Press
Mystic Pizza
Leenya portrays Leona Silvia, the owner of Mystic Pizza at the Ivoryton Playhouse
Review:
2ontheaisle.wordpress.com/2024/07/10/mystic-pizza-at-ivoryton-playhouse-in-rom-com-with-80s-90s-music/
Review:
"The owner of Mystic Pizza, Leona Silvia, is played by Leenya Rideout. Leona’s restaurant has been a staple in Mystic for years, and Rideout brings just enough strictness to Leona to indicate that she won’t tolerate any nonsense in her establishment while still showing just how much it and her girls mean to her. Leona has some good one-liners that Rideout delivers well."
www.whitebirchblog.com/mystic-pizza.html
Preview:
patch.com/connecticut/naugatuck/next-ivoryton-playhosue-mystic-pizza-musical
Review:
2ontheaisle.wordpress.com/2024/07/10/mystic-pizza-at-ivoryton-playhouse-in-rom-com-with-80s-90s-music/
Review:
"The owner of Mystic Pizza, Leona Silvia, is played by Leenya Rideout. Leona’s restaurant has been a staple in Mystic for years, and Rideout brings just enough strictness to Leona to indicate that she won’t tolerate any nonsense in her establishment while still showing just how much it and her girls mean to her. Leona has some good one-liners that Rideout delivers well."
www.whitebirchblog.com/mystic-pizza.html
Preview:
patch.com/connecticut/naugatuck/next-ivoryton-playhosue-mystic-pizza-musical
Modfest at Vassar
Leenya sings excerpts from Shanghai Sonatas at Vassar's renowned Arts Festival.
And You Shall Be a Blessing
Industry Reading
December 4th through 7th
Dramatist's Guild Foundation Music Hall
Leenya Rideout portrays Debbie Friedman in this beautiful new musical written by Deborah Yarchun & directed by Hersh Ellis
www.broadwayworld.com/industry/article/Ephie-Aardema-Talia-Suskauer-and-Leenya-Rideout-Will-Lead-an-Industry-Reading-of-AND-YOU-SHALL-BE-A-BLESSING-20231204
December 4th through 7th
Dramatist's Guild Foundation Music Hall
Leenya Rideout portrays Debbie Friedman in this beautiful new musical written by Deborah Yarchun & directed by Hersh Ellis
www.broadwayworld.com/industry/article/Ephie-Aardema-Talia-Suskauer-and-Leenya-Rideout-Will-Lead-an-Industry-Reading-of-AND-YOU-SHALL-BE-A-BLESSING-20231204
Ring of Fire:: Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park
September 30th through October 1st, 2023
Playbill.com
Review: Talkin' Broadway
"The five singer/actors also supply all of the instrumental accompaniment for the show, and it's a true delight witnessing their versatility and skill at work. Everyone plays more than one instrument, and some as many as five. Alex Canty is an exuberant young Johnny, and shows off fine dancing as well. David Rowen is a jack-of-all-trades on stage, and impresses throughout. Leenya Rideout is a mean fiddle player, portrays older June with tenderheartedness, and also serves as the show's music director (special kudos for that role). Allison Ann Kelly, who graduated not far away at Wright State University, really sparkles as young June and other characters, and seems to switch instruments for every song. Matt Cusack embodies the personality and deep baritone voice of Cash in his later years with amazing accuracy, and delivers the show's most well-known numbers superbly. The cast sounds exquisite singing harmonies and in playing the unique orchestrations, both of which bring added dimensions and vibrancy to Cash's iconic songbook."
"Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park's production of Ring of Fire showcases five extremely talented and versatile performers, and worthwhile direction and design... ...this is a crowd-pleasing production, and one where Johnny Cash's musical library truly comes alive."
-Scott Cain
Review: City Beat
"It now features five actors — Alex Canty, Matt Cusack, Allison Ann Kelly, David Rowen and Leenya Rideout — who play their own instruments as they perform renditions of songs from Cash’s catalog, including “I Walk the Line,” “Folsom Prison Blues,” “I’ve Been Everywhere” and “Ring of Fire.” '
"It’s a sure bet that the Cincinnati Playhouse audience will enjoy another visit with the music of this iconic performer."
Review: The Voice of Black Cincinnati
Fox 19 interview with director Marcia Migrom Dodge
(includes B Roll)
Behind the Curtain Cincy
Interview on Cincinnati Local 12:
Playbill.com
Review: Talkin' Broadway
"The five singer/actors also supply all of the instrumental accompaniment for the show, and it's a true delight witnessing their versatility and skill at work. Everyone plays more than one instrument, and some as many as five. Alex Canty is an exuberant young Johnny, and shows off fine dancing as well. David Rowen is a jack-of-all-trades on stage, and impresses throughout. Leenya Rideout is a mean fiddle player, portrays older June with tenderheartedness, and also serves as the show's music director (special kudos for that role). Allison Ann Kelly, who graduated not far away at Wright State University, really sparkles as young June and other characters, and seems to switch instruments for every song. Matt Cusack embodies the personality and deep baritone voice of Cash in his later years with amazing accuracy, and delivers the show's most well-known numbers superbly. The cast sounds exquisite singing harmonies and in playing the unique orchestrations, both of which bring added dimensions and vibrancy to Cash's iconic songbook."
"Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park's production of Ring of Fire showcases five extremely talented and versatile performers, and worthwhile direction and design... ...this is a crowd-pleasing production, and one where Johnny Cash's musical library truly comes alive."
-Scott Cain
Review: City Beat
"It now features five actors — Alex Canty, Matt Cusack, Allison Ann Kelly, David Rowen and Leenya Rideout — who play their own instruments as they perform renditions of songs from Cash’s catalog, including “I Walk the Line,” “Folsom Prison Blues,” “I’ve Been Everywhere” and “Ring of Fire.” '
"It’s a sure bet that the Cincinnati Playhouse audience will enjoy another visit with the music of this iconic performer."
Review: The Voice of Black Cincinnati
Fox 19 interview with director Marcia Migrom Dodge
(includes B Roll)
Behind the Curtain Cincy
Interview on Cincinnati Local 12:
Sondheim Unplugged, Volumes 1, 2, & 3
Volume 2:
www.broadwayworld.com/article/SONDHEIM-UNPLUGGED-THE-NYC-SESSIONS-VOLUME-TWO-Release-Date-Announced-20220307
'Leenya Rideouts take on "Not a Day Goes By" is perfectly heartrending in addition to being devastatingly gorgeous.'
-David clarke, Broadway World
Volume 3:
'Another Hundred People. Wow. A laid-back approach. I've never heard anyone do this. Wait, there it is, there's the belt. Oh, I get it. I love the growing urgency. I love actors who try something all their own. Nicely done. (Leenya Rideout)'
-Stephen Mosher, Broadway World
Merrily We Roll Along
April 2012
Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park
directed by John Doyle
'One actor I have not mentioned who I think is worthy of note is Leenya Rideout. She plays Gussie Carnegie, one of Franklin Shepard's wives, an insecure soul who seems to know (or at least believe) that the only thing she has going for her is her sexual allure. She plays the bass and violin, both rather well, I thought. With her performance, even when she's playing an instrument, she's always on the prowl--especially the way she wheels the bass around in front of her like a seductive street vender cooking up her pheromones on a brazier. Her performance always tightens the whole.'
-Tony Dallas, Theatre Reviews
Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park
directed by John Doyle
'One actor I have not mentioned who I think is worthy of note is Leenya Rideout. She plays Gussie Carnegie, one of Franklin Shepard's wives, an insecure soul who seems to know (or at least believe) that the only thing she has going for her is her sexual allure. She plays the bass and violin, both rather well, I thought. With her performance, even when she's playing an instrument, she's always on the prowl--especially the way she wheels the bass around in front of her like a seductive street vender cooking up her pheromones on a brazier. Her performance always tightens the whole.'
-Tony Dallas, Theatre Reviews
The Lineup with Susie Mosher at Birdland
'The Chalks (Mary Brienza, Leenya Rideout, & Kathryn Markey) brought a country western/comic parody feel to the night and left the audience smiling.'
-Kevin Alvey, Broadway World
-Kevin Alvey, Broadway World
Ring of Fire at Ivoryton Playhouse & Deutches Theater, Munich
September, 2022
Ivoryton Playhouse
'Rideout is a terrific country fiddler. Brook handles “There You Go” and “I Still Miss Someone” well. Rideout shines in “While I Got It in My Mind” and “Far Side Banks of Jordan,”'
-Karen Isaacs, Zip06
Ivoryton Playhouse
'Rideout is a terrific country fiddler. Brook handles “There You Go” and “I Still Miss Someone” well. Rideout shines in “While I Got It in My Mind” and “Far Side Banks of Jordan,”'
-Karen Isaacs, Zip06
Queens of Country at ATP
June, 2022
'Singer and multi-instrumentalist Leenya Rideout will perform in Alpine Theatre Project’s “Queens of Country” June 24 to 26.'
-Daily Interlake
'Singer and multi-instrumentalist Leenya Rideout will perform in Alpine Theatre Project’s “Queens of Country” June 24 to 26.'
-Daily Interlake
Love, Repeat: International Release
Leenya Rideout stars in this Romantic Comedy with writer Bill Connington and directed by Shelagh Carter.
Broadway World
"The film is now available to rent and own on Amazon, iTunes, and cable and satellite platforms in the US, Canada, Australia, England, Ireland, Europe, as well as in Middle Eastern, African, Asian, and Caribbean nations. A full list of countries where is the film is available can be found on the website www.loverepeatfilm.com."
(See below for reviews)
Broadway World
"The film is now available to rent and own on Amazon, iTunes, and cable and satellite platforms in the US, Canada, Australia, England, Ireland, Europe, as well as in Middle Eastern, African, Asian, and Caribbean nations. A full list of countries where is the film is available can be found on the website www.loverepeatfilm.com."
(See below for reviews)
Distinguished Alumni Award
University of Colorado, 2022
'Thousands of students have graduated from the College of Music over the decades, going on to pursue their dreams in a range of industries across the globe. Every year, the College of Music honors established or emerging trailblazers from among our global alumni community. This spring, we're proud to recognize Charlene Archibeque (DMA ’69) and Leenya Rideout (BM ’91).'
www.colorado.edu/music/2021/05/03/college-music-honors-distinguished-alumni
'Thousands of students have graduated from the College of Music over the decades, going on to pursue their dreams in a range of industries across the globe. Every year, the College of Music honors established or emerging trailblazers from among our global alumni community. This spring, we're proud to recognize Charlene Archibeque (DMA ’69) and Leenya Rideout (BM ’91).'
www.colorado.edu/music/2021/05/03/college-music-honors-distinguished-alumni
Wild Horses at Merrimack Repertory Theatre
August, 2021
Broadway World
Lowell Sun Review
"Starring the talented Leenya Rideout and directed by MRT's artistic director Courtney Sale, the one woman show is a coming-of-age tale. It features the grownup Rideout hilariously recalling one long ago summer of her youth when she and her pals Skinny Lynny and Zabby sneak drinks, smoke, dabble with boys and set out to free a pack of wild horses, all while dealing with difficult home lives and raging hormones."
"Rideout is fabulous as she energetically takes on the numerous characters in the young protagonist's life."
Arts Fuse review
"I’m happy to report that Wild Horses, Merrimack Repertory Theatre’s staging of playwright Allison Gregory’s open mic night, has talent to spare — it is consistently humorous and charming. -- A musician (Rafael Molina) arrives with a guitar and a six pack to let us know that the show will start shortly. A minute later an energetic woman (Leenya Rideout) enters with her guitar. She’s first on the list. She pops open a beer and begins her cover of America’s “Horse with No Name.” After playing a few bars, she pauses to tell us the song reminds her of the summer when she was 13. She was living in California and a local radio station had a contest: If you give the winning name to the horse in the epic song, you could win a real mount from Morningstar Farms, the local horse ranch.
Thankfully, the MRT has found a formidably skillful storyteller with the likable and entertaining Rideout. She seamlessly shifts from past to present, one moment beaming with the wide-eyed excitement of a 13-year-old, the next effortlessly commenting from an adult perspective."
-David Greenham
New England Theatre Geek Review
"Streaming — Wild Horses, streaming now on MRT.org, is a prime example of great theatre that translates well to both in-person and online viewing. MRT’s recording reveals solo-performer Leenya Rideout as a skilled storyteller capable of spinning nuance with a single gesture. One can practically feel the electric energy rippling off of her captured performance."
'Wild Horses takes its name from the Rolling Stones song. At the opening, we’re told that it’s an open mic night. A woman (Rideout) has escaped her duties as wife and mother to tell us a story from her teenage years that shaped the rest of her life. She recounts small-town adventures with best friends Skinny Lynny and ring leader Zabby: first love, first kiss, and first loss of innocence. Wild Horses is a one-woman show about teenage hormones, freedom, and unbridled self-discovery.
Wild Horses isn’t a musical. It’s a play with music from the 70s. Rideout frequently picks up a guitar and strums to a few phrases from classics such as “Dancing in the Moonlight,” “Ain’t No Sunshine,” and hits by Heart. When she gets the chance to really sing, Rideout’s powerful voice rips into the silence with Rafael Molina on guitar.
Molina is on it. The camera catches him with a huge grin, beaming at Rideout from his perch on stage right. It’s so satisfying to see musicians rock out with actors: she was having a ball; it’s good to see that he was too."
Sleepless Critic
"Having delivered a likable performance in the 2020 indie film, Love, Repeat, Rideout further showcases her dynamic range in this meatier Wild Horses role with a humorous, heartfelt and sometimes raunchy performance."
"With a love for music almost as much as horses, Rideout sings, strums an acoustic guitar, and proves an energetic and engaging storyteller sharing her experiences from a studious perfectionist to a teenager not afraid to break a few rules with the encouragement from her daring friends. With no shortage of excitement, scandal, humor, and heartache, Rideout’s onstage demeanor switches from responsible mother in need of a night out to wide eyed, youthful innocent with all the angst that goes with it. She blends what she remembers with her current wisdom, dwelling in the sacredness of youth. Ranging from teenage pranks to rites of passage, Rideout recalls these stories with wistfulness and passion, interacting with the audience like old friends."
Broadway World
Lowell Sun Review
"Starring the talented Leenya Rideout and directed by MRT's artistic director Courtney Sale, the one woman show is a coming-of-age tale. It features the grownup Rideout hilariously recalling one long ago summer of her youth when she and her pals Skinny Lynny and Zabby sneak drinks, smoke, dabble with boys and set out to free a pack of wild horses, all while dealing with difficult home lives and raging hormones."
"Rideout is fabulous as she energetically takes on the numerous characters in the young protagonist's life."
Arts Fuse review
"I’m happy to report that Wild Horses, Merrimack Repertory Theatre’s staging of playwright Allison Gregory’s open mic night, has talent to spare — it is consistently humorous and charming. -- A musician (Rafael Molina) arrives with a guitar and a six pack to let us know that the show will start shortly. A minute later an energetic woman (Leenya Rideout) enters with her guitar. She’s first on the list. She pops open a beer and begins her cover of America’s “Horse with No Name.” After playing a few bars, she pauses to tell us the song reminds her of the summer when she was 13. She was living in California and a local radio station had a contest: If you give the winning name to the horse in the epic song, you could win a real mount from Morningstar Farms, the local horse ranch.
