Praise for HAPPY BIRTHDAY WANDA JUNE (LORTEL NOMINEE for "Outstanding Revival")
“As Jason O’Connell proves in a hilarious and explosive performance, the cult of masculinity that Vonnegut lampooned is still with us, absurd and menacing and terribly, terribly vain. He is riveting to watch... A star turn.”
– Laura Collins-Hughes, The New York Times
“Harold Ryan (the electrifying Jason O'Connell) stalks the stage like a predator, sizing up his rivals...”
– Raven Snook, Time Out New York
“Jason O’Connell as Harold Ryan is not to be missed. This man is so mesmerizing that you cannot take your eyes off him...”
– Suzanna Bowling, Times Square Chronicles
“The center of the play is O'Connell, who gives one of the most uninhibited performances I've ever witnessed...”
– Zachary Stewart, TheatreMania
"In order for Wanda June to work, [Harold Ryan] has to be charming and sexually attractive.
Jason O'Connell manages all of Harold's dimensions in a tour de force performance that would merit a Tony if the show happened to be on Broadway.”
– Wendy Caster, Show Showdown
“The actors do not disappoint, especially Jason O’Connell in the leading role... He is enough to see the show all on its own.”
– Ron Fassler, Theater Pizzazz
“The clear stand-out is Jason O'Connell, who embodies Harold Ryan with every fiber of his being. O'Connell plays this primitive alpha male as the child of Jack Black and Robin Williams. Everything he does is enthralling."
– Shoshana Roberts, Theatre is Easy
“Most crucial to the production’s success is Jason O’Connell’s riveting performance as Harold...”
– Edward Karam, Off Off Online
“Jason O'Connell is in astoundingly good form here. [He's] like Burt Reynolds on steroids...”
- Elizabeth Wollman, Show Showdown
“The main character is played by Jason O’Connell in a gobsmackingly good performance. [O'Connell] is so talented that he makes even the best actors you’ve ever seen seem like community theater amateurs... Nuanced and hilarious... He’s SO good!”
- YesBroadway
“The acting in the play is superb. Jason O’Connell is titanic as, well, the titanic Harold Ryan.”
– Bruce Chadwick, History News Network
“O’Connell is ferocious... A force of nature who moves across the stage like a caged animal waiting to pounce... Exceptional...”
– This Week in New York
“Let us now praise Jason O’Connell, whose red-blooded manifestation is a complete delight.
Rife with detail, powered by bile and animalistic instinct, his Harold also shows us moments of confusion and tenderness.
The thespian can sing, dance and act, doing all three with committed bravado.
He moves beautifully and sounds just right. Bravo.”
– Alix Cohen, Woman Around Town