Photo: David Levy
Jim Butz
Henry IV
Shakespeare
Shakespeare Festival Saint Louis
2014
Stones in His Pockets
American Players Theatre, 2022- …Highly entertaining two-hander … This production is also a remarkable achievement for director Tim Ocel, and for the two young men who embody more than a dozen roles between them. … Two hours zoom along. … Stones in His Pockets is a love letter to storytelling, and it’s a lovely way to close the season in Spring Green. more…
- Expertly helmed by director Tim Ocel, Stones in His Pockets also illustrates the wealth of talent possessed by two of APT’s Core Company actors — Nate Burger and Marcus Truschinski — who not only play more than a dozen characters, they create richly detailed scenes … Both actors make such precise, specific choices that there is never a moment of confusion — only delight in their expert craft, that they make look effortless. Be assured, it is not… . American Players Theatre has produced a stellar season this year but this final production, Stones in His Pockets, may be the best yet. Alternatively hilarious and heartbreaking, this extraordinary play…is simply an evening of theater magic that is not to be missed. more…
The Book of Will
American Players Theatre, 2019- …the perfect play to commemorate the company's 40th anniversary season. And APT's the perfect company to produce it…an amazing collection of actors we may never see collected like this again on one stage…When the play's final scene turns its metaphorical gift into a literal one, we're presented with perhaps the most wonderful scene of all —the entire cast embracing and sharing the enduring wonder and beauty of Shakespeare's genius — in a staging that feels almost Disney-esque in the levels of magic it creates… You're a bigger fool than Feste, Touchstone and Trinculo combined if you don't find a way to get tickets and see this one. Especially since those of us who've already seen it will likely be angling to go back and catch it a second time. more…
- Directed by Shakespeare veteran Tim Ocel, “Book of Will” feels like a personal gift to Spring Green audiences…Ocel has an eye for aesthetics. more…
- Tim Ocel’s direction pulls the different parts together so seamlessly that APT’s use of the aisles and Nathan Stuber’s double-stage design enhances the action. Ocel paces the actors’ timing so well…the play beautifully flows from the why to the how and concludes with a celebratory ending where all of the actors are reading the all-important what. The acting is also exceptional…After seeing the exceptional production of “Book of Will,” it’s easy to understand APT’s success… more…
- …executed marvelously…it is a brilliant example of a human narrative comedy laced with friendship and dedication…The APT production, under the direction of Tim Ocel, is a skillful, engaging, adeptly played comedic docudrama. The entire ensemble, from the youngest fruit-selling child to the eldest publisher, exudes talent… more…
- …one of the company’s funniest and most poignant plays of the season…full doses of humor and heart…The play features one of APT’s largest casts and showcases some of its most seasoned actors, many performing at the top of their game…Director Tim Ocel, in turn, keeps everyone masterfully on track and moving ahead to a sublime conclusion in this excellent end-of-season production. more…
- Watch Tim and cast members talk about The Book of Will: https://youtu.be/eAzP1kYiWEM
The Night of the Iguana
Tennessee Willimas Festival, 2019- …a brilliant Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis production…Director Tim Ocel elicits fine performances from a 14-member cast, moving things along with panache and deftly avoiding easy sentimentality to get to emotional truth. more…
- Director Tim Ocel and his cast strike all the right notes…superior moments of acting craftsmanship…sturdy supporting work by an ingratiating cast…an ideal pillar for the Tennessee Williams Festival’s fourth annual showcase. more…
- …an outstanding production…a wonderful production, led by a stellar performance by James Butz as Shannon…achingly beautiful…Director Tim Ocel has done remarkably fine work in creating this beautiful production of "The Night of the Iguana". It's a great play that is not too frequently produced. You should not miss this opportunity to see it. more…
- There's no mercy when Tennessee Williams shines a flashlight into the darkest corners of a soul, and you will likely come away from the work exhausted and amazed for both the damage and any bit of renewal you've witnessed. Such is the case in The Night of the Iguana…you'll likely be challenged and satisfied by this wonderful play and performance. more…
- …it’s a hot time in the old town…a show packed with great work…Tim Ocel directed, clearly using a clear vision of what this ought to be, and he’s delivered in spades…It’s been a while since the play was done in St. Louis, and it’s something theatre-goers ought to flock to. more…
- …the characters are fully grown and already fallen men and women. But they rise again, under the direction of Tim Ocel…This is the three-act version from 1961, but it goes smoothly and quickly…perfectly delicate and hypnotic. It's exactly the magic you're hoping for when you go to see top-flight actors in a Williams show. more…
- Last year’s mainstage show, A Streetcar Named Desire, proved to be a highlight of the entire St. Louis theatrical year. Now, the festival is following up last year’s success with a new, bold staging of Williams’ thought-provoking The Night of the Iguana, boasting a strong cast and especially stunning production values…gripping and compelling drama…a deep, intense, and sometimes disturbing character study…The atmosphere is stunningly realized by the production, and the theme and struggle of the characters is well-portrayed by the first-rate cast…a vividly staged, impeccably cast production. It ushers in the Fourth Annual Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis with remarkable energy and poignancy. It’s another stunning success from the Festival. more…
- …richly detailed…the remarkable centerpiece to this year’s fourth annual Tennessee Williams Festival…Meticulous director Tom Ocel has contained the sprawling story to emphasize temptation, loneliness, loss and the despair that comes from being lost…Ocel moves the large cast around to the beats of the fun-and-sun coastal setting, with a sense of foreboding and something’s off-kilter…The crisp stage direction and the ensemble’s commitment to immerse themselves to tell this story, with all its messy interactions, make this production stand out. If last year’s award-winning TWF mainstage show, “A Streetcar Named Desire,” was a leap of faith, this year’s centerpiece is a masterful coming-of-age, a major step forward, strengthening Williams’ legacy and continuing a vibrant tradition. more…
Exit the King
American Players Theatre, 2018- An absorbing and quite affecting account at American Players Theatre rings with truth about that juncture in life where few arrive gladly: its end…What might appear as absurd, the merry-go-round of rationale insistence followed by wan denial, in fact resonates deeply of genuine mortal fear of life’s end… “Exit the King,” judiciously paced by director Tim Ocel in the intimacy of the 200-seat Touchstone Theatre, may be the sleeper play of APT’s current summer. more…
- After all the laughter and hijinks, it’s a stark and deeply affecting finish…Director Tim Ocel — who stepped in at the last minute when Kenneth Albers, the show’s original director, had to drop out for health considerations — has created one of this season’s genuine dark horses, a modest show that rises far above expectations. more…
- Ridge’s performance, a marvelous one…Ocel strikes a tricky balance between the full-tilt comic absurdity and the poetry in the script, assisted by stark and striking lighting by Jesse Klug…the end, when it comes, is as poignant a scene as I’ve ever seen on the Touchstone stage. more…
- …this skillfully wrought production is among the season’s highlights…fascinating play directed by Tim Ocel, who in past years has directed a number of APT shows…American Players Theatre has staged a triumphantly sparse but effective production. more…
- …both silly and sublime…Ridge brilliantly inhabits death’s stages — from hilarity to horror…a poignancy that’s rarely achieved. Director Tim Ocel and his performers manage the difficult transitions in Berenger’s final journey with aplomb…In the hands of Ocel and his APT cast, the process of dying becomes a delicate and dynamic art of the first order. more…
- In contrast to the morbid subject matter, much of the production feels like a journey through a carnival fun house…Directed by Tim Ocel, the show is a ridiculous ride through the classic stages of death and dying. more…
A Streetcar Named Desire
Tennessee Willimas Festival, 2018- A Streetcar Named Desire moves like a bullet train, racing across the Grandel Theatre stage at the speed of life…big, thrilling, welcoming to anyone who enjoys a good story with fascinating characters…astute director Tim Ocel…beautifully designed…a strong, traditional production of a play that appeals to lots of people, not just the cognoscenti. more…
