FROM THE WALL STREET JOURNAL'S BEST OF 2013 & YEAR IN REVIEW
While some of the year's best Broadway performances, including Nathan Lane in "The Nance," Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart in "No Man's Land" and Cicely Tyson in "The Trip to Bountiful," were glittery star-turns, I saw lots of less obviously stellar but equally excellent acting in New York, both on Broadway
(Elizabeth Marvel in "Picnic") and off (Michael Cerverisin "Fun Home" and "Nikolai and the Others," Jason O'Connell in "Don Juan in Hell,"
Sarah Paulson in "Talley's Folly," J. Smith-Cameronin "Juno and the Paycock").
While some of the year's best Broadway performances, including Nathan Lane in "The Nance," Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart in "No Man's Land" and Cicely Tyson in "The Trip to Bountiful," were glittery star-turns, I saw lots of less obviously stellar but equally excellent acting in New York, both on Broadway
(Elizabeth Marvel in "Picnic") and off (Michael Cerverisin "Fun Home" and "Nikolai and the Others," Jason O'Connell in "Don Juan in Hell,"
Sarah Paulson in "Talley's Folly," J. Smith-Cameronin "Juno and the Paycock").
DON JUAN IN HELL (Phoenix Theatre Ensemble)
"Mr. O'Connell... is altogether remarkable, giving us a vibrant Don Juan who is by turns amused and anguished by his plight... This production deserves to run much, much longer." – Wall Street Journal FULL REVIEW
ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL (HVSF)
"Jason O'Connell, the most interesting member of the Hudson Valley ensemble, gives a performance of considerable complexity, making the most of the comedy but taking equal care to bring out the pathos of his final scenes. Mr. O'Connell should be much better known than he is."
–Wall Street Journal FULL REVIEW
THE DORK KNIGHT
“One of the most difficult feats for a one-man show is to hold the attention of your audience throughout. But O’Connell’s autobiographical play keeps you glued to his life’s tumultuous journey driven by his Batman fixation. An adept storyteller, O’Connell seamlessly weaves in his own story with his unmistakable impersonations of the many actors who have played Batman…With hilarious wit and comedic spin, O’Connell masters different personas with a rhythmic flow that builds to a captivating momentum. But it’s the portrayal of Heath Ledger’s Joker in “The Dark Knight” where O’Connell excels —an impersonation so astute, that it’s as harrowing as was Ledger’s own portrayal." – Roll Magazine
"O’Connell’s profound ability to personify the characters was enough to make the audience go completely still, to take a breath from laughing and instead hang on to every word the character was saying... if you closed your eyes and listened closely, you would think you were in the room with Nicholson and Bale... When O'Connell took his skillfulness a step further and embodied the late Heath Ledger's rendition of the psychotic Joker, you would have been able to hear a pin drop in the room." – The Little Rebellion
39 STEPS (HVSF)
“From there on in, Hannay meets scores of interesting or colorful people, almost all played by Messrs Mann and O’Connell. The quick changes have been funny in other productions of “The 39 Steps,” but the constant and rapid hat-switching is especially entertaining here." – The New York Times
“Mann and O'Connell have a ball in multiple roles as villains, cops, train conductors, villagers and upper-class spies... O'Connell stops the show.”
–Times Herald-Record
“Festival regulars know that the gleam in O’Connell’s eye is a sure sign to expect the unexpected, and he mines each character for a unique physical or vocal tic, something to set him (or her) apart. That typically spells comic doom for those who must share the stage with him, as his withering ad-libbing and commitment to each character — gifts from the theater gods — present a near impossible test of resolve and stamina. You try and keep a straight face while he channels Peter Sellers’ Dr. Strangelove in a deliciously over-the-top performance. Not easy.” –Journal News
LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST (HVSF)
“But the Beatrice and Benedick (or Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant) roles fall to the royal attendants Rosaline and Berowne.They are played here by Katie Hartke and Jason O’Connell, whose dialogue is the production’s high point of flirtatious banter. And Mr. O’Connell rises to the crucial challenge of convincingly drawing Berowne’s evolution from madcap joker to melancholy philosopher, who comes to understand that man cannot live by words alone.”
