Links, Updated 6/30/10
Encore Michigan Review of Little Shop of Horrors
Ron's Random Musings from Ann Arbor Little Shop of Horrors Review
AnnArbor.com Little Shop of Horrors Review
A Personal Note from Carla Milarch
Celebrating PN's 10th Season Downtown Video
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Newsletter
PNT named Best Local Theatre in Metro Times Reader Poll
THE SEAFARER Reviews!
" THE SEAFARER is Irish storytelling at its finest. There are several tasty speeches in Conor McPherson's THE SEAFARER, and the cast of the Performance Network Theatre's current production knows how to serve them up. The entire company - Director Malcolm Tulip, cast and crew - is to be congratulated on a masterful production. The show runs through July 18; make an effort to see it. " -Detroit Theater Examiner Patty Nolan
"The devil drops in on a friendly poker game in soul-baring SEAFARER. Director Malcolm Tulip and his all-male cast deliver characters that go beyond the pickled Irish stereotype. At its best, the show takes what could have been a drunken ramble and delivers something extraordinary: nothing less than the baring of a tortured soul. " -By John Monaghan, Free Press Special Writer
"SEAFARER is devilish fun. The quality of mercy is not strained. Nor is it diluted by life-engulfing quantities of whiskey and beer. Meet James "Sharky" Harkin, an Irish ne'er-do-well, full-grown drunk and brawler, and the flickering star atop the Christmas tree that is Conor McPherson's play THE SEAFARER, now in fine glitter at the Performance Network Theatre. " -Lawrence B. Johnson / Special to The Detroit News
"Director Malcolm Tulip and his terrific ensemble manage to make the most of both the play's comic opportunities and its more haunting moments (aided by Rob Murphy's ghost-story lighting). Perhaps none is more searing than McWilliams' delivery of a speech about what existence is like in hell - a monologue that will chill the bones of even the most strident non-believer. " -AnnArbor.com
"Performance Network's best ensemble cast (male division) since its 2005 production of TAKE ME OUT. " -Encore Michigan
"THE SEAFARER may be seen as a tale of man's redemption, or merely an example of the power of myth. But whichever way one chooses to view it, it is definitely what good theater is about." -A2 Journal
"Director Malcolm Tulip has assembled an exceptionally fine cast that is able to elevate the men from common boorish drunks to individuals with their own unique story to tell." -New Monitor
Little Shop of Horrors Reviews!
"It would be hard to have more fun than I did in the show's two hours, and I've been carrying that spirit around for days now." -The Rogue Critic
"This production's handling of the show's "real" star, Audrey II, showcases the merits of occasionally reimagining shows that have been around for years." -Heritage Newspapers
"Performance Network's show is a scramble of nutty fun." -Detroit News
"It is a long standing point of pride among people who perform this play to come up with new and clever ways to animate the plant. PNT excelled at that and the cast and crew also threw in a surprise for the audience that I had never seen done in the many times I have attended this show." -MIentertainment.biz
"Out of all the productions of Little Shop I've seen throughout the years, this has become my all-time favorite!" -Encore Michigan
"Director Carla Milarch keeps the production very true to it's Off-Broadway roots, and infuses this production with an energy that is palpable; a creepiness factor that reminds you that this is campy horror; and an adult sense of humor that has been missing in most watered-down productions over the years (including the movie and the recent Broadway revival)." -Ron's Random Musings from Ann Arbor
"Director Carla Milarch helms the two hour show with a sure hand, making the most of its comic potential while also letting its heartfelt moments shine through. Phil Simmons' doo-wop choreography is appealingly fun, paired with R. MacKenzie Lewis' artful music direction. [Monika] Essen's set design, with walls that are raised and lowered from around the flower shop, captures the show's grimy, dingy Skid Row setting (right down to the store's old, patterned wallpaper), as does Justin Lang's atmospheric lighting design." -AnnArbor.com Review
It Came From Mars Reviews!
"It's thrilling to see all the elements of a fledgling production fit together so seamlessly. Of all the works by Michigan playwrights I've reviewed over the past two years, "It Came from Mars" is the one most likely to be staged a century from now."
-Detroit Free Press
"Every inch of stage space is used as the characters make a series of dramatic entrances and exits and engage in verbal and physical sparring bouts that bring them precariously close to tumbling off the stage and onto the laps of nearby audience members."
- The Oakland Press
"The show is a tightly conceived, fever-pitch comedy that also brings out the warmth in its characters, and its take on fear in the face of a bleak future gives a contemporary feel to a nostalgic romp."- The Rogue Critic
"With such a strong script and well-defined characters, it's not surprising that director Caselli excels at breathing life into the premiere...Caselli creates imaginative visuals while keeping his often-quirky characters believable and grounded in reality." -Encore Michigan
"Hats off to director Tony Casselli for unifying this cast into one likeable bunch of oddballs, and I would be remiss if I did not mention the technical people from behind the scenes who make the magic work. In this show there is a clever art deco '30s set, with perfect lighting, sound, and costumes to take you back to a time long ago." -MIentertainment News
"...director Tony Caselli and his dream-team cast find comic potential in even the simplest of lines..."-Ann Arbor.com
K2 Reviews!