Thankfully, the MRT has found a formidably skillful storyteller with the likable and entertaining Rideout. She seamlessly shifts from past to present, one moment beaming with the wide-eyed excitement of a 13-year-old, the next effortlessly commenting from an adult perspective."
-David Greenham
New England Theatre Geek Review
"Streaming — Wild Horses, streaming now on MRT.org, is a prime example of great theatre that translates well to both in-person and online viewing. MRT’s recording reveals solo-performer Leenya Rideout as a skilled storyteller capable of spinning nuance with a single gesture. One can practically feel the electric energy rippling off of her captured performance."
'Wild Horses takes its name from the Rolling Stones song. At the opening, we’re told that it’s an open mic night. A woman (Rideout) has escaped her duties as wife and mother to tell us a story from her teenage years that shaped the rest of her life. She recounts small-town adventures with best friends Skinny Lynny and ring leader Zabby: first love, first kiss, and first loss of innocence. Wild Horses is a one-woman show about teenage hormones, freedom, and unbridled self-discovery.
Wild Horses isn’t a musical. It’s a play with music from the 70s. Rideout frequently picks up a guitar and strums to a few phrases from classics such as “Dancing in the Moonlight,” “Ain’t No Sunshine,” and hits by Heart. When she gets the chance to really sing, Rideout’s powerful voice rips into the silence with Rafael Molina on guitar.
Molina is on it. The camera catches him with a huge grin, beaming at Rideout from his perch on stage right. It’s so satisfying to see musicians rock out with actors: she was having a ball; it’s good to see that he was too."
Sleepless Critic
"Having delivered a likable performance in the 2020 indie film, Love, Repeat, Rideout further showcases her dynamic range in this meatier Wild Horses role with a humorous, heartfelt and sometimes raunchy performance."
"With a love for music almost as much as horses, Rideout sings, strums an acoustic guitar, and proves an energetic and engaging storyteller sharing her experiences from a studious perfectionist to a teenager not afraid to break a few rules with the encouragement from her daring friends. With no shortage of excitement, scandal, humor, and heartache, Rideout’s onstage demeanor switches from responsible mother in need of a night out to wide eyed, youthful innocent with all the angst that goes with it. She blends what she remembers with her current wisdom, dwelling in the sacredness of youth. Ranging from teenage pranks to rites of passage, Rideout recalls these stories with wistfulness and passion, interacting with the audience like old friends."
Jamie de Roy and Friends at Birdland 2005
In 2005, Leenya appeared with Ann Crumb at Birdland with Jamie DeRoy.
In this blast from the past, 2 generations of Broadway performers perform an original medley of songs featuring duelling violins..
Times Square chronicles
Also from Birdland October 12, 2005 are Ann Crumb (1950 – 2019) and Leenya Rideout on violins.
In this blast from the past, 2 generations of Broadway performers perform an original medley of songs featuring duelling violins..
Times Square chronicles
Also from Birdland October 12, 2005 are Ann Crumb (1950 – 2019) and Leenya Rideout on violins.
Bull
Leenya plays Juror 21 opposite Chris Jackson on the CBS crime drama.
www.showbizjunkies.com/tv/bull-season-5-episode-6/
www.showbizjunkies.com/tv/bull-season-5-episode-6/
Love, Repeat
December 22nd, 2020
Leenya stars as Barbara in Love, Repeat
a new Holiday Romantic Comedy directed by Shelagh Carter
Variety
Broadway World
Times Square Chronicles
"With magnificent shots of a snowy New York City floating by in front of my eyes, streaming the film “Love, Repeat” made me pine for those magical winter streets (great work, cinematographer Daniel Brothers). It gave me hope and a desire for a new whimsical love story that I could grab hold of during these isolated COVID days and nights. The film that is available for streaming on on Amazon, FandangoNOW and other North American digital HD internet, cable and satellite platforms and DVD, starts off sweetly. As directed by Shelagh Carter (“Passionflower“), it awkwardly dancing forward like a cross between HBO’s fun ‘Sex and the City‘ and the classic (and far superior) “Love, Actually“.
You see, James is still in love with his ex-wife, Barbara, played by the radiate Leenya Rideout (Broadway’s Company; War Horse), and he can’t quite shake that unknown feeling."
-Ross
The Sleepless Critic
"Connington endearingly depicts James’s tension and hesitation as he wades into this unexpected period in his life while his artistic ex-wife Barbara, amiably portrayed by Leenya Rideout, seems ready to move on. The pair possess a sweet and familiar chemistry."
"The story is a bit rushed at times and it would have been nice to get more insight into Barbara’s character, but the characters are relatable enough to stay invested while delivering an authentic message about love, risk, acceptance, and relationships while taking in those marvelous city views."
Indyreviews.com
"Leenya Rideout as Barbra seems like someone straight out of a Hollywood Rom-Com"
-Olivia Ballington
Film Threat Review
Love, Repeat is not the Harlequin romance you expect. It may not be the most groundbreaking romantic comedy, but it is heartfelt, thoughtful, and utterly accessible to the romantic in all of us.
Into the Woods
August 3rd through September 8th 2019
Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival
Garrison, N.Y.
Leenya stars as the Witch in Stephen Sondheim's masterpiece, Into the Woods
directed by Jenn Thompson
Playbill
Theatermania
Wall Street Journal
“Into the Woods” gets done a lot—a whole lot—but I haven’t seen it done this well since the original 1987 Broadway production.
The first act, in which Cinderella ( Laura Darrell ), Little Red Riding Hood ( Kayla Coleman ), Rapunzel (Kendall Cafaro) and Beanstalk Jack ( Brandon Dial ) are confronted by a witch (Leenya Rideout), a wolf ( Rhett Guter ) and an unseen giant, is perfect, a miracle of farce-comedy construction that runs for 90 minutes but feels far shorter, especially in Ms. Thompson’s light-footed staging.
Even the very best productions of “Into the Woods” thus have a tendency to lose altitude after intermission—but this one stays exhilarating from start to finish. The 14-person ensemble cast is a mix of satisfyingly familiar faces ( Jason O’Connell, Ms. Rideout, Nance Williamson) and exciting new finds.... Not only can they all act, but they can sing, too, negotiating their demanding vocal parts without a hint of discomfort."
-Terry Teachout
Broadway World
"Toys and childhood get put away in Act 2, when Happily Ever Afters aren't good enough. Baker's Wife and the rest are unprepared for adult life - observes the Narrator (Jason O'Connell) "these people are ill-equipped to make choices."
The Witch (Leenya Rideout) admonishes, "people are dying all around you". A small directorial touch speaks volumes: a tiny toy troll is tied to the pram Rapunzel wheels-in with her infant twins; when the young mother and infants are killed by the giantess, the Witch, the babies' grandmother, returns from the scene of revenge tiny toy in hand. It's time to grow up, get real, face the facts."
-Dan Dwyer
New Yorker
"Stephen Sondheim’s music and lyrics present unique challenges, including wordy, hairpin turns, odd harmonics, syncopation, counterpoint, and daunting intervals. Under the direction of Jenn Thompson, the cast acquits itself magnificently—comedically, dramatically, and, especially, vocally."
-Ken Marks
Onstage Blog
"This is a new form that did away with all expectations and created something that pulled me in from the moment those loved opening words “ONCE UPON A TIME.”
"This show is a gem!"
-Pia Haas
Leenya and The Chalks open for Lone Star at 13th Street Repertory Theater
June 6th through the 16th, 2019
13th Street Repertory Theatre
New York City
Joe Battista directs James McLure's 1979 one act play with an opening act of country music to set the stage.
June 6-9 The Chalks play their Chalky #1 hits in back of Angels Bar while June 13th through the 16, Leenya entertains by herself as Ayleen, the Texas bar's only female bartender.
TheaterPizzazz
"Surprise! I found myself... loving the entire two-and-a-half hour performance. First came a toe-tapping hour of country songs followed by a surprisingly poignant, amazingly performed and beautifully directed three-character play... the kind of unexpected New York pleasure found by anyone willing to see something that the NY Times didn’t notice or review. It was playing at The 13th Street Repertory Theatre, a former bastion of controversial and daring works in the ‘60’s, which fell upon disrepair but now seems to have found a savior: Mighty Joe John Battista...
...After a few minutes of pretending to read the rules of behavior for the evening, T-Bone (Tony Del Bono) and Pervis (John Constantine) convinced the offstage reluctant bartender to sing. She turned out to be Leenya Rideout, a musician/singer/songwriter who blends folk, rock and country with a Celtic edge as well as a playwright and Broadway actor who’d been cast in Cabaret, Company, Cyrano and War Horse. Her history of country heartbreak ran the gamut from depression to revenge including songs by Patsy Cline, Tammy Wynette and Johnny and June Carter Cash. I was sorry to see it end."
-Myra Chanin
Theatermania
"...the play in this current production is preceded by an hour-long concert ostensibly set inside the bar in which the play itself takes place. At the performance I attended, the Chalks — a comedic country group featuring Leenya Rideout, Mary Brienza, and Kathryn Markey as a sisterly trio singing songs that skillfully toe the line between satirizing Americana music and affectionately embodying it — provided the often hilarious preshow entertainment (including some audience-participation gambits). The second week of the show's limited engagement will feature Rideout by herself. If the sheer virtuosity she exhibited in her recent Irish Repertory Theatre solo show Wild Abandon is any indication, she will offer a dazzling curtain-raiser."
-Kenji Fujishima
thefrontrowcenter.com
"The Chalks are delightful. This trio of Chalk sisters, Belva (Leenya Rideout), Judeen (Mary Brienza) and Judelle (Kathryn Markey) sing plaintive country songs accompanying themselves on a number of instruments, including some virtuoso cow bell. (more cow bell!) In bedazzled blue jeans and bright pink shirts, the Chalks harmonize on the subjects of life, love and sorrow — well, more revenge, really — in song after clever song, in an hysterical yet gentle send-up of country music. The irony is brilliant. Rideout and Brienza are particularly adept at the unique country sound that gives the voice enough point to pierce through through the sound of the instruments and across the footlights. Given that the 13th St. theater is a remarkably ‘dead’ house, despite its small size, that is pretty impressive. All three actresses bring unique comedic flair to their performances. With some hilarious audience participation and seamless improvisation, the hour of music flies by."
-Sarah Downs
BroadwayWorld
"The Chalks's set is a mock country concert for a band of three sisters singing, playing multiple instruments, and telling stories while dressed in bedazzled Western gear. They even involve the audience from bringing people up onstage to build instruments to quizzing the crowd about America. Mary Brienza, Kathryn Markey, and Leenya Rideout are all incredibly talented and carry off the strange premise through their chemistry with each other and the audience. It may take a few numbers to warm to it but the songs are delightfully funny and the women engaging enough to make it rather enjoyable."
-Nicole Ackman
13th Street Repertory Theatre
New York City
Joe Battista directs James McLure's 1979 one act play with an opening act of country music to set the stage.
June 6-9 The Chalks play their Chalky #1 hits in back of Angels Bar while June 13th through the 16, Leenya entertains by herself as Ayleen, the Texas bar's only female bartender.
TheaterPizzazz
"Surprise! I found myself... loving the entire two-and-a-half hour performance. First came a toe-tapping hour of country songs followed by a surprisingly poignant, amazingly performed and beautifully directed three-character play... the kind of unexpected New York pleasure found by anyone willing to see something that the NY Times didn’t notice or review. It was playing at The 13th Street Repertory Theatre, a former bastion of controversial and daring works in the ‘60’s, which fell upon disrepair but now seems to have found a savior: Mighty Joe John Battista...
...After a few minutes of pretending to read the rules of behavior for the evening, T-Bone (Tony Del Bono) and Pervis (John Constantine) convinced the offstage reluctant bartender to sing. She turned out to be Leenya Rideout, a musician/singer/songwriter who blends folk, rock and country with a Celtic edge as well as a playwright and Broadway actor who’d been cast in Cabaret, Company, Cyrano and War Horse. Her history of country heartbreak ran the gamut from depression to revenge including songs by Patsy Cline, Tammy Wynette and Johnny and June Carter Cash. I was sorry to see it end."
-Myra Chanin
Theatermania
"...the play in this current production is preceded by an hour-long concert ostensibly set inside the bar in which the play itself takes place. At the performance I attended, the Chalks — a comedic country group featuring Leenya Rideout, Mary Brienza, and Kathryn Markey as a sisterly trio singing songs that skillfully toe the line between satirizing Americana music and affectionately embodying it — provided the often hilarious preshow entertainment (including some audience-participation gambits). The second week of the show's limited engagement will feature Rideout by herself. If the sheer virtuosity she exhibited in her recent Irish Repertory Theatre solo show Wild Abandon is any indication, she will offer a dazzling curtain-raiser."
-Kenji Fujishima
thefrontrowcenter.com
"The Chalks are delightful. This trio of Chalk sisters, Belva (Leenya Rideout), Judeen (Mary Brienza) and Judelle (Kathryn Markey) sing plaintive country songs accompanying themselves on a number of instruments, including some virtuoso cow bell. (more cow bell!) In bedazzled blue jeans and bright pink shirts, the Chalks harmonize on the subjects of life, love and sorrow — well, more revenge, really — in song after clever song, in an hysterical yet gentle send-up of country music. The irony is brilliant. Rideout and Brienza are particularly adept at the unique country sound that gives the voice enough point to pierce through through the sound of the instruments and across the footlights. Given that the 13th St. theater is a remarkably ‘dead’ house, despite its small size, that is pretty impressive. All three actresses bring unique comedic flair to their performances. With some hilarious audience participation and seamless improvisation, the hour of music flies by."
-Sarah Downs
BroadwayWorld
"The Chalks's set is a mock country concert for a band of three sisters singing, playing multiple instruments, and telling stories while dressed in bedazzled Western gear. They even involve the audience from bringing people up onstage to build instruments to quizzing the crowd about America. Mary Brienza, Kathryn Markey, and Leenya Rideout are all incredibly talented and carry off the strange premise through their chemistry with each other and the audience. It may take a few numbers to warm to it but the songs are delightfully funny and the women engaging enough to make it rather enjoyable."
-Nicole Ackman
August Rush
May 3rd through June 1st, 2019
Paramount Theatre
Aurora, Il.
Leenya premieres the role of Hope in August Rush, the new musical based on the 2005 movie at the Paramount Theatre, directed by John Doyle and composed by Mark Mancina and orchestrated by David Metzger.
Theatermania
Playbill Production Photos
New City Stage.com
"And a whole separate 500-word review would need to be written to dissect the “character” of Hope (beautifully performed by Leenya Rideout), whose mythic purpose in the show feels eerily similar to that of Arachne’s in Berger’s previous musical outing, “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.”"
-Ben Kaye
Chicago Now: Let's Play
"There were some delightful scenes when Evan meets Hope played by Leenya Rideout who recently performed in the world premiere of Wild Abandon, where she tells Evan he's a symphony and the performance of John Hickok as the Wizard."