—Ben Brantley, The New York Times FULL REVIEW
“Jason O’Connell gives us the love- struck Berowne, one of the king’s attending lords in a poignant, nuanced performance — O’Connell doesn’t merely portray Berowne, he IS Berowne.” – Roll Magazine
AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS (HVSF)
"Jason O’Connell – Around the World in 80 Days. Mr. O’Connell has proven with past performances that he is one of the most versatile actors working at the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival. This year, he had the opportunity to express the dynamic nature of his range with a riveting portrayal of Claudius in the HVSF Hamlet, but it was his comic tour de force in this delightful farce that really stood out to me as one of the freshest, funniest turns onstage this year. In a variety of roles, Mr. O’Connell was unafraid to go the extra distance for the play and it worked like gang-busters; his fully-committed performance resulted in some of the largest laughs I’ve had all year." – Theatre aficionado at large (Best Performances of 2011)
“Jason O’Connell superbly takes on 16 characters, including a British consul, a Chinese broker and a folksy American guide named Mudge.” –The New York Times
Director Christopher V. Edwards knows what he has in O'Connell - a man of a thousand walks, faces and accents - and cast him to play 16 characters. As he did in “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)” two summers ago, O’Connell — the Clown Prince of Boscobel — makes each character distinct from head to toe, donning any number of wigs, outfits and fake mustaches to make each transformation complete. From the fey Judge Obadiah to the sled-driving Plainsman Mudge to the jingoistic cowboy Proctor, they might all resemble O’Connell in a way, but they are each their own man." –Journal News
NEXT FALL (Florida Studio Theatre)
“Jason O'Connell gives a nuanced performance in the central role of Adam, showing us his fears of being 40 and adrift career-wise, his insecurities with life in general, and most importantly his overall genial nature.” –Talkin' Broadway
“Jason O’Connell is especially gratifying in his portrayal of the main character, Adam, an insecure, hypochondriac, Woody Allen-type, which could easily go off the rails without O’Connell’s astonishingly naturalistic approach.” –Sarasota Observer
HAMLET (HVSF)
“Jason O'Connell, for instance, is one of the festival's most accomplished comedians—he's even done stand-up—and he plays Claudius as a smoothly genial salesman type who makes one deal too many and finds himself in trouble all the way up to his eyebrows. This smart, carefully considered interpretation fits neatly into Mr. O'Brien's directorial game plan.” –Wall Street Journal
“O’Connell brings marvelous colors to Claudius’ speech about wanting to repent but wanting to keep what his sins have gained him.” –Journal News
“Jason O'Connell is compelling as he manipulates and maneuvers and even poisons everyone around him. He embodies the banality of evil. Only when he prays do we glimpse his inner turmoil.” –Times Herald-Record
ART (Phoenix Theatre Ensemble)
“Jason O’Connell captures Yvan’s bumbling frustrations well, making them a frequent source of humor.” –theasy.com
“Although Yvan is pathetic and masochistic, Mr. O’Connell, mostly through his yearning glances and hangdog body language, makes him so sympathetic he almost steals the show from his sensational comrades.” –Theatre Scene
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING (HVSF)
"Nance Williamson and Jason O'Connell... play Beatrice and Benedick, the reluctant lovers, as well as I've seen them played... They get their laughs, but no sooner do they realize that they've fallen for one another than they drop teir comic masks and show us a pair of touchingly awkward lovers who've been surprised by joy." –Wall Street Journal
“O'Connell's crass, brash Benedick cloaks himself in a fool's certitude. His timing is impeccable, his pauses speak volumes.” –Journal News
THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE–ABRIDGED (Great Lakes Theater Festival)
“The three-man cast keeps the action and the storytelling fast and furious. Paul Hurley, Jason O'Connell and M. A. Taylor are all anyone could want.”