- A Streetcar Named Desire is given a bold, beautiful and brazen interpretation under Tim Ocel’s nuanced direction… Ocel directs this two-act presentation like an artist caressing his canvas, with gentle but clearly defined brush strokes for Blanche, Stanley, Stella and Mitch…superb supporting work from a well-choreographed cast…A Streetcar Named Desire is rightly considered one of the greatest American plays of the 20th century. Under Ocel’s careful and considered guidance, it’s given a suitably stunning rendering at this year’s Williams Festival.more…
- Tim Ocel’s direction gives us a play that is both faithful to the original script and startlingly fresh…This Streetcar feels positively insightful… Watching the exceptionally well-acted production that made its premiere last night, I couldn’t help but think about how the #MeToo movement hasn’t rendered this play outdated — it’s only primed the audience for its impact…Credit for this goes, in part, to director Ocel and his talented cast…Ocel is smart enough to be faithful to the text. more…
- With a keen eye and sure hand, Director Tim Ocel ensures that not a single detail from Williams’ dense and poetic script is missed. The expanse of the stage is expertly used… is an outstanding production that perfectly captures the flavor and themes of Williams’ work…The poignant and tragic drama is smartly produced and brilliantly performed, lovers of the playwright and casual fans alike will likely enjoy this stellar show. more…
- A Streetcar Named Desire may be the most beautifully written play I've ever seen. And thanks to director Tim Ocel, it's also beautifully staged…Each performance has a perfect weight; neither the lavish poetry of Blanche nor her jarring descent into madness is ever forced. more…
- A Streetcar Named Desire kicks off this year’s Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis. Get thee hither…Director Tim Ocel has assembled a fine, yea, superb cast. They sizzle. Led by Brown’s Blanche, it’s great work all around…There’s a limited run. Go. It’s worth it. more…
- …splendid creative touches and stellar performances…Tim Ocel’s direction paces from scene to flawlessly laid-out scene with a keen understanding of the script and the characters…an impeccable production all the way around that shouldn’t be missed. more…
- “A Streetcar Named Desire” is the highlight of the Tennessee Williams Festival this year and it delivers a knock-out punch with an excellent cast, smart direction and a technically beautiful production… Director Tim Ocel has mixed it all into the perfect combination. His insight into the play is uncanny…overwhelming…more…
- …engrossing production…Director Tim Ocel has expertly unearthed raw depth, revealing fresh layers and a new perspective…Noticeable is the humanity, real flesh-and-blood portrayals…The cast has found new elements through Ocel’s digging on character development, even the small supporting roles are well-modulated…the staging is impeccable…This intense retelling stresses why this is one dramatic work that deserves its hallowed place in American theater…this haunting staging of “A Streetcar Named Desire” shatters expectations and conventions… more…
- The dynamic, age-appropriate cast brings director Tim Ocel’s faithful production of Streetcar to life with intensity and passion. Exploring the human condition at its finest, the outstanding performances pull the audience into the world of Blanche DuBois and stick around long after the curtain closes…Filled with incredible performances, a well-crafted set, and terrific new score – this production of A Streetcar Named Desire is not to be missed.more…
- Director Tim Ocel - His production of “A Streetcar Named Desire” gave Tennessee Williams Festival St. Louis exactly what it needs: a mainstage production astute enough for theater veterans and clear enough for newcomers, rich enough to celebrate the playwright’s distinctive American voice. Ocel let us savor superb performances small and large as his “Streetcar” raced across the Grandel Theatre stage like a bullet train, reaching the speed of life. more…
New Jersalem
New Jewish Theatre, 2018- …passionate, heady drama, rich in vivid characters…does justice to the idea of community, a community trying to protect each of its members yet simultaneously trying to determine what makes it a community to begin with…Under the direction of Tim Ocel each member of the cast contributes fine work…simply sensational…The production looks great. more…
- …engaging and lively… Riordan and director Tim Ocel find the sweet spot in [Spinoza], ensuring he is as captivating and sympathetic as he is intriguing…Director Ocel and the cast work in unison to create a moving and effective show that allows history to reverberate with issues of contemporary concern…the show is riveting and the characters remarkably interesting…the captivating and sharply performed show contains enough story and dramatic tension to engage a broad audience. more…
- Eloquent, thoughtful, moving, disturbing—it’s all that and more…Tim Ocel’s direction is impeccable. more…
A View from the Bridge
American Players Theatre, 2017- APT…is America’s finest classical theater festival, unrivaled for the unfailing excellence of its productions. Nowhere else—not even in New York or Chicago—will you see such plays done more stylishly or excitingly…Tim Ocel’s small-scale production of Arthur Miller’s 1955 drama of incestuous love on the waterfront, mounted in the Touchstone Theatre, APT’s 200-seat indoor house, is a masterpiece of sustained tension. Performed by a cast of the highest possible quality led by Jim DeVita, a 23-year company veteran, it is, together with Mike Nichols’s 2012 Broadway version of Death of a Salesman, one of the two best Miller revivals I’ve ever seen…Every aspect of Mr. Ocel’s production is distinguished…more…
- In another triumph for one of American Players Theatre’s best directors, Tim Ocel teams with a cast led by a great Jim DeVita to exploit that disconnect between cramped circumstance and operatic passion. The result is a devastating Bridge, in which titanic onstage emotion continually engulfs the audience within APT’s intimate Touchstone Theatre… Ocel’s staging makes clear that this entire community is caught in a trap, where everyone has kept quiet about too much, for too long… DeVita ensures we empathize with the man. Madden is a towering force embodying the community he betrays. Ocel’s staging gives that community full-blooded life, from the docks where Eddie works to the men working there with him. They will encircle the stage from positions within the audience, standing guard as silent sentinels marking boundaries that cannot be transgressed… Mani’s Alfieri helps us grasp the corresponding disconnect within a man like Eddie between what he feels and how he must live. Between passion and reason. And between the physical – very much in evidence, here, in a production where so much is expressed through faces and fists – and language.more…
- Tim Ocel directs this skilled, tight-knit ensemble like a spool unraveling, as Eddie begins to flail and sink further into a warped sense of injustice. Ocel gives each shift in power, silent decision and moment of understanding the chance to breathe and ripple out like a wave. … The physical dynamics of “A View from the Bridge” are crucial. Ocel and fight director Brian Byrnes handle each boxing max and altercation so vividly, it makes the Touchstone feel almost too close to the growing violence.more…
- …there is nothing quite like the searing production of this classic that opened over the weekend at American Players Theatre. Under the precise and unrestrained direction of Tim Ocel, a cast of actors tells a story so painful and complex that it demands attention and stamina, watching a man’s gradual descent into the darkest and most fearsome place in his heart…This cast of actors deliver the kind of performances that have created the mystique of the outdoor theater in the hills of Tower State Park. It’s a performance of power, grace and intelligence…This production is a rare event in the world of theater. It marries a glorious space with a glorious play and a glorious team of designers and actors. What a way to spend a glorious summer evening.more…
- APT’s shattering production of Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge… For the superb specificity of the performances, also credit director Tim Ocel, who finely tunes the ensemble and controls the story’s inevitable pace. With a cast of ten actors, this is a story that could have held its own on the larger, outdoor stage, but it gains immeasurable power from the intimacy of the indoor Touchstone Theatre. It’s hard to imagine a finer rendering of this great American classic.more…
- A View from the Bridge…is a haunting tragedy of Greek
proportions, deftly directed by Tim Ocel and featuring some of the best performances of the season at
APT.
