 |
Under Milk Wood 2008 - Photo by Daniel Region - RegionsPhotos.com |
Critical Reviews
2011 Praise for Walking the dog Theater:
Christmas Carol:
"Everything David Anderson touches has two crucial elements: clarity and humanity." - Marion Hunter, CCScoop.com
Finding Fathers:
"A winner... There are dark moments in "Finding Fathers," and fragile moments too. But at heart it is a comedy. Roy and Allen have a finely tuned sense of how to play their own jokes. They juggle poignancy, sarcasm and zing like the pros they are... Wendy Frost's set design is perfect, underlined by the blanket of leaves and resident lighting director Deena Pewtherer's autumn golds amplify the effect, just as her dim blues create the spooky night... You needn't have lost a father at a young age to appreciate "Finding Fathers." We all need to be reminded of where we came from sometimes."
- Michael Eck, The Times Union
"Allen and Roy act their roles splendidly and have the gift of acting with relish... The second act is altogether wonderful."
- John Paul Keeler, The Hudson Register Star
"A play set in the enchanted forest of memories and longings and dreams... Wendy Frost's set design...worked beautifully... Deena Pewtherer's lighting design is subtle and effective. Jonathan Talbott...was responsible for the overall sound design, which was wonderful and added greatly to the enchantment of the piece..."
- Gail Burns, Gailsez.org
Eurydice:
"...all directorial ego and actor-narcissism has been carved away, and there is nothing left but text and movement and breathtaking connections ... full of small surprises, each like a small drop of lemon on the tongue ... Ruhl sings. Her play defines aliveness ... Talbott...seems to compose the silences ... [The production] arouses our keener hearing, our keener observance of movement, and 90 minutes of astonishing biological aliveness that feels like fresh breezes gamboling in our chests."
-- Marion Hunter, The Columbia Paper
"Fine direction and superb acting ... Rachel Storey plays Eurydice captivatingly ... Ron Komora['s] great warmth ... The villain...is brilliantly played by Paul Boothroyd ... Jonathan Talbott['s] score is wonderful ... [The Stones] move with wonderful grace ..."
-- John Paul Keeler, Hudson-Catskill Newspapers
"A fascinating play ... a mystical world ... summer fare has never felt so timely or right."
-- J. Peter Bergman, Berkshirebrightfocus.com
"Perfect ... remarkable and moving."
-- Gail Burns, Gailsez.org
2010 Praise for Walking the dog Theater:
OUR TOWN
Co-production with PS21
Best Straight Plays 2010 – (...) remarkable production by Walking the dog Theatre under the tent at PS/21, which is in the middle of an orchard/cow pasture. It was a beautiful summer evening, and the evening star entered right on cue…
-Gail M. Burns, GailSez.org
Metroland magazine’s “10 Best performances of 2010”: Bethany Caputo, Emily Webb in Our Town, Walking the dog Theater“On the hill, near a small northeastern American town, early in a century, surrounded by familiar faces lit by the moon, this is the Our Town that made me cry.”
-Enid Futterman, OUR TOWN Magazine
BON APPETIT! Theater. Opera. Chocolate.
In collaboration with the Hudson opera House/Diamond Opera Theater
“An unusual evening, a tribute to an American superstar who battled the odds to be who she was best at being... (and) at the end of the evening is the chocolate cake and I’d say that this ultimate act is the perfect culmination of all that has preceded it. Bravi! Bon Appétit!”
-J.Peter Bergman, Berkshire Bright Focus“How could you not leave happy?”
-Joseph Dalton, Albany Times-Union
PAINTING CHURCHES
In collaboration with The Actors’ Ensemble
“Brilliance marks this production and it is not one to be missed.”
-J. Peter Bergman, Berkshire Bright Focus
BECOMING FFREDERICK DOUGLASS
"Phil Darius Wallace should run for office. . . .Powerful."
- Michael Eck, Albany Times Union
“This play is a path straight to compassion for our own history as a nation. Each person who sees it will help our country grow in conscience and awareness. Thank you to Melania Levitsky who formed it out of Douglass' words, and to Darius Wallace who invites us to breathe into this man's own experience as a fellow American. Take a front seat. Don't miss it.”