WTTW.com
"Two finely etched scenes in the production (whose set design, by Scott Pask, takes the form of a wall of dense, stylized, Manhattan high-rise facades lit by Paul Toben), do stand out. One involves the aptly named character, Hope (very beautifully played by the elegant actress/musician Leenya Rideout), who teaches August the fundamentals of chord structure while artful projections float across moving screens in the background."
-Hedy Weiss
Daily Herald
"There are some striking musical numbers. The strongest -- "Circle of Fifths" (familiar to any music student) in which Leenya Rideout's teacher/muse Hope teaches young Evan music theory -- centers on composing, while the most joyous -- "You're a Symphony" -- celebrates the artistic spirit."
-Barbara Vitello
Picture This
"In contrast to the film that lives in a grittier realm with Evan’s challenges, the musical is a bit brighter, and focuses on the hope that he finds in his music – embodied through the literal character of Hope (Leenya Rideout, with a regal stage presence and sensational operatic voice)."
-Lauren Katz
Chicagoland
"The large cast is multitalented, each playing a musical instrument on stage as well as acting and singing. And they play legitimate orchestral instruments, which must have presented casting challenges, all of them well met."
"There is also fine all-round work by Leenya Rideout as a musician named Hope whose role I never quite figured out, but she certainly displayed splendid singing and piano playing chops."
-Dan Zeff
Around the Town Chicago
-Alan Bresloff
Chicago Sun Times
"Rideout has moments as well. She makes the anthemic affirmations of 'You are a Symphony' soar."
-Catey Sullivan
Northwest Herald
"But when August/Evan proves to be a musical prodigy, the Wizard tries to control his musical career. Also prominently featured is Leenya Rideout as Hope."
"The ensemble’s virtuoso musicianship and singing is frequently thrilling."
"But for anyone that has an interest in new shows that push the boundaries of musical theatre, this is a polished jewel."
-Richard Pahl
TalkinBroadway.com
"Doyle's cast, led by Leenya Rideout, Sydney Shepherd and John Hickok, sing it beautifully."
"Shepherd and Rideout have gorgeous voices and Hickok makes not one, but two delicious villains."
-John Olson
Paramount Theatre
Aurora, Il.
Leenya premieres the role of Hope in August Rush, the new musical based on the 2005 movie at the Paramount Theatre, directed by John Doyle and composed by Mark Mancina and orchestrated by David Metzger.
Theatermania
Playbill Production Photos
New City Stage.com
"And a whole separate 500-word review would need to be written to dissect the “character” of Hope (beautifully performed by Leenya Rideout), whose mythic purpose in the show feels eerily similar to that of Arachne’s in Berger’s previous musical outing, “Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark.”"
-Ben Kaye
Chicago Now: Let's Play
"There were some delightful scenes when Evan meets Hope played by Leenya Rideout who recently performed in the world premiere of Wild Abandon, where she tells Evan he's a symphony and the performance of John Hickok as the Wizard."
WTTW.com
"Two finely etched scenes in the production (whose set design, by Scott Pask, takes the form of a wall of dense, stylized, Manhattan high-rise facades lit by Paul Toben), do stand out. One involves the aptly named character, Hope (very beautifully played by the elegant actress/musician Leenya Rideout), who teaches August the fundamentals of chord structure while artful projections float across moving screens in the background."
-Hedy Weiss
Daily Herald
"There are some striking musical numbers. The strongest -- "Circle of Fifths" (familiar to any music student) in which Leenya Rideout's teacher/muse Hope teaches young Evan music theory -- centers on composing, while the most joyous -- "You're a Symphony" -- celebrates the artistic spirit."
-Barbara Vitello
Picture This
"In contrast to the film that lives in a grittier realm with Evan’s challenges, the musical is a bit brighter, and focuses on the hope that he finds in his music – embodied through the literal character of Hope (Leenya Rideout, with a regal stage presence and sensational operatic voice)."
-Lauren Katz
Chicagoland
"The large cast is multitalented, each playing a musical instrument on stage as well as acting and singing. And they play legitimate orchestral instruments, which must have presented casting challenges, all of them well met."
"There is also fine all-round work by Leenya Rideout as a musician named Hope whose role I never quite figured out, but she certainly displayed splendid singing and piano playing chops."
-Dan Zeff
Around the Town Chicago
-Alan Bresloff
Chicago Sun Times
"Rideout has moments as well. She makes the anthemic affirmations of 'You are a Symphony' soar."
-Catey Sullivan
Northwest Herald
"But when August/Evan proves to be a musical prodigy, the Wizard tries to control his musical career. Also prominently featured is Leenya Rideout as Hope."
"The ensemble’s virtuoso musicianship and singing is frequently thrilling."
"But for anyone that has an interest in new shows that push the boundaries of musical theatre, this is a polished jewel."
-Richard Pahl
TalkinBroadway.com
"Doyle's cast, led by Leenya Rideout, Sydney Shepherd and John Hickok, sing it beautifully."
"Shepherd and Rideout have gorgeous voices and Hickok makes not one, but two delicious villains."
-John Olson
Wild Abandon
September 19th through October 21st
Irish Repertory Theatre
W. Scott McLucas Studio Theatre
Leenya's first solo show, Wild Abandon, premiered at the world renowned Irish Repertory Theatre
Book, Music, Lyrics, and performed by Leenya Rideout
Featuring the art of Lynn Rideout
Directed by Lisa Rothe
Scenic & Costume Design by Narelle Sissons
Lighting Design by Mike Baldassari
Sound Design by Brendan Aanes
Artistic Producer Charlotte Moore
Executive Producer Ciaran O'Reilly
Hollywood Soapbox Interview
New Yorker Review
Tucked away in what looks like a cozy shed set up in Irish Rep’s basement space, Leenya Rideout recounts her relationship with her mother, Lynn, in a new solo show interspersed with songs. “Wild Abandon,” which is directed by Lisa Rothe, has a fairly standard structure, as Leenya tracks her evolving connection with her complicated mom—a devout Christian dabbling in painting, prone to graphic language, and with a surprising openness about sex. Like many kids with a thorny home life, Leenya found refuge in art—a compelling singer, she has appeared in both plays and musicals, and is a versatile songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Still, it’s the unseen Lynn who dominates the narrative, tenderly brought to life by her daughter. The show flirts with sentimentality throughout but never quite succumbs; by the end, it has earned its pathos.
— Elisabeth Vincentelli
Curtain Up Review
"...she clearly knows how to capture an audience's attention in a nanosecond."
"Wild Abandon is more than a memoir. It's a rich tapestry of narrative, over a dozen songs played by Leenya on eight musical instruments, including the bodhran, a traditional Celtic drum. It clocks in at only 90 minutes sans intermission— enough time for the performer-playwright to impart a layered double portrait of her mother and herself."
"No, this isn't a case of an author-performer indulging herself by telling us about her glowing theater achievements, though she has performed on Broadway in Cabaret, War Horse (Leenya played a horse!), and Cyrano de Bergerac. It's also NOT about how her mother's lovingly supported of Leenya's acting career.Lynn actually had many misgivings about Leenya's showbiz career. Though she reluctantly played the stage mother, Lynn continually tried to interest her daughter in pursuing a more conventional life."
"What makes this so powerful is that the author ping-pongs back and forth between the personas of Lynn and Leenya, almost blurring the two women into one... But what does come across in spades is the genuine love between this mother and daughter.
Whether it's tripping the light fantastic (that would be Leenya) or domestic (that would be Lynn), Wild Abandon ultimately reveals that this mother-and-daughter duo, however different in temperament, share a passion for art and have lived, and continue to live, outside the lines."
-Elyse Sommer
One Woman Band: Broadway Blog Review
"We, the Long Island pub crawlers who’ve braved the elements to hear them, will have to settle for the all-too-eager Leenya (who later explains her name). Given her abundant talents, however, that should be enough for anyone.
"Leenya, lean, high-cheekboned, dark-haired, and dressed in tight jeans and a black top, occupies Narelle Sissons’ wood-slatted set. During the 90 minutes that follow, it becomes any number of places conjured by Lisa Rothe’s firm direction and Mike Baldassari’s versatile lighting. These include the pub, a church, a car, and the shed in western Washington State that Leenya’s dad, Chet, converted to a studio for her mother, Lynn."
"Wild Abandon takes Leenya on a personal journey into her memories of Lynn, whose voice and gait she assumes in conversations with her own younger self, much of it enhanced by Leenya’s first-class singing."
-Samuel L. Leiter
Theater Pizzazz Review
"Leenya Rideout left an indelible impression on me when I first encountered her on Broadway in Cabaret; a multi talent of instruments, voice and movement. Then long periods of time went by when I didn’t hear about her, until she reappeared in War Horse but in a role that didn’t utilize her many skills and talents. Happily, here she is in a one-woman performance, self written, filled with her songs and showcasing what Leenya is all about – a great actress, singer, musician.
Wild Abandon is the release to what happens when a performer gets stuck in life, career and love until something occurs to break through and stop the downward spiral, that feeling like you’re drowning."
"Leenya, a consummate actress, was born with talent far beyond the usual, excelling at everything – singing, playing piano and morphing into string instruments – violin, guitar, bass – all of which she showcases in this 90 minute presentation at the Irish Rep in the small W. Scott McLucas Studio Stage theater, a wonderful cozy space, and directed by Lisa Rothe, with scenic design by Narelle Sissons and lighting by Mike Baldassari."
"The music focuses on folk, rock and Celtic as Leenya sadly, joyfully, tearfully shares her story in the lyric driven songs she’s written from opening “Don’t Let Her Fool Ya” (about her mother the Church Lady), to “Girl in the Band” (where she eventually winds up playing fiddle and traveling with a rock band finding love in all the wrong/right places), to “The Right Track” which can always take you home. She frequently takes on the role of her mother switching gears instantaneously, a tribute to her dramatic skills, as her complicated life emerges producing a release for a better, closer understanding between mother and daughter – – a catalyst for growth."
-Sandi Durell
Theatre Wire Review
"The Irish Repertory Theatre's production of Wild Abandon, Leenya Rideout's intimate one-woman autobiographical extravaganza – housed in the Rep's second theatre, an intimate 50-seater – is one of a handful of Off Broadway plays that everybody is talking about. Critics are raving, and audiences are returning again and again with friends in tow, as they simply cannot believe that any one person can be that talented and not already household name.
And yes indeed, as the title silently screams, the production is an extremely adventurous, song-studded, high caliber, story-telling ride of wild abandon. It just about begs to be a book, a movie, and a TV series, of course with Leenya Rideout, and her talented artist musician mother Lynn Rideout, who Leenya channels during the play, in the starring roles."
"From the minute people take their seats and get a gander at Narelle Sissons' stunning stage set, the audience, now visually abuzz, is aware that something out of the ordinary is going to present itself, as covering all three barn-like, wooden-slated walls, as well as scattered around the stage itself - very country hoedown – are a cacophony of guitars, fiddles, violins, a viola, a base, a mandolin, an Irish frame drum (bodhrán), and even a piano. Also signaling to us are some ten strange, Picasso-look-a-like paintings staring us in our face."
"If the audience still has any lingering doubts about what is coming down the pike, the theater program informs us that Leenya Rideout alone is here to wow us, the paintings are from the hand of her mother, and that Rideout, in addition to copious amounts of TV, Film, and theatre gigs around the country, has appeared on Broadway in War Horse, Cyrano de Bergerac, Company, and Cabaret. What we are not told but soon find out is that Rideout herself will be playing, to a fare thee well, every single musical instrument on view."
"And sing and play she does, often with tears in her eyes, for 90 terrifically energizing non-stop minutes in which we are treated to a range of country, rock, folk, and Celtic-style-sounding songs that Rideout has mastered with both voice and instrument."
"For the record, if Wild Abandon is 100% factually accurate – is Druid's Revenge a nom de plume or even a real band – Leenya's boyfriend Derek is the group's bandleader. Though Leenya remembers the first night Derek kissed her backstage, "It was like I'd won a contest over all the other women who fawned over him every night." However Leenya now is asking herself "Was it Derek that I was in love with? Or was it just the music? " It is a question when answered that just might lead Leenya to writing her next play, finding a new boyfriend, and getting on with her life. As some of her songs seem to point out, she is ready for a change. So stay tuned."
-Edward Rubin
Theater Scene Review
"What our mothers owe us – and what we owe them – is at the heart of Leenya Rideout’s one-woman autobiographical show, Wild Abandon. In it, the prodigiously accomplished singer, songwriter, playwright, actor, and multi-instrumentalist comes to terms with both her mother’s life and her own. Perhaps these twin goals converge a bit too neatly, especially given the harrowingly true complications Leenya introduces along the way, but there are so many hard-earned and poignant insights in Wild Abandon that the end result is successful nonetheless."
"But stretching credulity for your framing device is not an unforgivable sin, particularly when everything else feels so grounded in reality."
"But there are traumas that explain why Lynn takes comfort in patently absurd absolutes that she herself frequently abandons. And, as this long-hidden suffering is revealed to Leenya, she comes to understand how much strength it took for Lynn to care for a daughter when no one had cared for her."
"...director Lisa Rothe keeps everything moving along nicely while also maintaining perfect clarity between present and past. Mike Baldassari’s lighting design deserves a lot of credit for contributing to the latter, too, especially during a late expressionistic sequence that makes heartbreaking use of those wooden slats to reveal the depths of Lynn’s lingering anguish. Although Wild Abandon is the story of Leenya and Lynn’s relationship, it still leaves you to grapple with two difficult questions that I’m sure keep a lot of us up at night: how much did your mother love you, and more unsettlingly, how much did you love her?"
-Joseph Pisano
Total Theater Review
"God bless the Irish Repertory Theater for providing such an inviting venue for performers like Leenya Rideout. Yes, she should be starring in a musical on Broadway, but here, we get the benefit of hearing her speak her own words, and sing her own songs. She is a dazzling talent; I lost track of how many instruments she plays, chief among them the violin. Her singing voice is delightful in several genres, equally comfortable in folk, rock and classic Italian. She’s lovely to look at, with undisputable acting chops."
"Leenya enters from the storm like a whirlwind; she’s very pretty, with long black hair and unmistakable charm."
Dressed in beat up denim, in her interaction with the audience Rideout is casual and approachable. And so much of her conflict with her mother is universal. She discusses the marital problems her parents have faced, and deems her mom “a sitcom character in a tragedy.”
"Unfortunately, it often takes an incident like Leenya’s mom getting cancer to make us realize that whatever our differences, there’s nothing more precious than family. And no matter how much arguing and emotional gut wrenching we may go through with one another, at the end of the day, love is what really matters."
-Michall Jeffers
Stage Review.com
"Possibly already known to spectators at the Irish Repertory for her appearances in Cabaret and War Horse, Rideout has talent to spare. She doesn’t spare much of it as she begins immediately to work the violin and then gets around to every one of the other instruments. Often, she sings, in a classically trained voice, several songs she’s written.