Building on last season’s Miller classic Death of a Salesman, this production is American tragedy at its finest. more… - Up until a couple days ago I thought “Cyrano de Bergerac” was American Players Theatre's best offering of the summer…But, then, I saw the APT production of Arthur Miller's A View From the Bridge. …What makes the performance exceptional is the intensity of the actors. They draw you into the story, grab you by the neck and insist you become members of the family, bound up in its struggles and fears, hoping against hope they will survive… You really should see it.more…
Albert Herring
Union Avenue Opera, 2017- As they did last year for “Doubt,” the stars have aligned once again for Union Avenue Opera… Director Tim Ocel had a complicated staging plan that the cast executed perfectly. This production of “Albert Herring” is some of the finest work Union Avenue Opera has ever done. It is at as high a level of accomplishment as any professional music or arts organization in St. Louis. Plus, it’s great summer entertainment. Lots of fun. Don’t miss it.more…
- …a simply splendid production of Benjamin Britten's Albert Herring…a cast of superb voices. Among the many Union Avenue productions I've seen I don't recall a one where the quality of voices was more uniformly fine or more ideally chosen to fit perfectly one with another. … Stage director Tim Ocel, who has directed Doubt, The Queen of Spades and Rigoletto for Union Avenue, again shows sheer mastery of his art. Britten's music is programmatic in a very detailed way; a musical phrase will often correspond to a specific movement or gesture or to a children's game with a bouncing ball. Sid's whistling for his sweetheart is supported by an harmonic glissando on a violin. Mr. Ocel gives his actors just the right movement to embody such musical phrases. more…
- …a charming rendition of this three-act chamber opera written in 1947 by British composer Benjamin Britten. Light-hearted in concept and smooth in execution, Albert Herring makes for an evening of gentle comedy and melodious music winningly delivered by conductor Scott Schoonover, director Tim Ocel and their entire cast and crew…Ocel renders an amusing adaptation of the story with a cast that interprets the sundry types of stock characters with just the right touch of whimsy, neither overblown nor under-utilized. That careful balance pays handsome dividends for the audience… With Ocel and Schoonover each providing spirited guidance, Union Avenue’s Albert Herring makes for a most humorous and enchanting offering.more…
Philadelphia Story
Webster University- It is this style of high comedy that the teachers at the Webster Conservatory have imparted to their students, who have learned it well, and director Tim Ocel has guided them in a polished production that is a delight to see and hear. more…
Doubt
Union Avenue Opera, 2016- …it’s one of the best things UAO has done…a strong cast that started at the top with soprano Christine Brewer in the pivotal role of Sister Aloysius. … Director Tim Ocel is a theatrical treasure. Good direction helps to illuminate the story, and Ocel shone his light into the darker recesses of this one with uniform success.more…
- …a richly executed presentation…Tautly directed and wonderfully sung, Doubt is a rousing success that demonstrates Union Avenue Opera’s considerable depth and ability to take artistic risks… Stage director Tim Ocel, who previously directed UAO’s excellent rendition of Dead Man Walking, duplicates that triumph with this version of Doubt. Brewer’s crystalline clear voice is present throughout…what’s equally impressive is her acting and that of her colleagues, which Ocel hones to a fine edge. Emotions such as anger, sorrow, happiness and stubbornness come to the fore under Ocel’s guidance.more…
- Doubt makes for a very compelling theatrical experience. And for that, Union Avenue's exemplary production can take a great deal of the credit. Director Tim Ocel adds yet another triumph to his work for UAO, with smart and fluid staging that keeps the dramatic momentum going while always making the dramatic focus clear. He is, for my money, the best opera director in town.more…
- This is, to my best knowledge, the first production of this opera since its premiere three years ago at the Minnesota Opera where Ms. Brewer created the role of Sister Aloysius. And she and Union Avenue Opera do a splendid job with it here. … Stage director Tim Ocel manages all of this skillfully on the small Union Avenue Stage. There is even a lovely scene with antiphonal choirs in the balconies of the nave. … You will think about this opera and the dramatic questions it raises long after you leave the theater.more…
Old Wicked Songs
New Jewish Theater, 2016- ...elegant and haunting story... Under Tim Ocel’s tender direction, Vogel and Bonfiglio deliver beautifully modulated performances, from that first note to the last.more…
- ... a powerful, poignant and penetrating production of this look at two men at crucial crossroads in their lives. Director Tim Ocel carefully extracts convincing performances from Jerry Vogel and Will Bonfiglio that leave a lasting impression on their audience. Ocel’s pacing is smooth and his interpretation of the play’s dramatic moments refined and accomplished. ...carefully crafted artistry that is as thoughtful as it is affecting.more…
- ...OLD WICKED SONGS, resonates so much with me. Full of surprising and moving revelations, this presentation is excellently conceived and executed. Issues of faith and identity abound in a play that absolutely demands your time and attention. ... Tim Ocel's direction allows these actors to explore their emotions and motivations in ways that compel and intrigue. ... This is truly the kind of material that shakes you up and makes you reflect on the really important things in life. The best plays do.more…
- …director Tim Ocel also crafts the conflict between a young man and an old man into something grand, where each of the two regenerates the other into something hale and hearty, against all odds. It is renewal through conflict, in the rarest kind of war: one that rebuilds the soul. more…
- Serious credit to director Tim Ocel for a nicely balanced piece of work that manages to balance joy and sadness.more…
- Dichterliebe…serves as a third character in the play. The dissonance and resolution of the song’s cycle taps into the play’s dynamics, with old hurts revisiting fresh scars, and director Tim Ocel pulls it all out nicely. This tear-jerking education in music offers a study in much more than just that, with the music craftily integrated into an alluring, poignant story.more…
Rigoletto
Union Avenue Opera, 2015- …an impressive production…Tim Ocel's knowing direction drives this Rigoletto to its tragic conclusion with the relentless energy of a runaway train…Implacably dark and menacing…strong singers…This is, in short, a very strong cast, right down to the smallest walk-ons. Tim Ocel has demonstrated on more than one occasion that he knows how to handle the unique demands of the operatic stage—most recently in UAO's stunning La Traviata last season. He has done it again with this Rigoletto, maintaining a sense of tragic inevitability while still allowing the big musical moments to breathe.more…
- Under Tim Ocel’s penetrating and powerful direction, UAO’s Rigoletto becomes a poignant and memorable operatic experience… Ocel’s direction is impeccably paced…keep[ing] the production’s two and a half hours flowing smoothly and maintaining interest throughout. … Tight direction, strong singing and credible acting…an achingly effective realization of Verdi’s memorable music and Hugo’s touching tale.more…
- … a first-rate production…a large cast of very fine voices… I was particularly impressed with handling and performance of the large male chorus. I've rarely seen such detailed attention to a crowd scene. Always, from the grim orgy of the opening scene to the merry abduction to the scenes at court each man is a distinct individual with quite natural movement and motivation… Stage director Tim Ocel deserves high praise…splendid production.more…
