“The manifold virtues of this revival start with Ms. Magrath, whose acting is a miracle of creative imagination—she becomes beautiful, right before your amazed eyes—and extend to the performances of the entire supporting cast. Nothing is hokey or exaggerated: Understatement is the watchword.”
“Monette Magrath is wondrous as Helen... She makes you believe there are pockets of hope in this hopeless world. Which is to say, she makes you believe in the magic of theater.”
“Magrath is outstanding as Abbie, who not only convinces in the early, cold manipulative scenes and brings her character’s passion to hot-blooded life but also makes it clear why Abbie does the things she does. Magrath finds the reality in every scene and this always ups the dramatic stakes—it’s a superb performance.”
“L.A.’s finest acting talents, beginning with the incandescent Monette Magrath as Chelsea, whose powerful scenes opposite Linden and Pickles reveal decades of a daughter’s built-up hurt and resentment.”
“The audience was dazzled and invigorated. This production is stunning. The virtuoso actors flit from character to character, probing deeply, at the flick of a light cue. Monette Magrath shines as a buddy of Shepard who invents a public expression for her loyalty.”
“But Helen is the heart and soul of the play, and Magrath is absolutely luminous in the role (which is very similar to the role she played in STNJ’s ‘The Rainmaker,’ in 2019). And her bittersweet final speech, which coincides with the end of the war, contradicts Andie’s ‘passing the time’ philosophy.”
“The cast is performance perfection. Monette Magrath will steal your heart as Lizzie Curry, a bright woman who lacks social confidence but longs for companionship.”
“And A Nightingale Sang… has a cast that captures every richly textured moment of the play. Monette Magrath is superb in the role of the older daughter, Helen Stott who also rounds out the story with a thoughtful narration. ”
“Monette Magrath shines as Daisy Buchanan, imbuing her with an energy that makes her simultaneously wonderfully alive and desirable, but dangerously on the edge of a breakdown.”
“The plucky Henrietta, (is) brought to luminous life by a never-better Magrath…in Monette Magrath, playwright Gunderson has found her ideal, irresistible leading lady.”
“Monette Magrath makes for a compellingly twisted and mysterious Abbie Putnam, equally hungry for the land, and more than equal to any sexual qualms on the part of Eben. She seduces us with her forthright ambition—even as she seduces her new stepson.”
“Coming out with all guns blasting, Monette Magrath creates a perfect retro parody...of a domestic and desirable earth momma circa mid-1950s...Magrath’s Mary just glows blonde.”
“Monette Magrath is a beautifully layered Olivia. She has a stillness that emits power, and a lovely rawness to her portrayal of a spirit that is deep and searching. The character is intensely intelligent, yet utterly vulnerable.”
— Kate Klotzbach, Cleveland Performing Arts Writer