GOOD EGG:
“Kel Haney made great use of the space and created some evocative stage pictures.”
~Broadwayworld.com
“Guided by an incisive script and Kel Haney's daring direction, McCabe's gigantically physical performance rings like clanging bells, insisting on making us understand, feel what it's like.”
~Blog.critics.org
“Kel Haney's direction is clean and clear…”
~ Theasy.com
“In director Kel Haney’s hands, the audience understands bipolar disorder from all sides: observer, participant, creative, muted, pain, joy.”
~ Stageandcinema.com
“Director Kel Haney has firm control over the emotional barometer of the play, deftly easing us into the siblings’ calm, almost perfect world, before transforming it without warning into a raging sea of emotional tumult.”
~ thehappiestmedium.com
“The direction by Kel Haney is particularly clever, and her treatment of the subject is carefully respectful yet honest. She could very well have exploited the drama of bipolar behavior throughout, but instead saves the volume for the end with a potent payoff.”
~ notascrazyasyouthink.com
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INTERVIEWING MISS DAVIS:
“Of the other three plays, “Interviewing Miss Davis” by Laura Maria Censabella makes the strongest impression.”
~ The New York Times
“…director Kel Haney keep the battles fun and the pace furious.”
~ Backstage
“This brief excursion through Davis's private life, intentionally set during the year when her real-life daughter published a scandalous memoir, is flamboyant and fun…”
~Curtainup.com
“There are amusing hi-jinks and winning performances by the three: Harrington nails the stern, demanding star; Adria Vitlar’s elegance brings to mind a brunette Grace Kelly; and Claire Siebers is pointedly clumsy and perceptive—good job, with Kel Haney at the helm.”
~ The Epoch Times
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"Boyle and Roberts have terrific chemistry together as two friends who love one another but can't agree with the other's life choices… Boyle and Roberts are both giving fun performances under Kel Haney's direction. Boyle in particular has the goofy masculine energy of a Judd Apatow hero, convinced that watching movies and smoking pot constitutes a life well lived."
- Backstage, www.backstage.com
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"Log is a perfect little thriller for the post-Rent New York, where being a bohemian squatter just isn’t so cute anymore. Dial’s play perfectly captures the trendy East Village milieu, and maintains some sense of mystery as to where it is all going. His dialogue has a cutting edge and his references to the City pass the New Yorker’s credibility test… Joachim Boyle certainly has the right presence as Denny, the chronic underachiever. Erin Roberts is particularly noteworthy as the long-suffering best-friend…
Cleverly directed by Kel Haney, Log is a very well paced, somewhat comedic thriller… Dial’s writing is sharp as a tack. With simulated drug use (actually a lot of it, Denny is a serious stoner) and some intense on-stage violence, Log is definitely for adults, but it is a smart, engaging play."
- JB Spins, www.jbspins.blogspot.com
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“This is followed by the dramatic highlight of the evening, Jessamyn Fiore's Water and Discarded Hair, which explores the relationship between ex-lovers revolving around a haircut. The piece is original, well-written, and features a luminous… performance by Tracee Chimo as the female component of the relationship.”
- Amy Learner, www.nytheatre.com
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“In Series A, the dramas come out on top. All three…are well-written and acted. But it is the first, Water and Discarded Hair by Jessamyn Fiore, that is the most evocative and moving. Two former lovers, one married, the other seriously involved, meet again and the simple act of the woman (Tracee Chimo) giving the man (William Connell) a haircut is enough to remind them of what they had and what each of them needs. Chimo is marvelous as the young woman, unable to decide what she wants. Her expressive face and body language play well with Connell, a more serious and forceful presence. Their chemistry is undeniable, giving an extra sparkle to Fiore's wonderful dialogue. Ably directed by Kel Haney, whose direction at times seems more like choreography and gives the play an almost dreamlike quality, this is the highlight of the evening.”
- Byrne Harrison, www.oobr.com
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“Kel Haney directs the production with an eye on the "simple" in the play's title. Michelle Hasiuk's sets and costumes are kept to a minimum, as is Andi Cohen's light design, but are nonetheless effective: the simple addition or removal of a jacket or hat are all the actors need to indicate time and place, while Hasiuk's park bench also doubles as a frat house balcony. Haney keeps the action moving smoothly, and pays keen attention to the actors. William Connell makes The Boy's roguish frat boy charm friendly and endearing, while playwright Osborne gives the The Girl a center that convincingly fluctuates between confident and fragile. Both actors deliver accomplished performances full of depth.”
- Michael Criscuolo, www.nytheatre.com
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“The sublime and devastating Nagasaki by Kevin Brofsky was next. As calm as The Secret of Our Success was kinetic, Nagasaki begins with Ann (Irene Glezos) and Darren (Steven Hauck) apparently spending a quiet afternoon relaxing. In reality, they are waiting for word on their missing daughter. The couple, who have already lost their only other child, deal with the situation in different ways, with Ann wondering if they are being punished and Darren holding on to the belief that things will turn out all right. Given the title of the play, the resolution really isn’t in doubt, but Darren’s reaction when the call finally comes was beautiful and agonizing. The stunning performances by Glezos and Hauck, combined with Kel Haney’s strong direction, made this one of the most powerful plays in the EATFest.”
– Byrne Harrison, www.oobr.com
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“With one child having been lost on 9/11, and another now missing during a canoe trip, Brofsky’s couple gives us lightly and surely a heartfelt examination of loss and the suspension of disbelief. Unobtrusively directed by Kel Haney. Steven Hauck handily creates the illusion of the beleaguered husband dealing with his own loss and grief, who can "act" as normal as he dares. A dangerous game at best for any spouse. His just-enough badgering of his wife Ann believably prompts her outburst: "I’m just telling you how I cope!" Irene Glezos has a way of eliciting a suitable devastation in the face of loss. You feel that even if you’ve "been there" you’ve never quite "done that."... (B)y the play’s end, with the touching revisitation of the story of the man from Nagasaki who simply "missed his beautiful city," you could just about see two towers, two mushroom clouds, two glowing spirits."
- Louis Lopardi, www.artzine.org
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"Tara Meddaugh's finely wrought script ["The Scent of Coconut had Haunted her for Days"] is one of the production's highlights. A quiet meditation on the life of young newlyweds, the short piece examines the fear, dissonance, and lack of communication that can plague a marriage. A woman's fear of having a baby poignantly inverts as she finds herself nurturing a backyard weed garden. Kel Haney's delicate direction moves the action along seamlessly while emphasizing the rich subtext, and Jeff Wise and Nicole Winston are superb as they deliver compelling, complex performances."
- Amy Krivohlavek, www.offoffonline.com
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