She also and quite determinedly tells the story of her performing career as well as dwelling on the relationship with her encouraging, controlling and often subtly deprecating—that’s to say, passive-aggressive—mother."
"Towards the end of the high-spirited turn, the lean, tense Rideout calls attention to artwork that’s been beaming from the set as well as stacked less visibly against the walls. It’s by her mother Lynn (Leenya means little Lynn)."
-David Finkle
A Prickly Mother/Daughter Relationship: Woman Around Town Review
"Mother daughter relationships, often fraught, have long been meat for the arts. Over the last few years, we’re seeing an increase in writer/performer shows provoked by an absence of sufficient theatrical work. This particular one is a personal story."
"Leenya Rideout is a remarkably talented performer. Our heroine also sings well, moves with grace, and seems to be an actor with presence and focus."
"If I were Rideout, I’d put a long video excerpt on YouTube, cut and take the show to The Edinburgh Fringe. Its asset is the lead.Sound Design by Brendan Aanes is top notch. Overlapping of recorded and live music works wonderfully. Individual instruments are pristine."
-Alix Cohen
Leenya Rideout tackles a Mother Daughter Relationship with Wild Abandon: Theatermania Review
"Now making its world premiere at the Irish Repertory Theatre, this one-woman show written and performed by Rideout ultimately links the invisibility she feels as a daughter to her mother's traumatic upbringing."
"The concept of Wild Abandon is clear: work through the tension of the past to better understand the present. Leenya does in fact attain some insight near the end, when she finally sees her mother as someone who is herself a daughter — and a troubled one at that. Lynn grew up in the home of an alcoholic child molester and says her own mother had her to be a "shield...but she should have been protecting me!"
-Dan Stahl
Leenya Rideout discovers how to live with Wild Abandon: Hollywood Soapbox Interview
"In the solo show, which also features original music by Rideout, the actor not only plays herself, but her mother as well. The audience views the character of Leenya performing alone in a Long Island pub, stuck there because of a snowstorm outside. On the other side of the stage, Rideout plays her mother, a church lady, who is also an artist and whose artwork is displayed in the show.
The journey that these two characters take, recognizing their differences and cherishing the complexity of their relationship, is what gives Wild Abandon its main thesis."
“So it started out I would say 15 years ago in my acting class with Michael Howard when he asked us to do a personal monologue exercise and have us play our parents, and I started to impersonate my mother and realize that there was a lot of dramatic material in that relationship — and kept mining it over the years and thought this is the crux of what I am trying to figure out as a person on this planet right now."
-John Soltes
Women Center Stage: New York Theater Openings Article
BrodwayWorld.com
Theatermania.com
Playbill.com
Showscore.com
Irish Repertory Theatre
W. Scott McLucas Studio Theatre
Leenya's first solo show, Wild Abandon, premiered at the world renowned Irish Repertory Theatre
Book, Music, Lyrics, and performed by Leenya Rideout
Featuring the art of Lynn Rideout
Directed by Lisa Rothe
Scenic & Costume Design by Narelle Sissons
Lighting Design by Mike Baldassari
Sound Design by Brendan Aanes
Artistic Producer Charlotte Moore
Executive Producer Ciaran O'Reilly
Hollywood Soapbox Interview
New Yorker Review
Tucked away in what looks like a cozy shed set up in Irish Rep’s basement space, Leenya Rideout recounts her relationship with her mother, Lynn, in a new solo show interspersed with songs. “Wild Abandon,” which is directed by Lisa Rothe, has a fairly standard structure, as Leenya tracks her evolving connection with her complicated mom—a devout Christian dabbling in painting, prone to graphic language, and with a surprising openness about sex. Like many kids with a thorny home life, Leenya found refuge in art—a compelling singer, she has appeared in both plays and musicals, and is a versatile songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Still, it’s the unseen Lynn who dominates the narrative, tenderly brought to life by her daughter. The show flirts with sentimentality throughout but never quite succumbs; by the end, it has earned its pathos.
— Elisabeth Vincentelli
Curtain Up Review
"...she clearly knows how to capture an audience's attention in a nanosecond."
"Wild Abandon is more than a memoir. It's a rich tapestry of narrative, over a dozen songs played by Leenya on eight musical instruments, including the bodhran, a traditional Celtic drum. It clocks in at only 90 minutes sans intermission— enough time for the performer-playwright to impart a layered double portrait of her mother and herself."
"No, this isn't a case of an author-performer indulging herself by telling us about her glowing theater achievements, though she has performed on Broadway in Cabaret, War Horse (Leenya played a horse!), and Cyrano de Bergerac. It's also NOT about how her mother's lovingly supported of Leenya's acting career.Lynn actually had many misgivings about Leenya's showbiz career. Though she reluctantly played the stage mother, Lynn continually tried to interest her daughter in pursuing a more conventional life."
"What makes this so powerful is that the author ping-pongs back and forth between the personas of Lynn and Leenya, almost blurring the two women into one... But what does come across in spades is the genuine love between this mother and daughter.
Whether it's tripping the light fantastic (that would be Leenya) or domestic (that would be Lynn), Wild Abandon ultimately reveals that this mother-and-daughter duo, however different in temperament, share a passion for art and have lived, and continue to live, outside the lines."
-Elyse Sommer
One Woman Band: Broadway Blog Review
"We, the Long Island pub crawlers who’ve braved the elements to hear them, will have to settle for the all-too-eager Leenya (who later explains her name). Given her abundant talents, however, that should be enough for anyone.
"Leenya, lean, high-cheekboned, dark-haired, and dressed in tight jeans and a black top, occupies Narelle Sissons’ wood-slatted set. During the 90 minutes that follow, it becomes any number of places conjured by Lisa Rothe’s firm direction and Mike Baldassari’s versatile lighting. These include the pub, a church, a car, and the shed in western Washington State that Leenya’s dad, Chet, converted to a studio for her mother, Lynn."
"Wild Abandon takes Leenya on a personal journey into her memories of Lynn, whose voice and gait she assumes in conversations with her own younger self, much of it enhanced by Leenya’s first-class singing."
-Samuel L. Leiter
Theater Pizzazz Review
"Leenya Rideout left an indelible impression on me when I first encountered her on Broadway in Cabaret; a multi talent of instruments, voice and movement. Then long periods of time went by when I didn’t hear about her, until she reappeared in War Horse but in a role that didn’t utilize her many skills and talents. Happily, here she is in a one-woman performance, self written, filled with her songs and showcasing what Leenya is all about – a great actress, singer, musician.
Wild Abandon is the release to what happens when a performer gets stuck in life, career and love until something occurs to break through and stop the downward spiral, that feeling like you’re drowning."
"Leenya, a consummate actress, was born with talent far beyond the usual, excelling at everything – singing, playing piano and morphing into string instruments – violin, guitar, bass – all of which she showcases in this 90 minute presentation at the Irish Rep in the small W. Scott McLucas Studio Stage theater, a wonderful cozy space, and directed by Lisa Rothe, with scenic design by Narelle Sissons and lighting by Mike Baldassari."
"The music focuses on folk, rock and Celtic as Leenya sadly, joyfully, tearfully shares her story in the lyric driven songs she’s written from opening “Don’t Let Her Fool Ya” (about her mother the Church Lady), to “Girl in the Band” (where she eventually winds up playing fiddle and traveling with a rock band finding love in all the wrong/right places), to “The Right Track” which can always take you home. She frequently takes on the role of her mother switching gears instantaneously, a tribute to her dramatic skills, as her complicated life emerges producing a release for a better, closer understanding between mother and daughter – – a catalyst for growth."
-Sandi Durell
Theatre Wire Review
"The Irish Repertory Theatre's production of Wild Abandon, Leenya Rideout's intimate one-woman autobiographical extravaganza – housed in the Rep's second theatre, an intimate 50-seater – is one of a handful of Off Broadway plays that everybody is talking about. Critics are raving, and audiences are returning again and again with friends in tow, as they simply cannot believe that any one person can be that talented and not already household name.
And yes indeed, as the title silently screams, the production is an extremely adventurous, song-studded, high caliber, story-telling ride of wild abandon. It just about begs to be a book, a movie, and a TV series, of course with Leenya Rideout, and her talented artist musician mother Lynn Rideout, who Leenya channels during the play, in the starring roles."
"From the minute people take their seats and get a gander at Narelle Sissons' stunning stage set, the audience, now visually abuzz, is aware that something out of the ordinary is going to present itself, as covering all three barn-like, wooden-slated walls, as well as scattered around the stage itself - very country hoedown – are a cacophony of guitars, fiddles, violins, a viola, a base, a mandolin, an Irish frame drum (bodhrán), and even a piano. Also signaling to us are some ten strange, Picasso-look-a-like paintings staring us in our face."
"If the audience still has any lingering doubts about what is coming down the pike, the theater program informs us that Leenya Rideout alone is here to wow us, the paintings are from the hand of her mother, and that Rideout, in addition to copious amounts of TV, Film, and theatre gigs around the country, has appeared on Broadway in War Horse, Cyrano de Bergerac, Company, and Cabaret. What we are not told but soon find out is that Rideout herself will be playing, to a fare thee well, every single musical instrument on view."
"And sing and play she does, often with tears in her eyes, for 90 terrifically energizing non-stop minutes in which we are treated to a range of country, rock, folk, and Celtic-style-sounding songs that Rideout has mastered with both voice and instrument."
"For the record, if Wild Abandon is 100% factually accurate – is Druid's Revenge a nom de plume or even a real band – Leenya's boyfriend Derek is the group's bandleader. Though Leenya remembers the first night Derek kissed her backstage, "It was like I'd won a contest over all the other women who fawned over him every night." However Leenya now is asking herself "Was it Derek that I was in love with? Or was it just the music? " It is a question when answered that just might lead Leenya to writing her next play, finding a new boyfriend, and getting on with her life. As some of her songs seem to point out, she is ready for a change. So stay tuned."
-Edward Rubin
Theater Scene Review
"What our mothers owe us – and what we owe them – is at the heart of Leenya Rideout’s one-woman autobiographical show, Wild Abandon. In it, the prodigiously accomplished singer, songwriter, playwright, actor, and multi-instrumentalist comes to terms with both her mother’s life and her own. Perhaps these twin goals converge a bit too neatly, especially given the harrowingly true complications Leenya introduces along the way, but there are so many hard-earned and poignant insights in Wild Abandon that the end result is successful nonetheless."
"But stretching credulity for your framing device is not an unforgivable sin, particularly when everything else feels so grounded in reality."
"But there are traumas that explain why Lynn takes comfort in patently absurd absolutes that she herself frequently abandons. And, as this long-hidden suffering is revealed to Leenya, she comes to understand how much strength it took for Lynn to care for a daughter when no one had cared for her."
"...director Lisa Rothe keeps everything moving along nicely while also maintaining perfect clarity between present and past. Mike Baldassari’s lighting design deserves a lot of credit for contributing to the latter, too, especially during a late expressionistic sequence that makes heartbreaking use of those wooden slats to reveal the depths of Lynn’s lingering anguish. Although Wild Abandon is the story of Leenya and Lynn’s relationship, it still leaves you to grapple with two difficult questions that I’m sure keep a lot of us up at night: how much did your mother love you, and more unsettlingly, how much did you love her?"
-Joseph Pisano
Total Theater Review
"God bless the Irish Repertory Theater for providing such an inviting venue for performers like Leenya Rideout. Yes, she should be starring in a musical on Broadway, but here, we get the benefit of hearing her speak her own words, and sing her own songs. She is a dazzling talent; I lost track of how many instruments she plays, chief among them the violin. Her singing voice is delightful in several genres, equally comfortable in folk, rock and classic Italian. She’s lovely to look at, with undisputable acting chops."
"Leenya enters from the storm like a whirlwind; she’s very pretty, with long black hair and unmistakable charm."
Dressed in beat up denim, in her interaction with the audience Rideout is casual and approachable. And so much of her conflict with her mother is universal. She discusses the marital problems her parents have faced, and deems her mom “a sitcom character in a tragedy.”
"Unfortunately, it often takes an incident like Leenya’s mom getting cancer to make us realize that whatever our differences, there’s nothing more precious than family. And no matter how much arguing and emotional gut wrenching we may go through with one another, at the end of the day, love is what really matters."
-Michall Jeffers
Stage Review.com
"Possibly already known to spectators at the Irish Repertory for her appearances in Cabaret and War Horse, Rideout has talent to spare. She doesn’t spare much of it as she begins immediately to work the violin and then gets around to every one of the other instruments. Often, she sings, in a classically trained voice, several songs she’s written.
She also and quite determinedly tells the story of her performing career as well as dwelling on the relationship with her encouraging, controlling and often subtly deprecating—that’s to say, passive-aggressive—mother."
"Towards the end of the high-spirited turn, the lean, tense Rideout calls attention to artwork that’s been beaming from the set as well as stacked less visibly against the walls. It’s by her mother Lynn (Leenya means little Lynn)."
-David Finkle
A Prickly Mother/Daughter Relationship: Woman Around Town Review
"Mother daughter relationships, often fraught, have long been meat for the arts. Over the last few years, we’re seeing an increase in writer/performer shows provoked by an absence of sufficient theatrical work. This particular one is a personal story."
"Leenya Rideout is a remarkably talented performer. Our heroine also sings well, moves with grace, and seems to be an actor with presence and focus."
"If I were Rideout, I’d put a long video excerpt on YouTube, cut and take the show to The Edinburgh Fringe. Its asset is the lead.Sound Design by Brendan Aanes is top notch. Overlapping of recorded and live music works wonderfully. Individual instruments are pristine."
-Alix Cohen
Leenya Rideout tackles a Mother Daughter Relationship with Wild Abandon: Theatermania Review
"Now making its world premiere at the Irish Repertory Theatre, this one-woman show written and performed by Rideout ultimately links the invisibility she feels as a daughter to her mother's traumatic upbringing."
"The concept of Wild Abandon is clear: work through the tension of the past to better understand the present. Leenya does in fact attain some insight near the end, when she finally sees her mother as someone who is herself a daughter — and a troubled one at that. Lynn grew up in the home of an alcoholic child molester and says her own mother had her to be a "shield...but she should have been protecting me!"
-Dan Stahl
Leenya Rideout discovers how to live with Wild Abandon: Hollywood Soapbox Interview
"In the solo show, which also features original music by Rideout, the actor not only plays herself, but her mother as well. The audience views the character of Leenya performing alone in a Long Island pub, stuck there because of a snowstorm outside. On the other side of the stage, Rideout plays her mother, a church lady, who is also an artist and whose artwork is displayed in the show.
The journey that these two characters take, recognizing their differences and cherishing the complexity of their relationship, is what gives Wild Abandon its main thesis."
“So it started out I would say 15 years ago in my acting class with Michael Howard when he asked us to do a personal monologue exercise and have us play our parents, and I started to impersonate my mother and realize that there was a lot of dramatic material in that relationship — and kept mining it over the years and thought this is the crux of what I am trying to figure out as a person on this planet right now."
