theater, you might not remember what you had, but for mild, pleasant warmth.