REVIEWS

“
The most poignant song in this show is “Days and Days” which is stirringly performed by Laura Austin, who plays Alison’s mother, Helen Bechdel.”

“Laura Austin portrays Nat Moyer’s daughter, Clara - a woman who believes she knows what is best for her elderly father. Austin is captivating in the role. Her energy, facial expressions, and chemistry with Grandy is a highlight of the production.”

“One of the central scenes, when she finds him sitting in the park, is beautifully played by Grandy and Austin as the father-daughter engagement in a loving, verbal tug-of-war, wherein bits and pieces of stories Clara has heard all her life are recited by both characters as if in mirrored pantomime. It’s a fine example of practiced, experienced actors with words and movement in perfect sync with each other.”

“Familiar face Laura Austin once again delivers a great performance. Her comedic timing is top notch no matter what role or scene she is in. Austin’s stage presence is intoxicating, you can’t help but smile at her quirky charm.
”

“Austin’s piquant and trenchant stage persona is a perfect fit as Diane. She makes a bravura run of The Little Dog Laughed. The production is a gossamer lightning flash that illuminates character and moves action. ”

“Austin provides the core energy of “The Little Dog Laughed” as the unapologetic and worldly amoral compass for the other, younger characters. The chemistry of the cast is outstanding and this production shines.”

“Wit” is a tour de force for Austin. We watch Vivian’s physical disintegration, as the actress carefully limns her slide from the steely patient into the childlike figure. Austin’s nuanced performance is truly incandescent.”

“Austin, thankfully, underplays her character’s predicament with great resolve and strength. The central scene of Act II in “Broadway Bound” in which she confides in Eugene in a very private moment, might be the most effective this reviewer has ever seen. They are that good.”

“In the role of Ouisa in “Six Degrees of Separation”, Laura Austin is dynamic. In her delivery of the play’s most famous monologue, from which it takes its name, Austin is the embodiment of Guare’s comedy-drama cocktail. By the curtain, Austin manages to humanize Ouisa.”

“Austin inhabits the role of Diana in “Next to Normal”. With hair like spiky nerve endings and eyes that move from a deer-in-the-headlights stare to a burning and probing intensity, she is, like many real-life sufferers of mental illness, both appealing and off-putting.”