-John Soltes
Women Center Stage: New York Theater Openings Article
BrodwayWorld.com
Theatermania.com
Playbill.com
Showscore.com
Before We're Gone
Leenya stars as Kathleen Maguire in this Off Broadway premiere
at 13th Street Repertory Theater
written by Jerry Small
directed by Joe Battista
costarring John Zdrojeski
Jay Russel
Emily Murphy
Stagebiz.com Review
Before We’re Gone is a sumptuous exploration of second chances.
Leenya Rideout as Kate (Kathleen McGuire) epitomizes sophistication and grace with a wicked twinkle in her eye. She perfectly captures Kate’s alpha female, warrior heart who is courageous in the face of restrictive societal norms. Rideout give us a character totally comfortable in her skin. Kate is eating life like a melting ice-cream not letting a lick go to waste. She is sensual and expansive in the role with a mighty presence that fills every inch of the West 13th Street space. Her Kate oozes star quality and maintains her power even as her life transforms from ecstasy to agony. It’s a gorgeous role inhabited by a luminous performer.
Zdrojeski and Rideout have incredible onstage chemistry that threatens to set the house on fire. The frisson between the characters is palpable and totally believable.
-Jaquelyn Claire
Theaterscene.com Review
Luckily two excellent actors play the leading roles.
Wearing a kimono over a slip, and later gleaming white high waisted slacks with a white blouse while incessantly smoking and fixing drinks, the statuesque and rich voiced Leenya Rideout personifies the bygone glamour of Hollywood and Broadway as Kathleen. She’s Tallulah Bankhead, Bette Davis and Rosalind Russell all rolled into one but without a trace of camp. Tossing her flowing curled hair and tossing off wisecracks with precision, Ms. Rideout magnificently conveys humor, vulnerability and resilience via her starry charisma. For her illness, she’s in a turban and vibrantly patterned caftan next to an IV and is just as commanding. Though we never learn what exactly Kathleen writes about when Rideout is furiously banging and smoking away at the typewriter and crinkling up pages and throwing them out à la Jane Fonda in Julia, we just know it’s something important.
(John Zdrojeski) and Rideout have an electric chemistry that’s most evident during a striking amorous sequence between their older selves.
-Darryl Reilly
ZealNYC.com Review
Aside from Kate’s drop dead sexiness and intelligence, Rich is entralled to find out that she is an accomplished playwright because, of course, he has a play he’d like her to read. But to its credit, this play isn’t a simple rube-meets-femme-fatale-and-falls-hopelessly-in-love kind of story. Rich is fresh-faced and honest, but has integrity and genuine heart-felt conflicts about religion, the priesthood, and his sexuality that add depth and complexity to his character. By the same token, Kate reveals herself to be more than her boozy, chain-smoking, “god I am stuck in this one-horse town because it’s the only way I can get out of my lousy marriage” routine. Thanks to the strength of the two leading actors, a real chemistry develops as they try to sort out their feelings about each other and perhaps more importantly, about themselves.
-Diana Mott
Stagebiz..com Review
Hi! Drama Review
Leenya Rideout as Kate Maquire is brilliant. She effortlessly negotiates the demands of time shifting between 1956 and 1981, moving from her younger to her older self with extraordinary skill. When she is briefly given the opportunity to relive a moment of love in her life, after an hiatus of twenty-five years, her reaction is touching beyond words. That moment proves to have been the real thing, a chance squandered because of misunderstanding and received myth, and the instant of love she then achieves is one for the ages.
-Jan Ewing
Broadway.com Press Release
It's the story of a Pulitzer-winning playwright, screenwriter and outspoken political activist (Played by Leenya Rideout), who has disappeared from her high-profile life in New York, Hollywood, and the tabloids, to hide under an assumed name in a secluded seaside motel in Santa Barbara, California, where she intends to end her life by her own hand.
Off-Off Broadway play debut of BEFORE WE'RE GONE, by Jerry Small, has announced they intend to take their new play to Off- Broadway, with an eye on Broadway following the one-month run at the historic 13th Street Repertory Theatre, beginning July 5th, 2018.
Theatermania.com
at 13th Street Repertory Theater
written by Jerry Small
directed by Joe Battista
costarring John Zdrojeski
Jay Russel
Emily Murphy
Stagebiz.com Review
Before We’re Gone is a sumptuous exploration of second chances.
Leenya Rideout as Kate (Kathleen McGuire) epitomizes sophistication and grace with a wicked twinkle in her eye. She perfectly captures Kate’s alpha female, warrior heart who is courageous in the face of restrictive societal norms. Rideout give us a character totally comfortable in her skin. Kate is eating life like a melting ice-cream not letting a lick go to waste. She is sensual and expansive in the role with a mighty presence that fills every inch of the West 13th Street space. Her Kate oozes star quality and maintains her power even as her life transforms from ecstasy to agony. It’s a gorgeous role inhabited by a luminous performer.
Zdrojeski and Rideout have incredible onstage chemistry that threatens to set the house on fire. The frisson between the characters is palpable and totally believable.
-Jaquelyn Claire
Theaterscene.com Review
Luckily two excellent actors play the leading roles.
Wearing a kimono over a slip, and later gleaming white high waisted slacks with a white blouse while incessantly smoking and fixing drinks, the statuesque and rich voiced Leenya Rideout personifies the bygone glamour of Hollywood and Broadway as Kathleen. She’s Tallulah Bankhead, Bette Davis and Rosalind Russell all rolled into one but without a trace of camp. Tossing her flowing curled hair and tossing off wisecracks with precision, Ms. Rideout magnificently conveys humor, vulnerability and resilience via her starry charisma. For her illness, she’s in a turban and vibrantly patterned caftan next to an IV and is just as commanding. Though we never learn what exactly Kathleen writes about when Rideout is furiously banging and smoking away at the typewriter and crinkling up pages and throwing them out à la Jane Fonda in Julia, we just know it’s something important.
(John Zdrojeski) and Rideout have an electric chemistry that’s most evident during a striking amorous sequence between their older selves.
-Darryl Reilly
ZealNYC.com Review
Aside from Kate’s drop dead sexiness and intelligence, Rich is entralled to find out that she is an accomplished playwright because, of course, he has a play he’d like her to read. But to its credit, this play isn’t a simple rube-meets-femme-fatale-and-falls-hopelessly-in-love kind of story. Rich is fresh-faced and honest, but has integrity and genuine heart-felt conflicts about religion, the priesthood, and his sexuality that add depth and complexity to his character. By the same token, Kate reveals herself to be more than her boozy, chain-smoking, “god I am stuck in this one-horse town because it’s the only way I can get out of my lousy marriage” routine. Thanks to the strength of the two leading actors, a real chemistry develops as they try to sort out their feelings about each other and perhaps more importantly, about themselves.
-Diana Mott
Stagebiz..com Review
Hi! Drama Review
Leenya Rideout as Kate Maquire is brilliant. She effortlessly negotiates the demands of time shifting between 1956 and 1981, moving from her younger to her older self with extraordinary skill. When she is briefly given the opportunity to relive a moment of love in her life, after an hiatus of twenty-five years, her reaction is touching beyond words. That moment proves to have been the real thing, a chance squandered because of misunderstanding and received myth, and the instant of love she then achieves is one for the ages.
-Jan Ewing
Broadway.com Press Release
It's the story of a Pulitzer-winning playwright, screenwriter and outspoken political activist (Played by Leenya Rideout), who has disappeared from her high-profile life in New York, Hollywood, and the tabloids, to hide under an assumed name in a secluded seaside motel in Santa Barbara, California, where she intends to end her life by her own hand.
Off-Off Broadway play debut of BEFORE WE'RE GONE, by Jerry Small, has announced they intend to take their new play to Off- Broadway, with an eye on Broadway following the one-month run at the historic 13th Street Repertory Theatre, beginning July 5th, 2018.
Theatermania.com
Fire and Air
DC Metro Theater Arts
Marin Mazzie is Misia Sert, a wealthy supporter who yearns to be treated as more than a backer. ... At the performance I saw, understudy Leenya Rideout played the role by reading it from the script, but she knew the moves and spoke the words clearly enough.
Marin Mazzie is Misia Sert, a wealthy supporter who yearns to be treated as more than a backer. ... At the performance I saw, understudy Leenya Rideout played the role by reading it from the script, but she knew the moves and spoke the words clearly enough.
As You Like It
Dan's Papers Review
Leenya Rideout, who plays Phoebe, -provides the show with some of its funniest moments as she lusts after Rosalind, mistaking her for a man.
Theatermania
Leenya Rideout gives a surprisingly memorable performance as Phoebe, a shepherdess who falls in love with Ganymede.
-Zachary Stewart
Let's Talk Off-Broadway Review
The language is so powerful and some of the scenes so funny that they surpass the flat interpretations they receive here, and in particular two actors — André de Shields and Leenya Rideout – are satisfyingly perfect!
A special feature of this production is that the very well-known composer and writer for musical theater, Stephen Schwartz has written music for it. The nearest to enchantment in this production’s mundane Forest of Arden is when Phoebe, the shepherdess, circles the stage with her solo violin, playing insinuatingly lovely Schwartz music, all the more because Phoebe is played by the enchanting actress Leenya Rideout.
-Yvonne Korshak
Woodland Creatures
At its best, director-designer John Doyle’sproduction conjures moments of giddy awe that approximate the sense of being a child at play in a forest of wondrous words.
When not playing a ripe and lusty Phoebe – a country lass who falls hard for cross-dressed Rosalind – Leenya Rideout plies her violin to excellent effect. Schwartz’s bluesy-jazzy compositions have a touch of Richard Rodgers and Django Reinhardt about them.
-David Cote
Hampton's Summer Theater Review
Leenya Rideout is outstanding in her complex role of Phoebe.
-T.J. Clemente
27 East.com Review: Kyle Scatliffe is a Romantic Hero Among the Best
Notable among the musician-actors is Leenya Rideout as Phoebe (who is also looking for love), who plays both the violin and cello, and Bob Stillman, who plays the piano, and takes on dual roles as a pair of dukes.
-Lorraine Dusky
Newsday
Closing its summer season with the enduring rom-com, the Sag Harbor company has assembled a cast and production team of heavy hitters, led by Tony, Oscar and Emmy winner Ellen Burstyn.
-Barbara Schuler
Leenya Rideout, who plays Phoebe, -provides the show with some of its funniest moments as she lusts after Rosalind, mistaking her for a man.
Theatermania
Leenya Rideout gives a surprisingly memorable performance as Phoebe, a shepherdess who falls in love with Ganymede.
-Zachary Stewart
Let's Talk Off-Broadway Review
The language is so powerful and some of the scenes so funny that they surpass the flat interpretations they receive here, and in particular two actors — André de Shields and Leenya Rideout – are satisfyingly perfect!
A special feature of this production is that the very well-known composer and writer for musical theater, Stephen Schwartz has written music for it. The nearest to enchantment in this production’s mundane Forest of Arden is when Phoebe, the shepherdess, circles the stage with her solo violin, playing insinuatingly lovely Schwartz music, all the more because Phoebe is played by the enchanting actress Leenya Rideout.
-Yvonne Korshak
Woodland Creatures
At its best, director-designer John Doyle’sproduction conjures moments of giddy awe that approximate the sense of being a child at play in a forest of wondrous words.
When not playing a ripe and lusty Phoebe – a country lass who falls hard for cross-dressed Rosalind – Leenya Rideout plies her violin to excellent effect. Schwartz’s bluesy-jazzy compositions have a touch of Richard Rodgers and Django Reinhardt about them.
-David Cote
Hampton's Summer Theater Review
Leenya Rideout is outstanding in her complex role of Phoebe.
-T.J. Clemente
27 East.com Review: Kyle Scatliffe is a Romantic Hero Among the Best
Notable among the musician-actors is Leenya Rideout as Phoebe (who is also looking for love), who plays both the violin and cello, and Bob Stillman, who plays the piano, and takes on dual roles as a pair of dukes.
-Lorraine Dusky
Newsday
Closing its summer season with the enduring rom-com, the Sag Harbor company has assembled a cast and production team of heavy hitters, led by Tony, Oscar and Emmy winner Ellen Burstyn.
-Barbara Schuler
Bay Street Theater
August 10th through September 3rd
Classic Stage Company
September 8th through October 24th
Leenya Rideout plays Phebe in John Doyle's reimagining of this Shakespeare classic
with music by Stephen Schwartz
Theatermania
LongIsland.com
August 10th through September 3rd
Classic Stage Company
September 8th through October 24th
Leenya Rideout plays Phebe in John Doyle's reimagining of this Shakespeare classic
with music by Stephen Schwartz
Theatermania
LongIsland.com
The Ballad of Little Jo
Two River Theater
June 6th through June 23rd
A new musical with music by Mike Reid
Leenya portrayed Caroline in this story about a woman who survives the old West by taking on the identity of a man.
Directed by John Dias
Rousing Poignant Musical raises roof of Two River Theater in Red Bank
And finally, As saloonkeeper Caroline, Leenya Rideout (below, far right) leads the ensemble, playing a banjo and violin in various musical numbers.
-Ruth Ross, NJ Arts Maven
June 6th through June 23rd
A new musical with music by Mike Reid
Leenya portrayed Caroline in this story about a woman who survives the old West by taking on the identity of a man.
Directed by John Dias
Rousing Poignant Musical raises roof of Two River Theater in Red Bank
And finally, As saloonkeeper Caroline, Leenya Rideout (below, far right) leads the ensemble, playing a banjo and violin in various musical numbers.
-Ruth Ross, NJ Arts Maven
That Face
Baltimore Center Stage
Premiere Performance in the Third Space
April 14th through the 23rd
Leenya Rideout portrayed the role of Martha in That Face by Polly Stenham
Directed by Johanna Greunhut
and costarring Patrick Boll, Josh Tobin, Emily Murphy, Sarah Nicole Deaver, & Madison Fae.
That Face was named one of Ten Best Plays in Baltimore in 2017
By Baltimore Beat, the City's Independent Voice
5. “That Face,” Baltimore Center Stage: Baltimore’s biggest professional theater inaugurated its DIY-sized third space with Polly Stenham’s feral descent into class strife and desperate family dysfunction. Mia (Emily Juliette Murphy) and her friend Izzy (Sarah Nicole Deaver) get expelled from their posh boarding school after a hazing prank goes too far, and they retreat to Mia’s cramped home where her brother Henry (Josh Tobin) has become uncomfortably close with their alcoholic mother (Leenya Rideout). This is kitchen-sink British realism that opens in cruel Harold Pinter territory and then proceeds to get truly unpleasant. (Bret McCabe)
That Face opens Third Space at Baltimore Center Stage
No longer do we need to shudder to think what Blanche DuBois from A Streetcar Named Desire and Martha from Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf would be like as mothers. The Tennessee Williams and Edward Albee damaged dames, respectively, have been rolled into one unhinged harridan —albeit one with a posh English accent—in British playwright Polly Stenham’s 2007 play That Face, an intense baptism of Baltimore Center Stage’s new Third Space, a 99-seat black box theater. In such a small space, we can’t escape from the gin-soaked clutches of Martha (Leenya Rideout) a mother of two in name only. To say she’s an unhappy divorcee is like saying Medea had a bit of a short fuse when it came to her kids. Martha adores her 18-year-old son Henry (Josh Tobin) in an unhealthy, pervy way. Mornings find her hungover and chain-smoking, lolling around in bed with Henry, who has dropped out of school to take care of his alcoholic, plainly crackers mother. For all his pains, he’s totally unprepared to handle her illness and her manipulation—slinking around like Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’s Maggie in a white slip one minute and the next cutting up all his clothes when he stays out late like a normal teenager. Their cozy codependency is the crux of That Face and the lurid awfulness of their relationship comes to harsh light after daughter Mia (Emily Juliette Murphy) does something that forces Martha not to ignore her anymore...
