Persuasion In the Press

PREVIEW

• CityArts
  • “An All-Seattle team conjures a brand-new Jane Austen musical”

INTERVIEWS

• Q13 New This Morning
  • Liz Dueweke interviews actor Nick DeSantis about Persuasion and he has an exclusive announcement!
• Seattle Gay Scene
  • “Caitlin Frances practices friendly ‘Persuasion’ at Taproot’s premiere of new Jane Austen musical”
• Miryam’s Theater Musings
  • “If you love Jane Austen and musicals or maybe even just musicals, see what’s opening at Taproot!”
• International Examiner
  • “For team of Taw and Jeffries, Persuasion a ‘grueling’ reward”

IN THE NEWS

• Seattle Met
  • “The Top Things to Do This Weekend: July 13-16”

REVIEW

• The Seattle Times | Dusty Somers
  • “fully formed, cohesive work.”
  • “The score and book are tightly integrated into the storytelling, and Austen’s sense of humor is perfectly intact.”
  • “A four-piece band, led by Michael Matlock, ably swells the emotion.”
  • “Ilika’s porcelain voice is one of the key assets of Taproot’s production”
  • “Jeffries illustrates [a] maelstrom of viewpoints with musical numbers that unfold in fits and starts; characters’ verses intersect, but their melodies remain distinct amidst the whole. It’s a valuable storytelling strategy…”
  • “Because Jeffries’ score continually advances the narrative, Taw’s book is able to proceed effectively through a story that traverses from location to location, with most of the actors playing multiple roles.”
  • “Taproot’s production, directed by Karen Lund, is populated with memorable character turns.”
  • “…a strong showcase for this promising new work.”
• Arts Stage Seattle Rage | Nancy Worssam
  • “If you’re an Austen fan you won’t want to miss it. And if you’re not … this might persuade you otherwise.”
  • “a delight.”
  • “carefully honed”
  • “Sarah Burch Gordon’s costumes provide lush examples of early 18th Century clothing.”
  • “Mark Lund’s set deserves special attention. … [it] works marvelously well.”
  • “Cayman Ilika gives just the right amount of reticence to her portrayal of the demure, unassuming, ever-giving Anne Elliot.”
  • “…Ilika never lets you forget that this is a character with a rich private life.”
  • “The lovely Ilika brings all these emotions as well as her rich singing voice to the role.”
  • “polished”
• Broadwayworld.com | Jay Irwin
  • “… the music is quite lovely.”
  • “The ensemble of performers is absolutely sublime but what can you expect when you have some of the best in Seattle.”
  • “[Cayman] Ilika has never failed to impress me with those vocal chops that look effortless from her, but emerge from her throat like an angel choir. And her portrayal of the meek and subservient Anne never once ventured into the realm of doormat, just hurt and resigned.”
  • “[Matthew] Posner is dashing and regal as the stalwart Captain Wentworth and matches Ilika’s power quite well.”
  • “The rest of the ensemble are in top form…”
  • “Nick DeSantis and Chelsea LeValley turn in some brilliant and hilarious fops as Anne’s overbearing family.”
  • “Kate Jaeger is painfully hilarious as the chronically ill and awkward Mary.”
  • “Caitlin Frances brings in three quite different characters each driving the story beautifully.”
  • “Randy Scholz makes for a swoon worthy pair of romantic red herrings.”
  • “And of course, I must mention Ryan Childers and Sophia Franzella who offer up multiple character but none more hilarious as their brief turn as the upper-est of upper crust society.”
  • “thoroughly delightful”
  • “…it’s Austen and Ilika so how can you go wrong?”
• TalkinBroadway.com | David-Edward Hughes
  • “One of the most winning casts in Seattle musical history, and an out of the ordinary, strong adaptation of a Jane Austen novel with sterling silver book, music and lyrics, combine to make Taproot Theatre Company’s world premiere production of Persuasion must-see summer Seattle theatre.”
  • “…a sleek version of Austen’s prose by Harold Taw…”
  • “…luminous music and lyrics by Seattle wunderkind Chris Jeffries.”
  • “…tenderhearted and happily humor-filled direction of Karen Lund…”
  • “Seattle’s heiress apparent to the Julie Andrews tiara, Cayman Ilika, dazzles in every last aspect of her performance as Anne…”
  • “Matthew Posner rescues the role of Anne’s likeliest swain from potential smarminess, singing his role as Captain Wentworth with a Gordon MacRae glow, endowing the character with a wry twinkle in his eye.”
  • “Caitlin Frances captivates, crossing class barriers distinctly…”
  • “…Chelsea LeValley is night and day different, and delightfully so”
  • “Chelsea is simply a skyrocketing star to be.”
  • “…affable and cunningly comic Nick DeSantis … [flounces] with pristine self-adoration as Sir Walter Elliot, then unexpectedly humble and heart-tugging as the crippled Captain Harville.”
  • “Comedienne Kate Jaeger lends her unmistakable audacious comic life force to the role of flibbertigibbet Mary Musgrove…”
  • “Katy Tabb’s pocket-sized choreography is as sharp and detailed as her work on many a more overstuffed and tap-happy show.”
  • “Last, but certainly not least, Sarah Burch Gordon’s period-purty costume design, Andrew Duff’s limpid lighting design, and Mark Lund’s smashing scenic and sound design add the final flourishes to a show that will be hard to not rank as the show of the Seattle theater season.”
• Seattle PI | Alice Kaderlan
  • “…in the able hands of writer Harold Taw and composer-lyricist Chris Jeffries, plus Karen Lund’s inspired direction, this Persuasion is a nonstop romp that deserves a much wider audience…”
  • “Part of the fun of this Persuasion is watching how Anne (a sparkling Cayman Ilika) and Wentworth (sexy Matthew Posner) dance around their attraction while pretending not to care.”
  • “Jeffries’ tunes are melodic and light … his music carries Taw’s action forward smoothly and with grace.”
  • “Ilika’s crystalline voice and perfect enunciation make it easy to understand every syllable she sings while Posner brings equal feeling to his musical and straight scenes.”
  • “Posner is a master of facial expressions that convey a world of emotion without his uttering a word”
  • “Sophia Franzella is a comic genius, offering a riotous performance as Anne’s ditzy rival…”
  • “Kate Jaeger galumphs her way around as Anne’s hypochondriacal sister Mary…”
  • “…Caitlin Frances moves seamlessly among three different female roles.”
  • “Given the success of this fully staged production, one hopes this Persuasion will capture the attention of producers at other venues and in other cities.”