- …performed with artistic muscle and dramatic agility…the talented stage director Tim Ocel…presented with clarity and grace by stage director Ocel and his colleagues.more…
- Ocel’s direction makes UAO’s production an event local opera lovers should not miss... [he]draws effective interpretations from the cast.
- Watch Video for full review: https://youtu.be/KDE-t4Fnr-Y
The Merry Wives of Windsor
American Players Theatre, 2015- …Tim Ocel’s version of The Merry Wives of Windsor, a warmly genial staging in which every line is enunciated with clarity and common sense…the overall feel is charmingly reminiscent of the River City of The Music Man.more…
- Brian Mani is wonderfully funny as Falstaff…smartly conceived…audience in stitches… In his third straight APT salvage operation involving a particularly maligned Shakespeare comedy, director Tim Ocel… makes clear that this play's wives aren't always as merry — or simple — as they're often portrayed… Merry Wives is also still very much a comedy, in which love and good fellowship…ultimately conquers all. Windsor's ultimate harmony, here, is all the more rewarding because Ocel has raised the stakes. By unveiling the darkness on the edge of town and within our relationships, he reminds us that with Merry Wives as well as our loves and lives, we don't always know what awaits — which is why we should never take how they'll play for granted.more…
- …a rollicking production… As Falstaff, Brian Mani delivers an outsized performance befitting such an outsized character. He fairly sizzles with his lustful and almost barbarous display of life, love and the pursuit of happiness… The joyous moments of revenge planning by Staples and Madden…are full of delight and suspense. …laughter rocked the warm and beautiful night under the stars. …scholars normally don't assign a great deal of substance to it…but under the direction of Tim Ocel, it is long on laughs. Which, after all, is mostly just what the bard wanted to get out of this one.more…
- …a mesmerizing Brain Mani…Tim Ocel moves this cast through their paces with delightful humor…the audience discovers the comedy of everyone's missteps and misconceptions of reality, the difference between what they wish to happen and what eventually occurs. …Ocel…plac[es] the women in command, the confident Madden and Staples, alongside the enormous acting talents of Mani, who leads an accomplished supporting cast. … This allows Shakespeare to be placed in an ordinary community where children walk their dogs and roam freely across the action… APT's tribute to love of community…which believes even when personal failure happens, healing reigns in the magical hospitality of family and friends.more…
- …rollicking outdoor production… APT’s show, imbued with slapstick physicality by director Tim Ocel, is simply great fun – a skillfully and imaginatively wrought Elizabethan sitcom… The Merry Wives of Windsor exudes that distinctive wealth of wit and psychological insight cast in vibrant, resonant language. It is delectable farce, and Ocel’s smart cast goes all in to revivify characters we adore while infusing irresistible energy into every crazy moment… The night air was rent by lusty laughter, early and often.more…
Henry IV
Shakespeare Festival Saint Louis, 2014- Director Tim Ocel shows a generous hand with scenes of spectacle, such as battles and coronations…at the same time, however, Ocel builds the drama by focusing on monologues. One by one, the four main characters speak directly to the audience…each forces us to take him on his own terms. Each seems sure that this play is all about him — and when he is speaking, he convinces us, too. …Ocel clarifies the complicated story… With the support of the many other first-rate performers, Butz and Ocel take Henry IV beyond the traditions it draws on, the war play and the young man’s journey. This time, they tell a tougher story: Everybody’s struggle, and everybody’s journey, is his own.more…
- The show, teeming with intrigue, war and Prince Hal’s transformation, keeps the tension mounting… a riveting, action-packed performance. The cast is a mix of local and imported talent, and they work together with a certain synchronicity and common purpose. The result is a sure-handed production that smoothly, even lithely, conquers the language and delivers connected, impassioned performances. Directed with efficiency and purpose by Tim Ocel, Henry IV is a tale of generations as much as war. The ensemble expertly displays the imperfections of each character’s age with spirit and commitment…a fast paced, swashbuckling Henry IV that nonetheless delivers the intended lessons on war, death and rising to the occasion.more…
- The 2014 festival has kicked off with a flourish with a sharp, incisive and resounding rendition of Henry IV, an exhilarating theatrical romp that is easy to appreciate and admire… A testament to Ocel’s pinpoint, disciplined direction is the uniformly precise acting of his sizable troupe…more…
- Tim Ocel’s direction is sure handed, and he has excelled at making the story precise and clear, along with steady pacing that keeps the audience’s rapt attention. He’s also drawn some very fine performances from his cast. The real triumph of the production is the clarity with which the story is told. Even those not familiar with Shakespeare’s language won’t have too much trouble understanding what’s going on, thanks to the direction and quality performances throughout the cast… It is a great thing to have free Shakespeare in the park. When that Shakespeare is good, well-acted Shakespeare, it’s something special.more…
- The Festival’s Henry IV is a genuine “ripping yarn,” with all the passion, pathos, intrigue, poetry of Shakespeare’s sharply-drawn characters brought to vibrant, compelling life on the outdoor stage… The show runs nearly three hours but feels much shorter thanks to Tim Ocel’s crisp, well-paced direction and first-rate performances.more…
- … marvelous productions… Directors Tim Ocel (Henry IV) and Bruce Longworth (Henry V) guide each production with steady and sure hands. There is a definite balance struck between drama and humor that pays off in each work… dynamic and brilliant productions.more…
- If I had to use one word to sum up the excellence of Henry IV at Shakespeare Festival Saint Louis, that word would be clarity. … uniformly admirable performances …
- Watch Video for full review: Video Review
La Traviata
Union Avenue Opera, 2014- …a dream cast…and direction by Tim Ocel which manages to be innovative while still respecting Francesco Maria Piave’s text and Verdi’s music. … Possibly the biggest indicator of the strength of this production is the quality of the performances in the smaller roles. … Tim Ocel directs with a light hand, mostly content to let the opera tell its story without a lot of gimmicks. His one departure from tradition is to make it all a kind of memory play, taking place in Violetta’s tomb… The concept works surprisingly well. …a very strong start to Union Avenue’s season. Opera lovers should put this on their ‘don’t miss’ list, but opera newbies should give it serious thought as well. …clear and compelling… more…
- …an affecting production…enriching and polished presentation. …highly polished cast… Tim Ocel’s stage direction shrewdly utilizes side entrances to the compact stage as well as eliciting direct, focused performances by his cast. … sumptuous interpretation.more…
- …a memorable and moving production that demands your time and attention. …the entire cast does remarkable work. … Tim Ocel’s stage direction is top notch, and you may even find yourself ignoring the projected translations because the action is so clear and focused…should not be missed…exquisitely performed…moving and very compelling presentation.more…
- La Traviata demonstrates again that this company is something to celebrate.more…
- …a compelling interpretation of one of the great roles in all of opera…nice work in smaller roles…one of Union Avenue’s strongest productions ever.