It is no accident that director Johanna Gruenhut has the audience grouped around the square stage as if witnessing a boxing match. We’re uncomfortably close to the toxicity given off by these characters.
The ensemble goes for the jugular throughout... Rideout’s Martha is a languorous mess, still dangerously seductive and compelling even as her drunkenness deepens...
That Face is a potboiler for sure, but its most affecting moments come when it’s quiet—the look in Mia’s eyes when she realizes her mother never, ever loved her; Martha saying goodbye to her beloved son, ragged and regal as she walks away from her only reason to live.
-Jayne Blanchard, DC Theatre Scene
DC Metro Theater Arts Review
If Blanche DuBois from A Streetcar Named Desire and Martha from Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? had a love child, that child would be Mia’s mother, Martha. Boldly performed by Leenya Rideout, Martha is like a giant, Dorothy-Gale-style tornado that has sucked up Arkham Asylum and is raining danger and craziness down on anyone unlucky enough to be caught in her gravity. Rideout’s performance exudes that level of urgency and power, of forcefulness and fragility. From her indifference to daughter, Mia, to her bitterness toward ex-husband, Hugh (Patrick Boll), to her creeptastically too-close relationship with her son, Henry (Josh Tobin), Rideout’s Martha is a beautiful disaster.
-Patricia Mitchell, DC Metro Theater ARts
Baltimore Sun Review: That Face looks at Ultra Dysfunctional Family
At the heart of the matter is Martha, an alcoholic abandoned by her husband and abnormally attached to her son, Henry, who appears to have assumed the role of her lover as well as enabler. Any attempt by Henry to break away is risky; his mother has a particularly devilish way of showing her displeasure when he spends the night elsewhere (it involves knives and clothing)...
Leenya Rideout gives a riveting performance as manipulative Martha, making even each cigarette puff meaningful...
By turns creepy, funny and just plain horrifying, "That Face" is not easy to look at, but not easy to forget, either.
-Tim Smith, Baltimore Sun
BMoreArt Review
Playwright Polly Stenhem’s play charts a single London family’s alcohol, pills, and cruelty-fueled demise after daughter Mia (Emily Juliette Murphy) gets expelled from boarding school following the hazing of a 13-year-old student. Her 18-year-old brother Henry (Josh Tobin) lives with and takes care of their mother Martha (Leenya Rideout, in a stunning performance), a woman whose codependence and anxieties cause her to switch from loving to brutal in the time it takes her to spark up a cigarette. Over the weekend that Mia gets sent home, Martha, Mia, and Henry twist dysfunctional family into interpersonal psychological warfare, turning scenic designer Ryan Michael Haase’s minimal set into a detritus filled battle zone. If That Face is an example of the kinds of plays, themes, performances, and approaches Center Stage wants to pursue in this Third Space, then hear, hear.
-Bret McCabe
Premiere Performance in the Third Space
April 14th through the 23rd
Leenya Rideout portrayed the role of Martha in That Face by Polly Stenham
Directed by Johanna Greunhut
and costarring Patrick Boll, Josh Tobin, Emily Murphy, Sarah Nicole Deaver, & Madison Fae.
That Face was named one of Ten Best Plays in Baltimore in 2017
By Baltimore Beat, the City's Independent Voice
5. “That Face,” Baltimore Center Stage: Baltimore’s biggest professional theater inaugurated its DIY-sized third space with Polly Stenham’s feral descent into class strife and desperate family dysfunction. Mia (Emily Juliette Murphy) and her friend Izzy (Sarah Nicole Deaver) get expelled from their posh boarding school after a hazing prank goes too far, and they retreat to Mia’s cramped home where her brother Henry (Josh Tobin) has become uncomfortably close with their alcoholic mother (Leenya Rideout). This is kitchen-sink British realism that opens in cruel Harold Pinter territory and then proceeds to get truly unpleasant. (Bret McCabe)
That Face opens Third Space at Baltimore Center Stage
No longer do we need to shudder to think what Blanche DuBois from A Streetcar Named Desire and Martha from Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf would be like as mothers. The Tennessee Williams and Edward Albee damaged dames, respectively, have been rolled into one unhinged harridan —albeit one with a posh English accent—in British playwright Polly Stenham’s 2007 play That Face, an intense baptism of Baltimore Center Stage’s new Third Space, a 99-seat black box theater. In such a small space, we can’t escape from the gin-soaked clutches of Martha (Leenya Rideout) a mother of two in name only. To say she’s an unhappy divorcee is like saying Medea had a bit of a short fuse when it came to her kids. Martha adores her 18-year-old son Henry (Josh Tobin) in an unhealthy, pervy way. Mornings find her hungover and chain-smoking, lolling around in bed with Henry, who has dropped out of school to take care of his alcoholic, plainly crackers mother. For all his pains, he’s totally unprepared to handle her illness and her manipulation—slinking around like Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’s Maggie in a white slip one minute and the next cutting up all his clothes when he stays out late like a normal teenager. Their cozy codependency is the crux of That Face and the lurid awfulness of their relationship comes to harsh light after daughter Mia (Emily Juliette Murphy) does something that forces Martha not to ignore her anymore...
It is no accident that director Johanna Gruenhut has the audience grouped around the square stage as if witnessing a boxing match. We’re uncomfortably close to the toxicity given off by these characters.
The ensemble goes for the jugular throughout... Rideout’s Martha is a languorous mess, still dangerously seductive and compelling even as her drunkenness deepens...
That Face is a potboiler for sure, but its most affecting moments come when it’s quiet—the look in Mia’s eyes when she realizes her mother never, ever loved her; Martha saying goodbye to her beloved son, ragged and regal as she walks away from her only reason to live.
-Jayne Blanchard, DC Theatre Scene
DC Metro Theater Arts Review
If Blanche DuBois from A Streetcar Named Desire and Martha from Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? had a love child, that child would be Mia’s mother, Martha. Boldly performed by Leenya Rideout, Martha is like a giant, Dorothy-Gale-style tornado that has sucked up Arkham Asylum and is raining danger and craziness down on anyone unlucky enough to be caught in her gravity. Rideout’s performance exudes that level of urgency and power, of forcefulness and fragility. From her indifference to daughter, Mia, to her bitterness toward ex-husband, Hugh (Patrick Boll), to her creeptastically too-close relationship with her son, Henry (Josh Tobin), Rideout’s Martha is a beautiful disaster.
-Patricia Mitchell, DC Metro Theater ARts
Baltimore Sun Review: That Face looks at Ultra Dysfunctional Family
At the heart of the matter is Martha, an alcoholic abandoned by her husband and abnormally attached to her son, Henry, who appears to have assumed the role of her lover as well as enabler. Any attempt by Henry to break away is risky; his mother has a particularly devilish way of showing her displeasure when he spends the night elsewhere (it involves knives and clothing)...
Leenya Rideout gives a riveting performance as manipulative Martha, making even each cigarette puff meaningful...
By turns creepy, funny and just plain horrifying, "That Face" is not easy to look at, but not easy to forget, either.
-Tim Smith, Baltimore Sun
BMoreArt Review
Playwright Polly Stenhem’s play charts a single London family’s alcohol, pills, and cruelty-fueled demise after daughter Mia (Emily Juliette Murphy) gets expelled from boarding school following the hazing of a 13-year-old student. Her 18-year-old brother Henry (Josh Tobin) lives with and takes care of their mother Martha (Leenya Rideout, in a stunning performance), a woman whose codependence and anxieties cause her to switch from loving to brutal in the time it takes her to spark up a cigarette. Over the weekend that Mia gets sent home, Martha, Mia, and Henry twist dysfunctional family into interpersonal psychological warfare, turning scenic designer Ryan Michael Haase’s minimal set into a detritus filled battle zone. If That Face is an example of the kinds of plays, themes, performances, and approaches Center Stage wants to pursue in this Third Space, then hear, hear.
-Bret McCabe
Camelot
November 29th through December 4th
Capital Repertory Theatre
Albany, NY
Leenya portrays the legendary ill-fated queen, Guenevere under the direction of Maggie Mancinelli-Cahill
Costarring Kevin McGuire as Arthur & Oliver Thornton as Lancelot
Cap Rep's 'Camelot' is truly Enchanted!
Daily Gazette
Rideout’s portrait of a feisty young royal, an intelligent queen, and a bewildered paramour is a study in superb acting, acting that is further enhanced by her extraordinary musicianship as a string player and singer.
Ensemble numbers, like “The Lusty Month of May” and “Take Me to the Fair,” pulse with humor and joy. Ironic songs about class — “I Wonder What the King Is Doing Tonight” and What Do the Simple Folk Do?” — benefit from the spot-on diction of McGuire and Rideout. And introspective tunes, like “How to Handle a Woman,” “Before I Gaze at You Again” and “I Loved You Once in Silence,” appropriately take their time to unfold.
-Paul Lamar
Camelot is Enchanting at the Rep!
Albany.org
McGuire has found is match on stage in Leenya Rideout as the beautiful and somewhat tortured Guenevere. Leenya Rideout is hands down a quadruple threat - with the most amazing operatic pipes, divine dancing skills, splendid acting abilities, and the ability to play a stringed instrument like it's an extension of her arm. Ms. Rideout is beautiful and warm, I would recommend seeing her in this role if you don't want to have regrets at the end of 2016. As Camelot is known for its famous love triangle, and these wo talents called for such a great third that Capital Rep called across the pond for an actor that could stay on par with McGuire and Rideout. (Oliver Thornton)
Broadway World Review
Capital Region favorite Kevin McGuire channels his juvenile side in the role of King Arthur alongside Leenya Rideout, whose portrayal of Guinevere is beautifully touching and sentimental. Oliver Thornton delivers arguably the most gorgeous and moving moment of the musical in his act two rendition of "If Ever I Would Leave You." The chemistry between Rideout and Thornton is clearly evident from the moment their eyes meet to the suspenseful show's finale. ...I suggest you go simply to hear Thornton and Rideout's stunning ballads in act two. There aren't many times I wish I could record part of a show, but that was surely one of them.
-Gianluca Russo
An Evening of Shining Momentsat Capital Rep's Camelot
The Alt
There is the king, Arthur (Kevin McGuire) who wants to reform a violent, blood-soaked world with a new regime of law and justice—and hang on to his beautiful queen, Guenevere (Leenya Rideout), who has fallen tragically in love with Arthur’s greatest, most noble knight, Lancelot (Oliver Thornton).
More importantly, the direction (by Maggie Mancinelli-Cahill) weaves the musicians in and out of the action seamlessly. Sometimes the musicians are part of the scene, as in “The Lusty Month of May,” sometimes in the background (just offstage, or on an upper gallery above the stage), sometimes onstage, but apart from the action. It’s a complete success.
Rideout has a lovely voice, and her Guenevere makes the required journey from maiden to queen to lover. (And she plays an instrument, too.) Thornton’s Lancelot is most definitely French, and the comic egotism of his introduction (“C’Est Moi”) is both unnervingly contemporary (think TV’s Gallivant) and inarguably entertaining. Later, he and Rideout provide the necessary sparks to make the illicit royal romance more than just poignant.
-Shawn Stone
Cap Rep's Camelot a High Quality Puzzler
Times Union Review
Leenya Rideout, who was excellent in "The Secret Garden" with McGuire at Capital Rep two years ago and brought emotional power to "Home" at Adirondack Theatre Festival this past summer, is every bit as good as Guinevere.
-Steve Barnes
Bob Geopfert reviews Camelot at Capital Repertory Theatre
"The performers are as valiant as they are talented. The three leads – Kevin McGuire as Arthur, Leenya Rideout as Guenevere and Oliver Thornton as Lancelot - sing wonderfully and find the humanity in their flawed characters. It is a special delight to see the three actors and the director take risks by offering their own interpretation of these iconic characters."
WAMC Interview with Leenya Rideout & Jane Pfitch
with Joe Donahue
Rideout's Versatility will be on display in Cap Rep's Camelot
Daily Gazette, Interview with Bill Buell
“The music is great, and we also have three flawed but very likable characters,” said Rideout. “But while they were flawed, they were hopeful and idealistic and everyone can resonate with that. The wonderful thing about Guenevere is that she’s not the typical innocent ingenue.”
Man of La Mancha
September 20th through October 31st
Quadracci Powerhouse Theater
Milwaukee Repertory Theater
Leenya reprises the role of Aldonza under the direction of Mark Clements
Costarring Nathaniel Stampley as Don Quixote
Man of La Mancha embodies a hopeful spirit
Journal Sentinel
No wonder this Quixote wins over the terrific Leenya Rideout’s Aldonza, triggering the transformation of this onetime kitchen drudge and two-bit prostitute into the empowered, self-respecting woman Quixote insists she’s always been. Even Rideout’s terrific soprano registers the change, gaining power as Aldonza slowly comes to see herself as Lady Dulcinea....Clements doesn’t shy away from admitting how ludicrous such optimism can seem. We see a woman who has been badly tortured; we also watch a team of men perpetrate one of the more brutal assaults on Aldonza that I’ve seen. But long before we reach journey’s end, it’s the stubborn curmudgeons refusing to buy in who seem crazy. By the time the originally skeptical prisoners reprise “Impossible Dream,” nearly everyone is singing Quixote’s song. Catch this show and so will you.
-Mike Fischer
Milwaukee Rep's magnificent Man of La Mancha brings us into the mind of Quixote
ShowbizChicago.com
And another Broadway vet, Leenya Rideout, is superb as the outcast Aldonza, Cervantes’ fellow prisoner and the woman he envisions as the beautiful Dulcinea. Rideout, who performed in War Horse on Broadway, matches Stampley with a stunning singing voice.
With this thunderous production Man of La Mancha Clemens has once again arisen to the challenge of bringing the best of Broadway to the intimacy of the Quadracci Powerhouse nestled in downtown Milwaukee. When Don Quixote sings “The Impossible Dream,” he mentions this “glorious quest.” Exceptional acting, singing and stage design come together beautifully to make this Man of La Mancha a glorious quest, one that is likely to be remembered by Milwaukee Rep audiences for years to come.
-Matthew Perta
Rep's La Mancha weaves a compelling Tale
Wisconsin Gazette
The score always has been the strong point of Man of La Mancha. And yet, as sung by Nathaniel Stampley (as Miguel/Quixote), Leenya Rideout (Aldonza/Dulcinea) and Michael J. Farina (Sancho Panza), the songs seem new and fresh.
