NY Press Excerpts for The Woodsman

The Woodsman Reviews

The NY Times, Jan 20, 2015

The spectacle is handmade, infused with breath and light.

…this ambitious production by Strangemen & Co. at 59E59 Theaters has much to recommend it. Mr. Ortiz’s puppets are fanciful and gorgeous…

Edward W. Hardy, who composed the omnipresent music, plays the violin superbly throughout, occasionally complemented by the actors’ choral vocals”

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The Huffington Post, Jan 20, 2015

“Despite his guiding hand on the show, Ortiz wasn’t even my favorite actor on stage. I much preferred Eliza Simpson as the Woodsman’s true love, Will Gallacher and Lauren Nordvig as our hero’s parents and Alex J. Gould caught my eye in various parts. This just proves Ortiz is smart enough to surround himself with talent.

Strangemen & Co. is very talented and fresh. Excitingly, they should improve and grow by leaps and bounds as they continue to mount works.”

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Broadwayworld.com, Jan 19, 2015

“…a visually stunning production…and the few words uttered and sung in “The Woodsman” become all the more powerful next to those unsaid. With honest performances by the entire ensemble and with a simpler façade, “The Woodsman” makes for a refreshing theatrical experience next to shows of grander scale and with more reliance on technology.”

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TheaterMania, Jan 18, 2015

“The performers share a common breath as they collectively establish the show’s meticulously designed rhythms. However, just as no measure is left un-choreographed, no moment is left without emotional intention, creating an efficient engine that powers a robust heartbeat.

The Woodsman finds the point of intersection between the organic and the imagined that indulges us in everything gruesome and grand that fairy tales have to offer.”

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EdgeMediaNetwork, Feb 12, 2015

“With the baritenor of Will Gallacher (comic gold as Father/ 1st Tinker) and the airy soprano of Lauren Nordvig (as an enduring Mother) by Hardy’s side singing in unison, the soundscape becomes the meat and potatoes in the dark cauldron of this enthralling, though slight show…”

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Goop.com

“This is one of those beautiful live theater experiences that stays with you long after the curtain goes down.”Expansion Bar

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Timeout.com, Jan 20, 2015

A TimeOut Critics Pick!

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NYMag, Jan 26, 2015

NYMag declares it Highbrow/Brilliant!

REVIEW: LOVE MESSES WITH THE MIND IN ‘VENUS IN FUR’

venus-in-fur-review

The Gainesville Sun, Jan 17, 2013:

“Actress Lauren Nordvig tantalizes as Vanda, who is late for the audition and appears to be the embodiment of all of the would-be leading ladies Thomas has been grousing about.”

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NY PRESS REVIEW EXCERPTS

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nypress.com, Jan 29, 2010

“Gilman’s Blue Surge at The Wild Project is light years beyond the usual Off-Off-Broadway”

“Under Kat Vecchio’s skilled and smooth direction, both Caslavka and Nordvig manage to effortlessly inhabit the nuances and layers of Gilman’s complicated characters, as if we were really spying on the two as they bare their souls to one another. Now, that may sound like the whole point of acting, but it’s an ideal that is very rarely found, and even less frequently at such a sustained level.”

“It’s Caslavka’s heartbreaking performance, and Nordvig’s remarkably unsentimental one, that transform this production into something deeper and more memorable than most Off-Off-Broadway shows.”

NY THEATRE.COM REVIEW

ny-theatre.com review

nytheatre.com, Jan 22, 2010

“Yes, the play does fly in this production. Go see it. It will make you think, it will make you wonder, it will—hopefully—make you ask yourself some hard and honest questions and maybe even find some answers.”

THEATRE IS EASY.COM REVIEW

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Jan 26, 2010

“Actress Lauren M. Nordvig, is by far the most present and able of this cast–completely lovely in every way.”

“There are many charming moments onstage and both Caslavka and Nordvig do quite a lot of excellent work.”

RALF REMSHARDT, PHD ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF THEATRE

Ralf Remshardt

Jul 5, 2010

Lauren is without doubt one of the finest students I have taught in my 14 years at UF, and represents the best qualities of this generation of college graduates.

Ralf Remshardt, PhD Associate Professor of Theatre, drralf@ufl.edu

Click here to read the PDF document

TWELFTH NIGHT REVIEW

twelfth-night review

The Gainsville Sun, May 23, 2008

Shakespeare comedy has final performance tonight before hiatus

The Gainsville Sun, Mar 20, 2008

Shakespeare play comes to Black Box

THE CHERRY ORCHARD REVIEW

cherry-orchard-review

The Gainsville Sun, Sept 7, 2007

“…with Nordvig standing out in a forceful performance.”