- Highlights from La Traviata: http://bit.ly/XnAwju
The Two Gentlemen of Verona
American Players Theatre, 2013- …director Tim Ocel finds the play’s dark and dangerous side, while challenging us to take its characters seriously. The result is the smartest and most truthful of the four productions of Two Gents — including the 2003 staging by APT itself — I’ve now seen. … a memorably staged final scene reminding us that even when those we hurt agree to move on, it doesn’t mean they’ll also agree to forget.more…
- …this summer’s sharply drawn, energetic and sly production at American Players Theatre makes a savvy, satisfying case for a comedy worth catching. …credit is surely due director Tim Ocel and a small ensemble of mostly young actors who have flung themselves into Shakespeare’s tale of love-smitten pals and the stunning betrayal perpetrated by one of them. It’s a funny play, but at its core also deeply serious, a credible coming-of-age story that Ocel and his troupe hone to a touching point. …a delightful excursion down one of the Bard’s less-traveled roads.more…
- …[APT] tackles this pimpled comedy with a humor, grace and awareness that elevates it above the mere comic trifle most of us typically take it for. …Give director Tim Ocel, a man who’s always championed the import of the play, major credit for recognizing the perils and navigating them with skill, especially when the proceedings take an even more abrupt turn for the darker at the play’s climax.more…
- …through the lens of director Tim Ocel’s intelligent staging at APT, Two Gentlemen of Verona feels more like a romantic drama than a comedy. …Ambiguity, moral and otherwise, in Ocel’s production make Two Gentlemen more intriguing than it might be as a light-hearted exploration of fickle young love. more…
The Whipping Man
Indiana Rep/Geva Theater, 2013- …spellbinding humanity. … Tim Ocel, to his abundant credit, gives the actors ample creative license with Lopez’s brilliantly written scenes. … It’s more than a production about slavery, war or Judaism. It’s a powerful ode to the fact, as Simon says, “There’s more than one way a man can be a slave.”more…
- …admirable production… Erhard Rom’s large, haunting set and Kendall Smith’s wonderfully evolving lighting dramatically support Tim Ocel’s moody, strangely real, stylized direction to make this production an unforgettable experience. …the play grippingly explores a number of serious elements of beliefs, behavior, and still-divisive American history by focusing on three very human characters caught in lives of bewildering comedy, tragedy, hate and affection.more…
- … On every level, the Indiana Repertory Theater production of The Whipping Man proves spot on. … From the first moment of this play, we’re enthralled by its superb technical presentation, the finely tuned direction of Tim Ocel which balanced three high voltage performances, and a truly fabulous set by Erhard Rohm. … This is a very dark and moody play about dark times. It is also as good as theater gets.more…
Speed-the-Plow
New Jewish Theater, 2013- …director Tim Ocel embraces Mamet and his distinctive voice, delivering a lusty treatment of this 1988 satire…more…
- Marked by solid performances from the cast, the play is funny and telling in equal measure. …nicely constructed and executed, as well as providing ample food for thought. … Tim Ocel’s direction is well done and makes the most of each humorous and dramatic moment. …engaging and amusing production of Speed-the-Plow is well worth checking out.more…
- … this is a smart, clever and appealing production due to some excellent … Tim Ocel has directed Speed-the-Plow with a clear mastery of David Mamet’s script. He hits all the right notes and, at times, overpowers us with the cutthroat business of making movies. …a superb production. more…
- … Tim Ocel, who is a very smart director, has wanted to emphasize the contrast in the positions and the styles of the two men. … Mamet makes exciting theatre, and so does the New Jewish Theatre with Speed-the-Plow.more…
- …crackling production…tautly and brilliantly directed by Tim Ocel, and performed with volcanic energy by the three-member cast…an incredible, almost poetic energy to the dialogue…by turns hilariously funny and oddly affecting. It was a superb choice by the New Jewish Theatre for its first Mamet play.more…
Jackie and Me
Metro Theater Company, 2013- …relevant to young viewers and resonant for older audience members. This production succeeds in tapping into hearts of all ages. … From the moment you enter the Edison Theatre…you know you’re in for a good time. …the student audience with whom I saw Jackie and Me was rapt. …directed with affectionate verve by Tim Ocel…the play succeeds in instilling us with admiration for a time when America was changed because a few brave citizens were willing to confront our national flaws head-on. …you’ll be hard-pressed to see this feel-good story told with more charm and bald emotion than is currently on display in Jackie and Me.more…
- … poignant wit…many small, smart touches…a pleasure for adults as well as for the kids who are its main audience. …director Tim Ocel’s versatile ensemble creates the illusion of many more actors than there actually are. Ocel’s stylized staging of baseball games is persuasive, too.more…
- … a delightful rendition…It’s all tightly directed by Tim Ocel… Jackie and Me is fun at the old ballpark, as our own Cardinals announcer famously pronounces.more…
- … the beauty of what Metro Theater does, it instructs while it entertains and opens opportunities for discussions between parents and children… The production values are abundant… Director Tim Ocel and his technical team have put together a deluxe spectacle… Even if you don’t have children, you should still see Jackie and Me.more…
The Children’s Hour
Webster Conservatory of Theatre Arts, 2012- …a venomous evening of compelling theater. Director Tim Ocel has managed to elevate Hellman’s skillful melodrama into operatic grandeur. … The production is so involving that by the time it draws to its inexorable close, a viewer well might feel drained and exhausted. This is riveting theater. … Director Ocel has a firm grasp of the story he wants to tell and how he wants to tell it. This is patient direction that allows the performances to find their rhythms. Ocel ping-pongs from hysterics to quietude and back, imbuing a potentially dusty period piece with tragic dimension. … This is a rare opportunity to see an enduring American play, performed astonishingly well.more…
- Director Tim Ocel chose his cast wisely and put together an effective, professional and altogether entertaining production made even more extraordinary by the fact that all the actors are still students at the Conservatory of Theatre Arts. The themes of The Children’s Hour are many and deeply layered. This production handles them beautifully.more…
Cloud Nine
University of Michigan — Ann Arbor, 2012- Director Tim Ocel does a terrific job setting just the right tone, which is tricky: You don’t want to be too broad with the comedy, but you don’t want to suck the playful, whimsical sense of fun from the piece, either, while also allowing its more serious moments to land and resonate. (The last moment in particular is a surprisingly emotional knockout.)more…