...but it takes longer for kitchen drudge and prostitute Aldonza to appreciate Quixote’s vision of life. This is understandable, as her cruel treatment by men has made her suspicious of their motives. Yet even she must be won over by Quixote’s charms, or the piece would not gel the way it does in this production.But perhaps the most memorable moment for this reviewer is intensely quiet. As Quixote talks about his dreams, Aldonza lifts her head (for perhaps the first time) to gaze at the stars with him. ...The moment doesn’t last long, as Aldonza is later taunted by the men who’ve come to sample her “services.” Their treatment leaves Aldonza bruised and shorn of her wild, fiery hair.
-Anne Siegel
Top 20 Plays in the 2016 Milwaukee Theatre Season
On Milwaukee
"Man of La Mancha," Milwaukee Rep. Artistic Director Mark Clements has a special way with productions filled with the big, the bold and the beautiful. Clements hitched his wagon to Milwaukee native Nathaniel Stampley and turned him loose with a covey of actors who each had a time to create a special moment. His piercing plea to Leenya Rideout in "Dulcinea" was one of the most romantic scenes I ever saw on a stage. The set design by Jack Magaw was one of the most spectacular ever mounted at The Rep.
-Dave Begel
Home: World Premiere at Adirondack Theatre Festival
July 28th through August 5th
Adirondack Theatre Festival
Charles R. Wood Theater
Glens Falls, NY
Leenya premieres the role of Katherine in the raw and intimate play with music "Home" by Christy Hall and Scott Alan directed by Chad Rabinovitz and costarring Nancy Slusser.
Saratogian Review: "'Home' a superb look at disturbing material"
"It would be an easy matter to dismiss Miriam as a monster, but thanks to terrific performances by Nancy Slusser as Miriam and Leenya Rideout as Katherine it is not that simple." "Rideout creates a strong, self-aware woman who has made a life for herself. She does not come home looking for reconciliation. That she finds the ability to forgive and even love a woman who is undeserving of forgiveness or love makes her a better person. There is hope at play’s end that Katherine has healed herself."
-Bob Goepfert
Post Star Review: Don't Miss Home.
"Leenya Rideout stars as 40-year-old Katherine, who returns home to see her long-estranged mother, played by Nancy Slusser." "Nothing could have prepared me for "Home." I was totally overcome by emotion. The show broke my heart, and I wasn't alone. Around Charles R. Wood Theater, sobbing could be heard from every direction." "I was blown away by the performances, especially by Slusser and Rideout, who dominate stage time. Their chemistry is flawless, and you believe every nitpick and annoyance as easily as you fall for every vulnerability and gesture of love."
-Rhonda Triller
Times Union Review: "Home is Where the Heart Hurts"
"Leenya Rideout, who brings gentle determination, resilience and a stellar singing voice to the 40-year-old Katherine, is the emotional center of the story."
-Steve Barnes
Post Star Preview:
"Rideout said she sees a lot of herself in the role, which makes performing the role more difficult."
-Rhonda Triller
Post Star Interview:
“I often find there is already a fabulous, inspirational music teacher or art teacher who is already inspiring all these young minds and working way overtime,” she said. “I’m so pleased because you hear arts programs are being cut all over the country, which is a crime, so it’s inspirational to know we’re only a supplement.”
-Rhonda Triller
Adirondack Theatre Festival
Charles R. Wood Theater
Glens Falls, NY
Leenya premieres the role of Katherine in the raw and intimate play with music "Home" by Christy Hall and Scott Alan directed by Chad Rabinovitz and costarring Nancy Slusser.
Saratogian Review: "'Home' a superb look at disturbing material"
"It would be an easy matter to dismiss Miriam as a monster, but thanks to terrific performances by Nancy Slusser as Miriam and Leenya Rideout as Katherine it is not that simple." "Rideout creates a strong, self-aware woman who has made a life for herself. She does not come home looking for reconciliation. That she finds the ability to forgive and even love a woman who is undeserving of forgiveness or love makes her a better person. There is hope at play’s end that Katherine has healed herself."
-Bob Goepfert
Post Star Review: Don't Miss Home.
"Leenya Rideout stars as 40-year-old Katherine, who returns home to see her long-estranged mother, played by Nancy Slusser." "Nothing could have prepared me for "Home." I was totally overcome by emotion. The show broke my heart, and I wasn't alone. Around Charles R. Wood Theater, sobbing could be heard from every direction." "I was blown away by the performances, especially by Slusser and Rideout, who dominate stage time. Their chemistry is flawless, and you believe every nitpick and annoyance as easily as you fall for every vulnerability and gesture of love."
-Rhonda Triller
Times Union Review: "Home is Where the Heart Hurts"
"Leenya Rideout, who brings gentle determination, resilience and a stellar singing voice to the 40-year-old Katherine, is the emotional center of the story."
-Steve Barnes
Post Star Preview:
"Rideout said she sees a lot of herself in the role, which makes performing the role more difficult."
-Rhonda Triller
Post Star Interview:
“I often find there is already a fabulous, inspirational music teacher or art teacher who is already inspiring all these young minds and working way overtime,” she said. “I’m so pleased because you hear arts programs are being cut all over the country, which is a crime, so it’s inspirational to know we’re only a supplement.”
-Rhonda Triller
Taming of the Shrew in Shakespeare in the Park
May 24th through June 25th, 2016
Leenya plays the part of The Widow in the all female cast of Taming of the Shrew in Shakespeare in the Park
directed by Phyllida Lloyd starring Janet McTeer & Cush Jumbo
She is onstage music director as well as an onstage musician (electric bass, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, and keyboard)
Leenya was featured in one of the first posts of Lena Dunham's Lenny Letters:
Trully Taming the Shrew
"It's so liberating to do this, because gender is so often exaggerated in theater. I've had many roles where I've had high heels and panty hose, a corset, fake eyelashes. My breathing is constricted and restrained and shaped by those things, which is necessary if you're doing a show like that, but just to step onstage and take a breath and be flat on my feet and just walk normally ... I don't think people understand how rare it is." --Leenya Rideout (Widow)
Leenya's opening night message to the cast of Taming of the Shrew from her character, The Widow...
Cowgirls at the Pioneer Theatre Company
Broadway World Review:
"Pioneer Theatre Company's 'Cowgirls' is Distinctive"
"If ONCE, MAMMA MIA!, and 9 TO 5 were all thrown together in a blender, you would get a slight approximation of the distinctive qualities of COWGIRLS, although it pre-dates all three and probably is different from anything else you have seen... Original cast member Leenya Rideout is a standout as the guarded but generous Jo."
-Tyler Hinton
Salt Lake Tribune Review
Pioneer Theatre Lassos Big Hearted Musical with 'Cowgirls'
"...But what's worth the ticket is the emotional weight of the music, particularly its ballads, which are beautifully delivered by a talented cast of actor/musicians... Broadway actor Leenya Rideout embodies the heartworn Jo Carlson, who inherited Hiram Hall, a legendary country roadhouse, from her father. The burdens of his debts match the oversized belt buckle holding up her boyfriend jeans... Rideout, an understudy for the original off-Broadway show, comes by the Western ache in her voice naturally, thanks to her Montana and Colorado roots. Her talent shines on "It's Time to Come Home," a song about a girl missing her mother, one of the show's emotional highlights... Cowgirls" offers simple fun, but its real power is how this cast's talent will lasso your heart. Twenty years on, "Cowgirls" still reminds us the American musical theater canon needs more stories by and about women."
-Ellen Fagg Weist
PTC's All Female "Cowgirls" Brings Top-Notch Acting & Comedy to the Stage'The Pioneer Theatre Company gave audiences a chance to see talented actors at the top of their game and an exciting new performance in the premiere of the all-female production “Cowgirls.” This women-driven show is a musical comedy following the down-on-her-luck Jo (played by Leenya Rideout), who hires what she thinks is a country music trio in the hopes that they will save her father’s once-famous saloon, Hiram Hall, which is in a financial crisis.'
-Aaron Clark
Gephart Daily Review
"Rideout, as bar owner Jo, displays her character’s deep, artistic soul, gained from a life of loss and sacrifice."
-Nancy Van Valkenburg
Deseret News Review
Leenya performed on Salt Lake City's Country Western radio station, 101.5 The Eagle
Watch video clips from the show here:
Read the Salt Lake Tribune interview here:
Watch the promotional video here:
Read the Deseret News interview here:
"Pioneer Theatre Company's 'Cowgirls' is Distinctive"
"If ONCE, MAMMA MIA!, and 9 TO 5 were all thrown together in a blender, you would get a slight approximation of the distinctive qualities of COWGIRLS, although it pre-dates all three and probably is different from anything else you have seen... Original cast member Leenya Rideout is a standout as the guarded but generous Jo."
-Tyler Hinton
Salt Lake Tribune Review
Pioneer Theatre Lassos Big Hearted Musical with 'Cowgirls'
"...But what's worth the ticket is the emotional weight of the music, particularly its ballads, which are beautifully delivered by a talented cast of actor/musicians... Broadway actor Leenya Rideout embodies the heartworn Jo Carlson, who inherited Hiram Hall, a legendary country roadhouse, from her father. The burdens of his debts match the oversized belt buckle holding up her boyfriend jeans... Rideout, an understudy for the original off-Broadway show, comes by the Western ache in her voice naturally, thanks to her Montana and Colorado roots. Her talent shines on "It's Time to Come Home," a song about a girl missing her mother, one of the show's emotional highlights... Cowgirls" offers simple fun, but its real power is how this cast's talent will lasso your heart. Twenty years on, "Cowgirls" still reminds us the American musical theater canon needs more stories by and about women."
-Ellen Fagg Weist
PTC's All Female "Cowgirls" Brings Top-Notch Acting & Comedy to the Stage'The Pioneer Theatre Company gave audiences a chance to see talented actors at the top of their game and an exciting new performance in the premiere of the all-female production “Cowgirls.” This women-driven show is a musical comedy following the down-on-her-luck Jo (played by Leenya Rideout), who hires what she thinks is a country music trio in the hopes that they will save her father’s once-famous saloon, Hiram Hall, which is in a financial crisis.'
-Aaron Clark
Gephart Daily Review
"Rideout, as bar owner Jo, displays her character’s deep, artistic soul, gained from a life of loss and sacrifice."
-Nancy Van Valkenburg
Deseret News Review
Leenya performed on Salt Lake City's Country Western radio station, 101.5 The Eagle
Watch video clips from the show here:
Read the Salt Lake Tribune interview here:
Watch the promotional video here:
Read the Deseret News interview here:
Tor & Lisa at 54 Below
"The first set of songs came from Auburn The Musical. From the campy opening number, “Broadway in the Finger Lakes” ... to the spinning and soaring tenor ballad “Shine” (delivered flawlessly by Oliver Thorton) to the soulful “Never Jumped At All” (equally beautifully acted and sung by Leenya Rideout of Warhorseand Cabaret)."
"The cunning duet, “My One and Only,” was such a romantic comedy, conveyed impeccably again by Leenya Rideout and Oliver Thorton."
-Monica Charline Brown, Theater Pizzazz.com
"The cunning duet, “My One and Only,” was such a romantic comedy, conveyed impeccably again by Leenya Rideout and Oliver Thorton."
-Monica Charline Brown, Theater Pizzazz.com
On Golden Pond at Casa Manana Theatre
Leenya plays Chelsea in Eric Woodall's production of this perfectly written play starring Stephen Bradbury and Darrie Lawrence.
Watch the video trailer here:
Review: The Dallas Morning News
'On Golden Pond' performances outshine the play at Casa Manana"Under Eric Woodall’s sensitive direction, winning performances and production design outshine the witty, touching but meandering plot of Ernest Thompson’s 1979 play."
"Leenya Rideout’s Chelsea is a lovely, wounded bird."
-Nancy Churnin
Watch an interview with director, Eric Woodall.
Watch the video trailer here:
Review: The Dallas Morning News
'On Golden Pond' performances outshine the play at Casa Manana"Under Eric Woodall’s sensitive direction, winning performances and production design outshine the witty, touching but meandering plot of Ernest Thompson’s 1979 play."
"Leenya Rideout’s Chelsea is a lovely, wounded bird."
-Nancy Churnin
Watch an interview with director, Eric Woodall.
Man of La Mancha at Cape Fear Regional Theatre
Leenya reprises the role of Aldonza with Tom Quaintance directing and Patrick Oliver Jones as Don Quixote 400 years after the legendary novel El Quixote was published.
Man of La Mancha kicks off the CFRT Theatre Season
Janice Burton
Review: NC Theater Stories
-James Johnson
"The counter argument to Quixote’s worldview, is embodied in the character of Aldonza, played by Broadway actress Leenya Rideout. Rideout’s Aldonza has a life most similar to that of the prisoners Cervantes is trying to entertain. She is a prostitute who has been mistreated and beaten by just about every man she has come in contact with. Only Quixote, who finds Aldonza in a rowdy roadside Inn that he mistakes for a castle, sees her as a person of value. He dubs her “Dulcinea.”
Rideout gives probably the most moving performance in the show, and in many ways, becomes the story’s true hero. Rideout has an unquestionably powerful voice."
Review: Fayetteville Observer
Plays Open Season on Varied Notes
'Heading the cast are two New York pros - Patrick Oliver Jones as Don Quixote and Miguel de Cervantes and Leenya Rideout as Aldonza/Dulcinea. The two, with an able assist by Jeremy Fiebig as Quixote's faithful sidekick Sancho, struck all the right notes in the play. The expected musical highlights - "The Impossible Dream" and "Dulcinea" - were delivered in impeccable fashion. Rideout was in stunning vocal form on her solos, including "Aldonza" and "What Does He Want of Me?"'
-Roger Mullen
Man of La Mancha rides into CFRT
Rodger Mullen, Fayetteville Observer
Watch the trailer video for CFRT's production of Man of La Mancha!
Man of La Mancha kicks off the CFRT Theatre Season
Janice Burton
Review: NC Theater Stories
-James Johnson
"The counter argument to Quixote’s worldview, is embodied in the character of Aldonza, played by Broadway actress Leenya Rideout. Rideout’s Aldonza has a life most similar to that of the prisoners Cervantes is trying to entertain. She is a prostitute who has been mistreated and beaten by just about every man she has come in contact with. Only Quixote, who finds Aldonza in a rowdy roadside Inn that he mistakes for a castle, sees her as a person of value. He dubs her “Dulcinea.”
Rideout gives probably the most moving performance in the show, and in many ways, becomes the story’s true hero. Rideout has an unquestionably powerful voice."
Review: Fayetteville Observer
Plays Open Season on Varied Notes
'Heading the cast are two New York pros - Patrick Oliver Jones as Don Quixote and Miguel de Cervantes and Leenya Rideout as Aldonza/Dulcinea. The two, with an able assist by Jeremy Fiebig as Quixote's faithful sidekick Sancho, struck all the right notes in the play. The expected musical highlights - "The Impossible Dream" and "Dulcinea" - were delivered in impeccable fashion. Rideout was in stunning vocal form on her solos, including "Aldonza" and "What Does He Want of Me?"'
-Roger Mullen
Man of La Mancha rides into CFRT
Rodger Mullen, Fayetteville Observer
Watch the trailer video for CFRT's production of Man of La Mancha!