- WN
2009 Praise for WTD:
Virtue, Desire, Death and Foolishness – an evening of tales from Anton Chekhov
"brilliant… masterfully directed… illuminates the treasures of the human soul through pathos, simplicity, and unassuming elegance."
-Sesame Campbell, On the Scene, Register-Star
Twelfth Night
In co-production with the ASHA Centre (UK) and PS21
“…their fine moment under the moon.”
-J. Peter Bergman, Berkshire Bright Focus
I Take Your Hand In Mine
“It’s a great night of theater. Get tickets now.”
-Michael Eck, Albany Times Union
2008 Praise for Walking the dog Theater:
The Actors’ Ensemble production of
I MIGHT BE EDGAR ALLAN POE
“… searingly dramatic and breathtaking... The gradual crescendo of March’s acting and speaking brought down the house. Dale March rose to a level of sadness and angst that touched the heart and brought cheers from the audience.”
John Paul Keeler, Hudson-Catskill Newspapers
MIRACLE TOMATO
“...portrayed with relish...with hilarious ethnicity… side-splitting… a fun evening and easy romp for the gifted Jessica Cerullo”
John Paul Keeler, Register-Star
RED CARNATIONS x2 Opera & Play
In co-production with DIMAOND OPERA THEATER
“...a wonderful evenings entertainment...The play was a
delightful comic romp… played with superb beauty…
This production of Play and Opera is so splendid that
it should go on a national tour to a wide public. “
John Paul Keeler, Register-Star
THE OWL & THE PUSSYCAT
“Ideal for summer viewing… The glory of the work was the acting… Both actors worked in creative harmony, forging and ensemble,
resulting in a most unusual acting team.”
John Paul Keeler, Register-Star
“...an enjoyable romp with an unexpected sting in its tale, with two fine
performers sharing the stage with a kind of intimacy that
goes beyond any kind of artifice.”
Bruce Hallenbeck, The Independent
2007 Praise for Walking the dog Theater:
THE TAMING OF THE SHREW
“A smash hit…a must see production…perfectly cast. It is full of the most wonderful side-splitting humor and more than two hours of laughter.”
John Paul Keeler, Register-Star
“There's more energy in this production than in most Broadway musicals... a constant delight. Walking the dog continues to surprise us with their "re-imaginings" of Shakespeare... Their production of THE TAMING OF THE SHREW is one of the most pleasant diversions you'll find on area stages this year.”
Bruce G. Hallenbeck, The Independent
DAEMONS A Suite of One-Acts
“Adventurous theatergoers will find much to enjoy...The acting is excellent throughout…Those with a passion for daring stagecraft will find it an intriguing evening.”
Bruce Hallenbeck, The Independent
HAMLET
(a collaborative production with Shakespeare Alive! & The Actors’ Ensemble)
“Best Overall Stage Production 2007”
“Best male actor 2007: David Anderson as Hamlet”
Bruce Hallenbeck, The Independent
“…the finest theatrical event seen in Hudson since 1953.”
John Paul Keeler, Register-Star
CYRANO
“...an evening that surprises and delights.”
Peter Bergman, The Valley Advocate
THE GOSPEL OF JOHN
“...an extraordinary evening of theater.”
Bruce Hallenbeck, The Independent
“ ...splendid...threaded with genius…
a drama on the highest level of human experience.”
John Paul Keeler, Register-Star
Excerpts from Performance Reviews
"...[David Anderson] has gained experience in different theatres
in the world and has the gift of being able to captivate the audience's
attention for over an hour; speaking, playing, listening, or only through
a gesture, a position of the head, a step...remaining still...[An] uninterruptedly
filled event, which, especially in the transitions between the parts,
is excellently formed...Anderson commands the space also when he is reciting...
Everything is honest and real, tested and cared for."
- Werner Barfod, Artistic Section, Goetheanum from Stage Forum
"A delicate interaction...intimate and transient...helps one to
breathe."
- Das Goetheanum, Switzerland
"The spell was so complete that after the performance it was difficult
for me to remind myself that I wasn't talking to the author or a circle
of his close friends. The sense of encounter with Büchner's mind
was intense and personal."