Don Giovanni
Des Moines Metro Opera, 2012- …first-rate Don Giovanni…insightful staging by Tim Ocel that registered with the theatrical truth of a legit drama. …This was possibly the most satisfying Giovanni I have encountered on the regional opera scene in the U.S. …an enhanced sense of space in one of the most impressive physical productions seen at the house in recent memory.more…
- …lusty, absorbing, even a little raw, thanks to stage director Tim Ocel in his company debut.more…
- Watch Tim talk about Don Giovanni: http://youtu.be/Y1OX7C7UXHc
The Taming of the Shrew
American Players Theatre, 2011- …as he proved last summer in directing APT’s stellar As You Like It, Tim Ocel is not your usual director, and he once more cuts against the grain in directing Shrew. … It is Petruchio who…liberates Kate and simultaneously frees himself, having seen in the shrew he first meets what he too has become. With tender eyes and an increasingly gentle demeanor, Ridge consistently conveys respect for a woman who does some taming here of her own, ensuring that she leaves the stage at play’s end as a partner rather than a prize.more…
- …in the capable hands of director Tim Ocel, we’re able to see the relationship evolve in a way that somehow makes sense… an examination of how love can shape and bend you without breaking you… Ocel keeps that action taut, and even a scene change late in Act II becomes an opportunity to amuse the audience. If you’ve avoided The Taming of the Shrew because of your discomfort with the idea of a strong-willed woman needing to be tamed, APT’s production might win you over.more…
- …Ocel did not remake the play along feminist lines; he did The Taming of the Shrew as we know it. But he, Arnold and Ridge found something generous and progressive in it, and those qualities rises to the top to redeem a speech that is self-negating… Everything that happens in this funny, lively production supports that reading of the finale.more…
Dead Man Walking
Union Avenue Opera, 2011- … director Tim Ocel and everyone else involved really knocked themselves out for this one. It’s probably the finest production that UAO has ever done…. Ocel added meaning to every scene with his staging.more…
- …a searing and riveting presentation that is simply one of best local opera productions since Opera Theatre’s Glorianna back in 2005… Absolutely every aspect of Union Avenue’s work is spot on. The cast is first-rate both vocally and theatrically—as good a collection of singers and actors (some roles are non-singing) as you will find anywhere. Tim Ocel’s direction is clear and focused…more…
- Tim Ocel’s direction finds the heart at the center of this terrible happening… The Union Avenue Opera’s production of Dead Man Walking is a must-see event, heavy and searing, but well worth the humanity and the pain of forgiveness, for the sheer joy of seeing masterful performers at work.more…
- …story-telling at its exhilarating best. With impeccable stage direction by Tim Ocel…Union Avenue Opera’s rendition of this spare, direct work is a stunning artistic achievement that never fails to keep the focus on the sobering story unfolding… Dead Man Walking is receiving its Missouri premiere in a riveting, absorbing production.more…
- The acting has the kind of detail and moment-to-moment responsiveness that we’d be lucky to see on any stage, not just in opera. For this we have to give credit to the director Tim Ocel … the most involving production of an opera I’ve ever attended…a landmark of St. Louis theatre.
As You Like It
American Players Theatre, 2010- Whether you’re a Shakespeare nut or have never seen a Shakespeare play, this one is a “can’t miss,” worthy of a summer pilgrimage. …director Tim Ocel makes clear that pastoral in As You Like It is no picnic. …[a] hilarious send-up of 1930s movies transforms a throwaway scene of just 60 lines into the funniest three minutes I’ve seen this year on stage.more…
- …exceptional style and swagger, resulting in a comedic broth bubbling with both foolishness and wisdom…one highlight after another. Don’t miss this one.more…
- American Players Theatre opened its 2010 season Saturday with William Shakespeare’s As You Like It and, if that opening night production is indicative of the rest of the season, this is going to be a very good year. …director Tim Ocel—making his first appearance in Spring Green— pulled it off. The production not only works, but the setting makes the plot seem more understandable than it has seemed in more traditional settings.more…
- …a handful of theater folks occasionally take their work to a higher level of artistry that touches the sublime. They provide moments of marvel. This is what’s happening in the American Players Theatre’s outdoor production of As You Like It. Two newcomers to APT, Chicago-based actress Hillary Clemens and veteran theater and opera director Tim Ocel, are responsible for a glorious production that takes its place among the company’s all-time best. … The production is vivid and earthy… It all works without undermining the text because Ocel has an incredibly deft touch. The production brilliantly walks a tight rope of modern humor and fidelity to the script, and it never slips into excess.more…
Evie’s Waltz
Geva Theatre Center, 2009- Carter W. Lewis…rivets the audience to their seats for 80 minutes of gripping suspense. But it’s the actors who truly give Evie’s Waltz credence under the sensitive direction of Tim Ocel.more…
All’s Well That Ends Well
Shakespeare Santa Cruz, 2008- …Tim Ocel has given us a taut, dark All’s Well whose characters are cloaked in dour Victorian Black.more…
- …Ocel plays up its comic strengths—including one of Shakespeare’s most entertaining rascals—while acknowledging its complexities in an often pensive production enlivened by wit and warmth.more…
- Director Tim Ocel lets the wistful cynicism of the play slowly emerge from tender performances and a minimalist staging where the only ornamentation comes from the natural splendor of the glen. … There is a naturalism to the sensitive production that heightens the beauties of the text. A cast anchored by veteran classical actors gives the play a lucid reading that allows us to discover its unexpected riches.more…
The Taming of the Shrew
Shakespeare Santa Cruz, 2004- Sharply paced and played with impeccable comic timing, it draws most of its humor from the script, making use of its modern-dress format for occasional inventive flourishes and fleeting pop references. Ocel’s primary focus is on re-imagining the Kate-Petruchio relationship—and the result is intriguing. … Ocel makes the taming less monstrous by having Petruchio suffer as much as Kate… The result, in Chandler’s knowing recital of Kate’s big submission speech, and Dean’s overwhelmed reaction, is unusually satisfying and touching.more…
- …a classy new vision of Shrew…that manages to sharpen the cutting battle-of-the-sexes wordplay while blunting some of the objectionable Elizabethan ideas about a wife’s duty to her husband. … Ocel’s shrewd direction smooth out many of the rocky ideas about the subjugation of women to male dominance… This Shrew looks and plays like a screwball comedy… Ocel creates a beautiful moment even when the play has concluded.more…