"On this stage, two yearning souls achieve that rare prize transcendence, and the real ever-after." -The Detroit News
"Thanks to the actors' extraordinary talent and Tim Rhoze's skillful direction, the characters' fight to survive has a visceral feeling. We can almost feel the freezing temperatures and lack of oxygen." -The Oakland Press
"Bowen and Manfredi are at their best when depicting the friendship part of Harold and Taylor's relationship...the production stands as yet another example of the imaginary worlds that can be created by live theater. " -The New Monitor
"In a riveting production as unforgiving as the mountain that lends it its name...Bowen and Manfredi's efforts are mesmerizing."-Rogue Critic
"The script is well written and well played by these two men. They make you love them a lot, hate them a little, and root for their rescue...highly recommend it." -MIentertainment.biz
"As openings go, this one's a grabber and the play is not about to let go, thanks largely to James Bowen and John Manfredi as the mountaineers, Harold and Taylor; Rhoze's meticulous direction, and the mountain itself, designed by Daniel C. Walker." -EncoreMichigan
"Manfredi, as the able-bodied climber, scales the set a few times, and the heightened immediacy of a thrust stage definitely worked its magic, bringing the crowd into the heart of the action...helping me along the way was Andrew Hungerford's positively outstanding sound and lighting design...Ultimately, however, the production's success must be primarily credited to director Tim Rhoze and his terrific two-man cast; they handle the climbing equipment with casual authority; they move around on the ledge (and Manfredi climbs the mountain) with convincing effort and caution; and they wince and brace themselves against the cold while scrambling for possible solutions to their predicament." -annarbor.com
Christmas Carol'd Reviews
"Playgoers who like their spirits with a twist will undoubtedly find this somewhat offbeat production as charming and heartwarming as I did...four versatile actors play 32 other roles, changing costumes and personas smoothly and adeptly."-The Oakland Press
"It's hardly exaggeration to claim that A Christmas Carol is the juggernaut of holiday theater.... In this reviewer's estimation, Performance Network's premiere of Christmas Carol'd, by local artist Joseph Zettelmaier, takes its place at the top of the heap." -the Rogue Critic
"Sometimes the actresses are pressed into service as males, sometimes the actors find it necessary to don bonnets and lace. But that only adds to the fun. This Carol has been injected with a good shot of comedy, amplifying the subtle humor that can be found in Dickens' version." -The Monitor
"All five performers make a strong showing. Seibert's Scrooge, particularly, is a delightful mix of humor and humbug. B. J. Love, Terry Heck and Chelsea Sadler all give satisfying performances, and Kevin Young brings a perfect charm to his roles – most notably that of Fred, Scrooge's nephew." -Encore Michigan
"Joe Z obviously understands Mr. Dickens' book and knows how to dramatize it. The words are preserved for the most part, but the dramatic scenes are neatly intertwined with the narration, done by four excellent and well-cast actors who also play all the roles but Scrooge (B. J. Love, Terry Heck, Chelsea Sadler and Kevin Young). David Wolber's direction keeps the story flowing so the two complement each other as they gracefully flow back and forth. What emerges is not an adapted book, but a play."-Marty Smith
"CAROL'D's best, most innovative moments are hauntingly memorable. The ensemble is terrific, with Seibert working his usual magic in the lead role, making Scrooge curt, funny, and utterly human. Essen's low-key, expressionistic set, primarily consisting of large clocks and candle-lit window frames painted in the same, muted tone, feels just right for Zettelmaier's scaled-down adaptation, as do her quick-change costumes. Walker's effective lighting, meanwhile, is a key component of this ghost story - from making people or gravestones glow, to making a red light stand in for the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. Wolber and his actors present a solid production of Zettelmaier's adaptation. ...bringing Dickens' imaginative voice back to a familiar holiday staple." -Annarbor.com
The Blonde, the Brunette and the Vengeful Redhead Reviews!
"Suzi Regan [is] disarmingly versatile and evocative...Regan conveys that un-dyed reality straight to the heart."-Detroit News
"The overall effect is thought-provoking, especially the depiction of how many previously unrelated lives are affected by one random act."-Oakland Press
"Blonde is a fine example of the Network firing on all cylinders. Director David Wolber subtly employs each part of the stage, thereby ensuring that the show never feels static... the ebb and flow of Regan's monologues skillfully balance the show's need for both clarity and momentum." -Annarbor.com
"[Hewitt] has also crafted a script of seven characters with the explicit intention that all of those characters be played by a single actress. And here's where the Performance Network's production hits a high-water mark. Suzi Regan turns in a bravura performance portraying all seven of those characters."-Detroit Monitor
"In the powerfully acted and slickly directed season opener... Regan uses the script to teach a master class in character development."-EncoreMichigan
Video Interview with Suzi Regan, star of BLONDE, BRUNETTE