- Fred Harris, New Paltz, New York
"Our summer campers watched and listened raptly. A delightful story
filed with the rhythms and cadences of far away Iraq. Visual balm for
the soul"
-Nick Franceschelli, Camp Director, Visiting Students Program, Hawthorne
Valley Farm
"Choreographically this piece is a gem. It has, overall, a marvelous
serenity and at the same time continuing surprising variations... In this
sensitivity to the flow of life through movement and sound, none of the
poetry was lost. It actually heightened the vision of another landscape
which once glimpsed makes every day happenings turn into works of art.
'Walking the dog' is lyric theatre at its most pure."
- Sybil Shearer, Chicago correspondent for
Ballet Review
"Pointing a way to the future - a new synthesis of three art forms."
- Anthroposophical Journal, New Zealand
"Thoroughly compelling... Captivating... A rich,poetic delivery
with honest audience contact and inner intensity... Fluid and Fluent...
It engages an audience on spiritual levels."
- Dr. Suzanne Burgoyne, Professor of Theater, University of Missouri,
Columbia
"Your wonderful play brought today's children, who are used to being
overloaded with more and more, the gift of less - of next to nothing!
You brought an entire world to life using the fewest possible material
components. I watched the children watching the play, and I saw that world
being created in their eyes and souls, a world full of music and light.
It was magical, healthy and therapeutic for them and for me. -So thank
you again and long may you... walk! "
- Melissa Merkling, Housatonic Valley Waldorf School, Newtown, CT
"This was a perfect example of a 'simple' message and its deeper
complexity. The message was 'Open the moment'; be alive to the ordinary
and its mysteries, to the interaction of the human spirit with place,
other people, the animal world. Man's relationship with dog, for instance.
Superficially that may sound trite, yet it is anything but... Intensely
committed and performed... Among phrases I took away with me was the poet's
reference to 'bonus moments'; the ordinary instances when we assume we
are waiting for 'real' life to proceed. Waiting for a bus, for example.
The need to realise that such times are also part of our lives, with their
own validity and potential."
- The Examiner, Munster, Ireland
"[Walking the dog] entwines the everyday with age-old existential
conundrums... The poem hangs as a coherent whole... Lucid moments that
demonstrate genuine descriptive ability... Inspired reflection..."
- The Scotsman, Scotland
"'Walking the dog' is a skillfully performed piece... Rich moments
of quiet beauty, when sound, word and movement unite to sense the essence
behind the everyday event... Unusually satisfying."
- The Press, Christchurch, New Zealand
"A soulful evening... A magical unity... Simple, sensitive, creative."
- Protea, Sydney, Australia
"Delicate and consummate skill."
- Christchurch Newsletter, New Zealand
"Filled with grace and passion."
- Dr. Robin Remington, Professor of Comparative Politics,
University of Missouri, Columbia
“Prepare to quench your soul…The freshness of Walking the dog
is a wonderful secret for discovery. Here a fresh breath of freedom is
evident.”
-Donna Hickey Jackson, editor, Prepress Technology, Denver, Colorado
“A feast for the senses!”
– Ann Krane, Portland Waldorf School, Oregon
“Like a look into the future…directing that brought the artistry
of the performers and the experience of the audience into an immediate
meeting in the moment…Refreshing!”
-Hannah Gale, MFA, director, Chicago, Illinois
”If you want a simple plot, go to the movies…This piece is alive…for
searchers everywhere!”
Scott Olmsted, Class Teacher, Live Oak Waldorf School, Applegate, California
“Walking the dog is a journey that travels those solitary human
moments, moments each person in the audience knows by heart by the time
they are thirty. The performance relives the urgent questions of any individual
pressed to grow and awaken until we face the mystery of our own unfolding
unarmed by brilliant answers…Somehow the simplicity and purity of
this performance shimmers with multidimensional elements: the words and
music, then the silence, the motion and the stillness, the act and the
pause, the human and the being…Bravo to Walking the dog! In a venue
gorged with entertaining junk food, here is served nourishment for body
and soul.”
- Stephanie Anderson, actress, director and writer, Fort Collins, Colorado
“Thank you Walking the dog Theater for inspiring LIFE and for the
memory of grace, harmony and beauty.”
- Mary Hershberger, Massage Therapist, Fargo, North Dakota
"Where did that dog that used to be here go? I thought about him
once again tonight before I went to bed."
- Shimaki Akahiko