- …a marvelously funny Shrew. Ocel’s direction is well paced and visually pleasing, and the characters evolve with fine definition. … The production is a splendid one, and even after all these years, Kate and Petruchio never fail to play games with your imagination.more…
- Taming transforms what many would consider an archaic story of females “submitting” to their husbands, into a contemporary analysis of gender roles and marriage. Blending equal amounts of comedy with wit, intellect, stellar acting, vivid costumes and perfect direction, this show is a new SSC favorite. …wickedly and deliciously funny.more…
Carmen
Opera Theatre of St. Louis, 2004- Tim Ocel’s vivid, traditional staging and Dean Williamson’s sure command from the pit highlighted the ensemble aspect of this production, with sharp characterizations from the entire cast.more…
- Director Tim Ocel…tastefully cranks the musk up to maximum in a satisfying, libidinous, entertaining and carefully thought-out production of this timeless classic. …eschews the usual histrionic acting style associated with opera. …the entire cast forgoes, for the most part, grand vocal gestures… an exceptional supporting cast… A fine balance is struck between colloquial dialogue and the slightly more formal language in which the songs are couched. Again the result is an element of realism rarely achieved—or, for that matter, attempted—in opera. The staging eloquently restates this aesthetic. …exceptional production…more…
Broadway Bound
Geva Theatre Center, 2004- Geva has treated Neil Simon awfully well in its now-complete trilogy… The last is the best… Director Tim Ocel doesn’t lose an iota of the play’s warm comedy, but his approach to this decidedly darker play is more realistically rueful than earlier versions I remember. … That all this remains funny and heartwarming is a measure of Simon’s deepening talent in this play; and Geva’s production is more than worthy of it. All the designers and supporting artists work at top level. …a must-see theatrical experience.more…
- …it has been a treat to experience Neil Simon’s autobiographical trilogy over three seasons…the only real complaint is that the project is over. …this production generates plenty of laughter… Director Tim Ocel creates a wonderful study of contrasts. … In a heart-melting scene, Eugene and his mother re-enact her finest hour… you feel that these actors have truly created a family—one we’ll definitely miss.more…
Biloxi Blues
Geva Theatre Center, 2003- …a splendid January production of Brighton Beach Memoirs and now topping that with a flawless Biloxi Blues …rich in period flavor, a quality that Tim Ocel has nailed perfectly in the two that he’s directed thus far. Ocel has also softened the hardedge of the original Broadway production of Biloxi Blues to bring it an unsentimental but affectionate nostalgia that is very endearing.… I like everyone in this cast. …topnotch revival.more…
- …a satisfying experience. …the story has a fierce struggle at its core, which bristles on stage thanks to finely tuned acting and excellent pacing by director Tim Ocel. … The acting feels trustworthy, with direction that doesn’t try to get flashy or cute. …intelligent, talented production.more…
Brighton Beach Memoirs
Geva Theatre Center, 2003- Geva Theatre Center’s spiffy new production is beautifully cast and tightly directed by Tim Ocel to preserve the comedy’s balance of touching reality and hilarious wit, without a single false note. … The production is nicely judged. … The whole cast is admirable.more…
- Geva Theatre’s production…is a solid one …the impressive set works perfectly with the plays designs …there’s nothing left to hide behind except the truth.more…
L’Elisir d’Amore
Lyric Opera of Kansas City, 2003- The hardest part about putting on a comic opera is finding a mood that treads a delicate middle ground where mirth abounds but serious human themes are never shirked. When it clicks, you can feel it. …[Elixir] succeeded because director Tim Ocel and musical director Ward Holmquist had worked really hard to find that tone. The cast completed the process with high-octane singing and sophisticated character development. The sanguine staging and conducting and the vigorous acting made this dramatically one of the most satisfying productions of recent Lyric history. The attention to staging detail was so natural that you hardly noticed it…more…
Ghosts
Geva Theatre Center, 2002- …Ghosts still packs an emotional wallop, as Geva Theatre’s excellent revival demonstrates. A first-rate cast…is playing the old shocker with sufficient integrity to show how timeless, true, and powerful this modern classic can be. … Tim Ocel’s beautifully blocked, tightly directed production is smartly gauged to achieve maximum honesty with understated dramatic force.more…
- …taut, solid theatre that never sags. Geva Theatre’s sleek adaptation of Ghosts…is well suited to a contemporary audience and extremely well executed. …Ocel and the cast get it right, and it makes all the difference. It makes Ghosts a truly haunting experience.more…
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Shakespeare Santa Cruz, 2001- …Ocel’s version of A Midsummer Night’s Dream blends ancient myth with modern aesthetics, and 18th-and 19th-century set elements with other worldly costumes and distinctly 21st century sensibilities. By doing so Ocel skillfully captures the play’s own blend of multiple realities and layers of mythic history. Balance is the theme behind Ocel’s vision…reconciling the differences and conflicts between the natural world of magic and love and the man-made world of law and war. … Ocel’s imaginative manipulation of Nature’s destructive and creative forces steals the show.more…
- …simple yet spirited, imaginative take on one of the most beloved comedies is intent on smashing the stodginess of reality. Director Tim Ocel’s lively rendering accentuates the endless possibilities of Midsummer Eve…Ocel and crew have brought fresh energy to the familiar setting…SSC’s new version not only uses the space in inventive ways but imaginatively suggests a willingness to dream. That openness to possibilities, so inherent in the play, makes the production all the more enchanting.more…
- …a madcap version…Staged at a rollicking comic clip…a vivid re-imagining … Director Tim Ocel, a veteran of innovative SSC comedies, makes Dream both accessible to people who haven’t seen a lot of Shakespeare and exciting fun for people who have. …under Ocel’s direction, the complications remain fluid and risingly funny… Ocel and scenic designer Dipu Gupta have some amusing surprises for the audience…and makes effective use of both the stage’s intimacy and the redwood glen’s sense of size and power.more…
La Boheme
