Critical Praise

The Lion in Winter (2/21 - 3/10/02)
Stuart Duncan observed, "What a brilliant choice - a work that holds history up to a mirror and, on reflection, teaches, entertains and leaves us in breathless admiration ... The Actors' NET cast is stunning." Read the full review.

Becket (1/10 - 1/27/02)
Stuart Ducan reports: "It begins a series which the group is calling 'Four Kings' and is an evening of delicious tastes on the palate - verbiage one can roll around in the brain with gusto, bloody and bantering. ...Cheryl Doyle's fine direction combines two different translations for maximum understanding, excellent period costuming, and excitement and passion from the entire company when dealing with a work of this power - an Actors' NET signature.....Hartpence and Bradley shine in long, difficult roles, fleshed with sharp insults and witty repartee amid a tenor of inevitable doom." Read the full review.

The Man Who Came to Dinner (12/6 -12/23/01)
Stuart Duncan observed: "Let's face it - I laughed louder and harder at opening night of The Man Who Came To Dinner than at months of sitcom romantic comedies or musicals about gyrating nuns. (Rick Breitenfeld) finds his own delicious way to plumb the crevices within the part. The result is excitingly fresh and very funny. Breitenfeld at once suggests ego at work, then shades it with equal portions of pathos and humanity. His barbs hit home because they come from a real character, not just lines of dialogue... He gets strong support from Pam Linkin as Maggie..." Read the full review.

Harvey (10/11 - 10/28/01)
Stuart Duncan on Harvey: "It is a huge triumph ... Veteran actor C. Jameson Bradley plays Elwood P. Dowd as if born to the role ... Cheryl Doyle nails another superb portrait to her wall of characters as Veta ... Rick Breitenfeld almost steals the show as the egotistical psychiatrist, Dr. Chumley, who runs the sanitarium and accompanies Dowd on his bar-hopping forays." Read the full review.

The Miracle Worker (9/13 - 9/30/01)
Stuart Duncan on The Miracle Worker: "No maybes about Joe Doyle's sensitive direction; nor of magnificent performances by BriAnne Sudia (as Annie) and Tess Ammerman (as Helen). Ms. Ammerman is destined to be a future star; Ms. Sudia is already there. Theresa and David Swartz are strong and confident in the roles (as Mrs. and Captain Keller). Ryan Dethy is most convincing as James Keller, Helen's half-brother..." Read the full review.

My Fair Lady (8/17 - 9/2/01)
In Time Off (Packet Publications) and Time Off Bucks County, Stu Duncan wrote: "The latest triumph is Lerner and Loewe's My Fair Lady ... George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion has been magically changed into as fine a lady as one could wish ... Actors' NET has another huge success." Read the full review.

In The Times of Trenton, Anita Donovan wrote: "The Actors' NET of Bucks County's production ... makes it clear that this is Eliza's play. Carol Thompson ... carries out the intention with cool power. Her Higgins is George Hartpence ... His is a delicately balanced and likable performance ... The NET's abundant talent pool supplies a great supporting cast of 32."

1776 (7/13 - 7/29/01)
Stuart Duncan on 1776: "It will probably give you a better sense of the history of the American Revolution and the characters who essayed it than any history class in school. The show gets its dramatic excitement from the 'how' of the times rather than the 'what.'" Read the full review.

Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up? (6/15 - 7/1/01)
Stuart Duncan reviews: "It is a mature venture on the memory lane of Catholic schooling, with stops at various grades that leave the audience in helpless laughter. Add huge globs of young talent, energy and surprising polish, and you come close to what Actors' NET of Bucks County is offering." Read the full review.

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead (March 2001)
In Time Off (Packet Publications) and Time Off Bucks County, Stuart Duncan wrote: "A good production of Tom Stoppard's Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead is like Waiting For Godot on speed. Make no mistake: The current production at Actors' NET of Bucks County at the Heritage Center in Morrisville, PA is very good ... Its very tricky stuff. Director Cheryl Doyle has dealt with it stunningly."

In The Times of Trenton, Anita Donovan wrote: "Actors' NET of Morrisville has capped its ambitious 'Hamlet trilogy' with a lively and absorbing rendition of Tom Stoppard's mind-twisting comedy, 'Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead.'"

Hamlet (February 2001)
In his review of "Hamlet," Stu Duncan ("Time Off," "Time Off Bucks County") wrote, "This is the most uncluttered production you are apt to see of the great Shakespeare play in your lifetime — completely defined and easy to follow. Even the kids will love it. In fact, take them. . . a rousing tale of betrayal, revenge and retribution #151; in all its fiery heritage. . . . . Here, [George Hartpence] has taken a huge challenge, met it squarely and won big." Read the full review.

I Hate Hamlet (January 2001)
In "Time Off" Stu Duncan wrote:  "Joe Doyle figured out how to direct it, not for the plot, nor even the one-liners, but rather the characters themselves. He takes a group of the company's more-or-less regulars, lets them settle nicely into their skins, and has them whack the dialogue toward the far walls with devastating brilliance." Read the full review.

The Times of Trenton's Michael Kownacky wrote, "The cast members assembled by director Joe Doyle are all clearly having the collective time of their lives. Their enthusiasm is infectious."

Sea Marks (April 2000)
Stuart Duncan in Time Off (entertainment supplement of the Packet Publications) recently named the NET's production of Sea Marks one of the 12 shows out of 160 seen during the year 2000 that he'd most like to see again. Other companies with productions on the list included Equity theaters such as Princeton's McCarter and New Brunswick's George Street Playhouse. Read Stuart Duncan's year in review.

The Devil's Disciple (November 1999)
In January 2000, critic Stuart Duncan chose our November 1999 The Devil's Disciple as one of the 12 best shows he'd seen the in the past year. His original review noted: "Actors' NET has been coming up with terrific casts recently and this one is certainly no exception ... It is Shaw at his warmest and most charming." Click here for photos and more information on this show: Disciple page

Best of 2000
In an article for The Times of Trenton, critic Anita Donovan hailed The NET's Sea Marks as one of the year's best plays, and our 1776 as one of the best musicals.   She also hailed several actors for best-of-the-year performances in Actors' NET productions, including Joe Mattern and K.T. Tomlinson in Sea Marks, Tammy Koehler in Everybody Loves Opal and Man of La Mancha, and BriAnne Sudia in Little Women.

"It's clearly time to recognize Actors' NET as a force on the local theater scene," wrote Stu Duncan in the Bucks County Courier Times and Princeton Packet publications. For the rest of his review of our recent The Sunshine Boys and reviews and photos of earlier productions, see: NET history.