…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 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…
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…
…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…
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 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…
…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…
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…
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…
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…
…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…
...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…
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…
…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…
…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…
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
…
…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…
…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…
…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…
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…
…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…
…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…
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…
…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…
…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…
… 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.
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…
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…
…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…
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…
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…
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…
…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…
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…
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 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…
…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…
…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…
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…
…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…
…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…
…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…
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…
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…