–Talkin' Broadway
TROILUS & CRESSIDA (HVSF)
“…the refreshingly straightforward Jason O’Connell (as Thersites)” - Ben Brantley, The New York Times
PENNY PENNYWORTH (Off Broadway)
“The pace is fast, the direction fluid and inventive and the cast -- Jamie Heinlein, Christopher Borg, Jason O'Connell and Ellen Reilly -- first-rate.”
–Huffington Post
"Pennyworth's stars - Christopher Borg, Jamie Heinlein, Jason O'Connell, and Ellen Reilly - all deserve Obie awards for their brilliant turns." – Curtain Up
DON JUAN IN HELL (Phoenix Theatre Ensemble)
"Mr. O'Connell... is altogether remarkable, giving us a vibrant Don Juan who is by turns amused and anguished by his plight... This production deserves to run much, much longer." – Wall Street Journal FULL REVIEW
ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL (HVSF)
"Jason O'Connell, the most interesting member of the Hudson Valley ensemble, gives a performance of considerable complexity, making the most of the comedy but taking equal care to bring out the pathos of his final scenes. Mr. O'Connell should be much better known than he is."
–Wall Street Journal FULL REVIEW
THE DORK KNIGHT
“One of the most difficult feats for a one-man show is to hold the attention of your audience throughout. But O’Connell’s autobiographical play keeps you glued to his life’s tumultuous journey driven by his Batman fixation. An adept storyteller, O’Connell seamlessly weaves in his own story with his unmistakable impersonations of the many actors who have played Batman…With hilarious wit and comedic spin, O’Connell masters different personas with a rhythmic flow that builds to a captivating momentum. But it’s the portrayal of Heath Ledger’s Joker in “The Dark Knight” where O’Connell excels —an impersonation so astute, that it’s as harrowing as was Ledger’s own portrayal." – Roll Magazine
"O’Connell’s profound ability to personify the characters was enough to make the audience go completely still, to take a breath from laughing and instead hang on to every word the character was saying... if you closed your eyes and listened closely, you would think you were in the room with Nicholson and Bale... When O'Connell took his skillfulness a step further and embodied the late Heath Ledger's rendition of the psychotic Joker, you would have been able to hear a pin drop in the room." – The Little Rebellion
39 STEPS (HVSF)
“From there on in, Hannay meets scores of interesting or colorful people, almost all played by Messrs Mann and O’Connell. The quick changes have been funny in other productions of “The 39 Steps,” but the constant and rapid hat-switching is especially entertaining here." – The New York Times
“Mann and O'Connell have a ball in multiple roles as villains, cops, train conductors, villagers and upper-class spies... O'Connell stops the show.”
–Times Herald-Record
“Festival regulars know that the gleam in O’Connell’s eye is a sure sign to expect the unexpected, and he mines each character for a unique physical or vocal tic, something to set him (or her) apart. That typically spells comic doom for those who must share the stage with him, as his withering ad-libbing and commitment to each character — gifts from the theater gods — present a near impossible test of resolve and stamina. You try and keep a straight face while he channels Peter Sellers’ Dr. Strangelove in a deliciously over-the-top performance. Not easy.” –Journal News
LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST (HVSF)
“But the Beatrice and Benedick (or Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant) roles fall to the royal attendants Rosaline and Berowne.They are played here by Katie Hartke and Jason O’Connell, whose dialogue is the production’s high point of flirtatious banter. And Mr. O’Connell rises to the crucial challenge of convincingly drawing Berowne’s evolution from madcap joker to melancholy philosopher, who comes to understand that man cannot live by words alone.”