Opera Theatre of St. Louis, 2001- …a winning production of Giacomo Puccini’s deservedly beloved La Boheme captivated the audience. Conductor Federico Cortese and director Tim Ocel led a talented cast of youthful singers in a musically lovely and dramatically inspired production. …more than its share of fine performers, from the small parts to large, and, for once, the boyish hijinks were entirely believable. … Ocel’s direction was a delight. He drew beautifully nuanced performances from his singers, and demonstrated an eye for the small detail and movements dictated by the music. He made the Act II crowd scene come alive with plenty to see in all corners of the stage, and proved himself much more than a traffic cop.more…
- …a thoroughly enjoyable La Boheme.more…
- When they were actually doing Puccini, however, Opera Theatre came into its own. The traditional production of La Boheme, directed by Tim Ocel and designed by Erhard Rom (sets) and Robert Perdziola (costumes), flowed smoothly, and the singers knew what they were doing. … The production even improved as it went along: the fourth act, which can seem like a musical anticlimax after the heartbreak of the third, was the tightest and most moving of all.more…
- La Boheme received a near-ideal performance (June 23), sensitive, beautifully scaled and more than the sum of its parts. … Tim Ocel’s production in Erhard Rom’s sets—the most elaborate of the season, but still simple and apt—captured the freshness of Puccini’s masterpiece, not as easy as is often thought. Even in this most traditional corner of the repertory, Opera Theatre showed what makes it one of the most special opera companies in America.more…
Le Nozze di Figaro
Opera Pacific, 2000- …this Figaro was so lithe and airy, so swift and funny, so wonderfully sung that only an incurable curmudgeon could complain about its length. … Perhaps it was thanks to the influence of stage director Tim Ocel (replacing an ailing Colin Graham) that Bernstein’s comic persona never stooped to easy slapstick. Humanity counted more than shtick. …soprano Christine Brandes too avoided superfluous comedy …scenes blended into one another like lightning, and although the show was not overtly played for laughs, the opening night audience was in stitches through-out. more…
- …we have all behaved as the characters in Figaro do. That is the beauty of Opera Pacific’s production. It trusts us to get it. One could call the production, which originated at the Banff Festival and is directed here by Tim Ocel, straightforward, even plain, but that wouldn’t do it justice. Call it elegantly simple and quietly understanding. … Judgment isn’t passed. Lubitsch could have directed this. …this approach…never obscures Mozart’s music, which just happens to be pretty good. … The excellent cast—perhaps taking cue—forge a true ensemble and stay within their roles. The principals are characterized by freshness of voice, confident acting and unselfish singing.more…
The Two Gentlemen of Verona
Shakespeare Santa Cruz, 1999- …Tim Ocel’s vigorous California-look Two Gentlemen, by far the better of the two Shakespeare shows… The plot’s abrupt swerves make a kind of blunt sense here. …telling small touches…more…
- …a swift and entertaining show. Director Tim Ocel…has turned one of Shakespeare’s most maligned plays into a limber, refreshingly waggish contemporary retelling of the story… Ocel festoons the whole affair with amped-up characters and colorfully reworked scenes. …full of wonderful moments…more…
- Shakespeare Santa Cruz stages a smart, modernized production of the play that’s plenty of fun but that also fully exposes the uneasiness of its final accord.more…
- Considered one of Shakespeare’s lesser plays, the romantic comedy The Two Gentlemen of Verona gets a production worthy of a classic… Credit Tim Ocel, fast becoming one of the festival’s most reliable directors, who demonstrated his understanding of how Shakespearean comedy and romance work in his delightful past productions of Twelfth Night and As You Like It. … Ocel circumvents the problematic plot with an engaging and spirited cast and a straightforward production that achieves its effects with inventive subtlety rather than frantic brio.more…
Billy Budd
Lyric Opera of Kansas City, 1999- …a gripping Billy Budd. Stage director Tim Ocel imagined the whole opera through Vere’s memory—hence the stylized unit set (by Erhard Rom), with its battered, upturned deck, and the distant, silent confrontations between Vere and Billy … Ocel played down Claggart’s attraction to Billy to focus, instead, on a mysterious magnetism between the young sailor and Vere. Having the hanged Billy swinging in the background, in front of a huge moon, made Vere’s final soliloquy almost unbearably poignant.more…
- …unquestionably one of the most artistically fulfilling and viscerally exciting productions of any opera I have encountered in a long time. One could almost taste the salt spray in the air …one of those rare productions where every element came together in one perfectly coordinated, combined effort. At times the aura of menace and tension was almost palpable. … Nearly every vocalist demonstrated theatrical training as well, resulting in an evening of great theatre enhanced by the power of Britten’s wonderfully evocative score. It was a night to remember and a production worthy of any operatic stage in the world.more…
- …superbly cast and provocatively staged… Lyric has a real find in stage director Tim Ocel, who in an opera very much about human ambiguities has plumbed new depths of nuance.more…
The Cherry Orchard
Conservatory of Theatre Arts, 1999- Tim Ocel…who has directed this production with the most delicate sensibility, coupled with absolutely breathtaking dramatic acuity, fields a cast of young actors so good that I kept saying to myself that this character or that, in small role or large, was the key to understanding the play. Mr. Ocel’s triumph, ensemble performance…simply doesn’t allow you to notice that a tall, fit young man is acting the part of a 90-year-old servant because you’re so interested in what he’s doing that what he is has become merely accidental. …compelling performances …substance as well as theatrical competence …uniformly first-class production. It’s the best Cherry Orchard I’ve ever seen and, in its way, the best production of any play I’ve seen in St. Louis for a couple of years.more…
Measure for Measure
Georgia Shakespeare Festival, 1998- In Tim Ocel’s terrific production for the Georgia Shakespeare Festival, even with the crystal clarity of the whole ensemble’s acting, the play’s essential mystery remains. This Measure is a dark, uncompromising vision, but as entertaining as any frothy farce in the sense that we care deeply about the characters and for three hours are galvanized by their journey.more…
- Director Tim Ocel gives the Bard’s work some fresh energy of his own, creating numerous haunting images. What’s so resonant is how valid Shakespeare’s work comes across today… The ensemble cast is dead-on, with all the leads connecting. … Even the smaller roles are aces. …it’s three hours long, but it’s time well spent. If you’ve never seen a Georgia Shakespeare Festival production, this is a dandy intro.more…
- …Ocel highlight[s] the play’s darker aspects, and it’s a very fruitful approach. …moody Measure still brims with excitement at theater’s power to give life to ideas and put symbols into motion.…an ending that’s dissatisfied audiences for centuries and Ocel turns that very unease into an advantage.more…