—Ben Brantley, The New York Times FULL REVIEW
“Jason O’Connell gives us the love- struck Berowne, one of the king’s attending lords in a poignant, nuanced performance — O’Connell doesn’t merely portray Berowne, he IS Berowne.” – Roll Magazine
AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 DAYS (HVSF)
"Jason O’Connell – Around the World in 80 Days. Mr. O’Connell has proven with past performances that he is one of the most versatile actors working at the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival. This year, he had the opportunity to express the dynamic nature of his range with a riveting portrayal of Claudius in the HVSF Hamlet, but it was his comic tour de force in this delightful farce that really stood out to me as one of the freshest, funniest turns onstage this year. In a variety of roles, Mr. O’Connell was unafraid to go the extra distance for the play and it worked like gang-busters; his fully-committed performance resulted in some of the largest laughs I’ve had all year." – Theatre aficionado at large (Best Performances of 2011)
“Jason O’Connell superbly takes on 16 characters, including a British consul, a Chinese broker and a folksy American guide named Mudge.” –The New York Times
Director Christopher V. Edwards knows what he has in O'Connell - a man of a thousand walks, faces and accents - and cast him to play 16 characters. As he did in “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)” two summers ago, O’Connell — the Clown Prince of Boscobel — makes each character distinct from head to toe, donning any number of wigs, outfits and fake mustaches to make each transformation complete. From the fey Judge Obadiah to the sled-driving Plainsman Mudge to the jingoistic cowboy Proctor, they might all resemble O’Connell in a way, but they are each their own man." –Journal News
NEXT FALL (Florida Studio Theatre)
“Jason O'Connell gives a nuanced performance in the central role of Adam, showing us his fears of being 40 and adrift career-wise, his insecurities with life in general, and most importantly his overall genial nature.” –Talkin' Broadway
“Jason O’Connell is especially gratifying in his portrayal of the main character, Adam, an insecure, hypochondriac, Woody Allen-type, which could easily go off the rails without O’Connell’s astonishingly naturalistic approach.” –Sarasota Observer
HAMLET (HVSF)
“Jason O'Connell, for instance, is one of the festival's most accomplished comedians—he's even done stand-up—and he plays Claudius as a smoothly genial salesman type who makes one deal too many and finds himself in trouble all the way up to his eyebrows. This smart, carefully considered interpretation fits neatly into Mr. O'Brien's directorial game plan.” –Wall Street Journal
“O’Connell brings marvelous colors to Claudius’ speech about wanting to repent but wanting to keep what his sins have gained him.” –Journal News
“Jason O'Connell is compelling as he manipulates and maneuvers and even poisons everyone around him. He embodies the banality of evil. Only when he prays do we glimpse his inner turmoil.” –Times Herald-Record
ART (Phoenix Theatre Ensemble)
“Jason O’Connell captures Yvan’s bumbling frustrations well, making them a frequent source of humor.” –theasy.com
“Although Yvan is pathetic and masochistic, Mr. O’Connell, mostly through his yearning glances and hangdog body language, makes him so sympathetic he almost steals the show from his sensational comrades.” –Theatre Scene
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING (HVSF)
"Nance Williamson and Jason O'Connell... play Beatrice and Benedick, the reluctant lovers, as well as I've seen them played... They get their laughs, but no sooner do they realize that they've fallen for one another than they drop teir comic masks and show us a pair of touchingly awkward lovers who've been surprised by joy." –Wall Street Journal
“O'Connell's crass, brash Benedick cloaks himself in a fool's certitude. His timing is impeccable, his pauses speak volumes.” –Journal News
THE COMPLETE WORKS OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE–ABRIDGED (Great Lakes Theater Festival)
“The three-man cast keeps the action and the storytelling fast and furious. Paul Hurley, Jason O'Connell and M. A. Taylor are all anyone could want.”
–Talkin' Broadway
TROILUS & CRESSIDA (HVSF)
“…the refreshingly straightforward Jason O’Connell (as Thersites)” - Ben Brantley, The New York Times
PENNY PENNYWORTH (Off Broadway)
“The pace is fast, the direction fluid and inventive and the cast -- Jamie Heinlein, Christopher Borg, Jason O'Connell and Ellen Reilly -- first-rate.”
–Huffington Post
"Pennyworth's stars - Christopher Borg, Jamie Heinlein, Jason O'Connell, and Ellen Reilly - all deserve Obie awards for their brilliant turns." – Curtain Up