Fairfield at Cleveland Playhouse
May 1st through May 31st
Outkalt Theater at Cleveland Playhouse
Peace, Love Respect for All. What could go wrong?
Leenya plays Molly Flemmingsen in Eric Coble's brand new play, Fairfield, directed by Laura Kepley.
Review: The News-Herald
"Racism Gets Schooled in this Excellent Cleveland Playhouse Comedy 'Fairfield'"
"The play lays bare the hypocrisy of liberal-minded, helicopter parents who discuss, logically and amiably, how best to deal with their boys’ indiscretions. But when push comes to shove, their true colors are revealed. They are played to perfection by Leenya Rideout, Marinda Anderson, Brian Sills and Bjorn DuPaty."
-Bob Abelman
Review: Cool Cleveland
"Fairfield at the Cleveland Playhouse"
Review: Cleveland.com/onstage
See the photo shoot for Fairfield.
Watch a video interview with our fantastic playwright, Eric Coble.
The Cleveland Playhouse, in it's 99th season, wins the Tony Award for best Regional Theater!
Outkalt Theater at Cleveland Playhouse
Peace, Love Respect for All. What could go wrong?
Leenya plays Molly Flemmingsen in Eric Coble's brand new play, Fairfield, directed by Laura Kepley.
Review: The News-Herald
"Racism Gets Schooled in this Excellent Cleveland Playhouse Comedy 'Fairfield'"
"The play lays bare the hypocrisy of liberal-minded, helicopter parents who discuss, logically and amiably, how best to deal with their boys’ indiscretions. But when push comes to shove, their true colors are revealed. They are played to perfection by Leenya Rideout, Marinda Anderson, Brian Sills and Bjorn DuPaty."
-Bob Abelman
Review: Cool Cleveland
"Fairfield at the Cleveland Playhouse"
Review: Cleveland.com/onstage
See the photo shoot for Fairfield.
Watch a video interview with our fantastic playwright, Eric Coble.
The Cleveland Playhouse, in it's 99th season, wins the Tony Award for best Regional Theater!
Carmilla at the York Theatre Company
Leenya portrays the title character in this reading of the new musical drama based on the 19th century Vampire novella that predates Bram Stoker's Dracula.
Book and lyrics by Joel Gross
Music by Paul Aleman
Directed by Gabriel Barre
Broadway World
Theatermania
Book and lyrics by Joel Gross
Music by Paul Aleman
Directed by Gabriel Barre
Broadway World
Theatermania
Secret Garden at Capital Rep
THE TIMES UNION Review
"The Secret Garden intimate, immediate" November 29th, 2014
"Leenya Rideout gives the most impressive performance of the production as the maid Martha. Martha's second-act song to Mary, 'Hold On,' is a few minutes of perfection."
-Steve Barnes
DISCOVER ALBANY Review
"The Secret Garden is Enchanting!" November 26th, 2014
"The entire cast is terrific. It's always fun to see a large cast at The Rep and this cast of 17 truly works their magic. Leenya Rideout and Elliot Lane bring tour-de-force performances as brother and sister, Martha and Dickon, respectively. Their energy, warmth, and compassion bring a new level of fun to the stage."
-Will Gallagher
THE RECORD Review
December 1st, 2014
"As the chambermaid, Martha, Leenya Rideout, creates a comic but determined person who stops the second act with the song 'Hold On.'
-Bob Goepfert
Directed by Maggie Mancinelli-Cahill with music direction by Josh Smith, Leenya works with her former stage husband Fred Rose in their 6th musical together. This article talks about just how far back our collaboration and friendship goes.
Together Again in a Musical Garden: Stages at The Rep
Leenya joins music director Josh Smith and cast members Fred Rose and Mollie Vogt-Welch in this NBC news interview about The Secret Garden at Capital Repertory Theatre where they talk about actor-musicianship.
http://wnyt.com/article/stories/S3636827.shtml
"The Secret Garden intimate, immediate" November 29th, 2014
"Leenya Rideout gives the most impressive performance of the production as the maid Martha. Martha's second-act song to Mary, 'Hold On,' is a few minutes of perfection."
-Steve Barnes
DISCOVER ALBANY Review
"The Secret Garden is Enchanting!" November 26th, 2014
"The entire cast is terrific. It's always fun to see a large cast at The Rep and this cast of 17 truly works their magic. Leenya Rideout and Elliot Lane bring tour-de-force performances as brother and sister, Martha and Dickon, respectively. Their energy, warmth, and compassion bring a new level of fun to the stage."
-Will Gallagher
THE RECORD Review
December 1st, 2014
"As the chambermaid, Martha, Leenya Rideout, creates a comic but determined person who stops the second act with the song 'Hold On.'
-Bob Goepfert
Directed by Maggie Mancinelli-Cahill with music direction by Josh Smith, Leenya works with her former stage husband Fred Rose in their 6th musical together. This article talks about just how far back our collaboration and friendship goes.
Together Again in a Musical Garden: Stages at The Rep
Leenya joins music director Josh Smith and cast members Fred Rose and Mollie Vogt-Welch in this NBC news interview about The Secret Garden at Capital Repertory Theatre where they talk about actor-musicianship.
http://wnyt.com/article/stories/S3636827.shtml
Woody Sez at TheaterWorks in Hartford
Directed by Nick Corley, the cast of Woody Sez, David Lutken, Helen J. Russell, Leenya Rideout, & David Finch continue to bring audiences to their feet in Hartford Connecticut's Off Broadway Theater.
Read what the New York Times had to say:
Paying Homage to a Homespun Troubadour
by Sylviane Gold August 22nd, 2014
Stagestruck: Bound for Glory
September 3rd, 2014
"The women put me in mind of two folk legends. Helen J. Russell, with her waterfall-pure singing and ready smile, reminds me of 'the mother of folk', Appalachian singer Jean Ritchie, and Leenya Rideout's chiseled beauty and crystalline voice evoke a brunette Emmylou Harris."
Hartford Theaterworks' showcases singer-activisit's music and life in Woody Sez
August 18th, 2014
"Leenya Rideout eschews a mean violin and is in possession of a marvelous singing voice which she employs to maximum effect on a number of emotion-drenched tunes such as her tale of a 'Union Maid'."
"Using verses from “The Ballad of Tom Joad,” sweetly sung by Ms. Rideout, as a throughline, “Woody Sez” moves easily through the decades."
"He (David Finch) and Ms. Rideout, portraying the Guthrie children when the family was living in Brooklyn, join Mr. Lutken for the playful “Riding in My Car”."
"At various times, Ms. Rideout shines on mandolin and dulcimer."
Read what the New York Times had to say:
Paying Homage to a Homespun Troubadour
by Sylviane Gold August 22nd, 2014
Stagestruck: Bound for Glory
September 3rd, 2014
"The women put me in mind of two folk legends. Helen J. Russell, with her waterfall-pure singing and ready smile, reminds me of 'the mother of folk', Appalachian singer Jean Ritchie, and Leenya Rideout's chiseled beauty and crystalline voice evoke a brunette Emmylou Harris."
Hartford Theaterworks' showcases singer-activisit's music and life in Woody Sez
August 18th, 2014
"Leenya Rideout eschews a mean violin and is in possession of a marvelous singing voice which she employs to maximum effect on a number of emotion-drenched tunes such as her tale of a 'Union Maid'."
"Using verses from “The Ballad of Tom Joad,” sweetly sung by Ms. Rideout, as a throughline, “Woody Sez” moves easily through the decades."
"He (David Finch) and Ms. Rideout, portraying the Guthrie children when the family was living in Brooklyn, join Mr. Lutken for the playful “Riding in My Car”."
"At various times, Ms. Rideout shines on mandolin and dulcimer."
Woody Sez at Milwaukee Repertory Theater
Leenya plays several characters and instruments in this telling of Woody Guthrie's life and music at Milwaukee Repertory Theater.
Review: OnMilwaukee.com
"Leenya Rideout is probably the sexiest mandolin/fiddle/guitar player you've ever seen. Her voice is both earthy and sultry, and she has a sense of humor that is infectious."
-Dave Begel
Review: JSOnline Tap Milwaukee
'We're also given periodic, equally subversive dollops of what Guthrie considered his greatest song: "The Ballad of Tom Joad," which recaps Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath" in 17 verses, many of them rendered here by a charismatic Rideout — terrific all night, whether she was playing mandolin or fiddle, staring forlornly into the distance from a hobo camp, singing a rousing, fist-pumping "Union Maid" or leading a poignant "Sinking of the Reuben James."'
-Mike Fischer
Review: Express Milwaukee.com
"Leenya Rideout matches Lutken on fiddle, guitar and a few other musical elements as well. She’s got a cleverly understated presence onstage that’s deeply charming."
-Russ Bickerstaff
Review: OnMilwaukee.com
"Leenya Rideout is probably the sexiest mandolin/fiddle/guitar player you've ever seen. Her voice is both earthy and sultry, and she has a sense of humor that is infectious."
-Dave Begel
Review: JSOnline Tap Milwaukee
'We're also given periodic, equally subversive dollops of what Guthrie considered his greatest song: "The Ballad of Tom Joad," which recaps Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath" in 17 verses, many of them rendered here by a charismatic Rideout — terrific all night, whether she was playing mandolin or fiddle, staring forlornly into the distance from a hobo camp, singing a rousing, fist-pumping "Union Maid" or leading a poignant "Sinking of the Reuben James."'
-Mike Fischer
Review: Express Milwaukee.com
"Leenya Rideout matches Lutken on fiddle, guitar and a few other musical elements as well. She’s got a cleverly understated presence onstage that’s deeply charming."
-Russ Bickerstaff
Woody Sez at Cleveland Playhouse and Theater J
Leenya joins the cast of Woody Sez in Cleveland (September and October 2013) and Theater J (November and December 2013).
Review: Broadway World.com
(David Lutken) is accompanied by two accomplished fiddlers, Leenya Rideout and David Finch.
Leenya Rideout, meanwhile, takes all-too-brief turns as a beloved sister and, later, the loves of Woody's life.
-Andrew White
Review: DC Theatre Scene
'Lutken’s costar Leenya Rideout brings her lovely soprano and equal violin, guitar, and dulcimer skills to satisfying turns as Guthrie’s sister, bandmate, and others. Her haunting rendition of “The Ballad of Tom Joad,” about a struggling laborer roaming the American backroads, provides a musical through-line that traces Woody’s rambling life through its ups and downs. Rideout also embraces the spotlight with her turn as a resilient worker in a powerhouse rendition of “Union Maid”.'
-Ben Demers, DC Theatre Scene
DC Metro Theatre Arts 5 Star Review by Christina Marie Frank
DC Metro Theatre Arts Review by John Stoltenberg
Cleveland.com Review by Andrea Simakis
Review: Broadway World.com
(David Lutken) is accompanied by two accomplished fiddlers, Leenya Rideout and David Finch.
Leenya Rideout, meanwhile, takes all-too-brief turns as a beloved sister and, later, the loves of Woody's life.
-Andrew White
Review: DC Theatre Scene
'Lutken’s costar Leenya Rideout brings her lovely soprano and equal violin, guitar, and dulcimer skills to satisfying turns as Guthrie’s sister, bandmate, and others. Her haunting rendition of “The Ballad of Tom Joad,” about a struggling laborer roaming the American backroads, provides a musical through-line that traces Woody’s rambling life through its ups and downs. Rideout also embraces the spotlight with her turn as a resilient worker in a powerhouse rendition of “Union Maid”.'
-Ben Demers, DC Theatre Scene
DC Metro Theatre Arts 5 Star Review by Christina Marie Frank
DC Metro Theatre Arts Review by John Stoltenberg
Cleveland.com Review by Andrea Simakis
"Holidays With the Chalks" nominated for 2 Atlanta Theater Fan Awards!
Holidays With the Chalks, written and starring Leenya Rideout, Mary Brienza, and Kathryn Markey has been nominated for Best Holiday Show and Best Scenic Design (Kat Conley) for 2012.
View all of the 2012 Atlanta Theater Fan Awards here and cast your VOTE!
View all of the 2012 Atlanta Theater Fan Awards here and cast your VOTE!
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GypsyLeenya plays Miss Cratchitt and Electra in the Hangar Theatre's production of Gypsy directed by Stephanie Yankwitt and starring Michelle Ragusa
Performances from July 4th to July 21st, 2013 Syracuse Times Review: Undressed to Impress "As for stretching into the role, none can beat Leenya Rideout, who doubles as the sourpuss Miss Cratchit in the first act and was last seen at the Hangar as the guilt-ridden housewife in last month’s Last of the Red Hot Lovers. Here, flask in hand, she’s the loopy Electra, staggering around with her electric light-up bra. All of this is surprisingly modest and not exploitive of female flesh. With a woman director you get a show about a stripper without so much as a single exposed navel." -James MacKillop, Syracuse Times |
The Last of the Red Hot LoversLeenya stars with Jordan Gelber, Jen Cody, and Natalie Walker in this Neil Simon classic at the Hangar Theatre in Ithaca.
Performances from June 13th through June 29th. Review: Acting stands out in Hangar's "Last of the Red Hot Lovers" "Associate Artistic Director Jesse Bush directs with a sure hand, evoking the best from his four fine actors." -Barbara Adams, Pressconnects.com Review: Neil Simon Revival is Warm Retro Fun "The work is everything network sitcoms are not — and if the summer television season leaves you cold, you’d be well advised to tune into Ithaca’s local stage, where four veteran actors turn up the heat. The production brings together Bush, a welcome reoccurring character at the Hangar, with four talented professionals making their Ithaca debut." "Leenya Rideout provides some emotional gravity as a woman who has felt the burn of desire’s flame." -Luke Z. Fenchel, Ithaca.com Review: Funny Bones Rattle when Hangar Presents Simon "...Gelber is aided and abetted by the considerable acting talents and comic timing of Jennifer Cody (Elaine Navazio), Leenya Rideout (Jeannette Fisher), and Natalie Walker (Bobbi Michele).""And just when you think the third woman will spell success for Barney, in walks Jeannette, like the punch line of a bad joke, and lays at his feet, not the body of a willing consort, but the woes of the world. Rideout fills the stage with a self-induced nihilism and disgust for the human race that sends Barney into action, our funnybones colliding with Simon's knack for truth, and the play's ascendance to stuff well-beyond typical situation comedy." -Tony Curulla, Syracuse.com Review: No Fooling "Seen from a distance, all three women appear to be types, as does Barney, but with an all-professional cast plus one recent Tisch School of the Arts graduate, everyone is both rounder and deeper than their mere dialogue would imply. Each is delivering to the max under the hand of Ithaca-based director and actor Jesse Bush.""Ithaca’s Hangar Theatre is a prestige venue that will later present Bruce Norris’s Clybourne Park, one of the top dramas of the year. This sparkling mounting of Last of the Red Hot Lovers can keep company with that." -James MacKillup, Syracuse New Times Review: Red Hot Loving at the Hangar Theatre "Under Jesse Bush’s crisp direction, with nimble work by Jordan Gelber as Barney, and sharply limned portrayals by the three women, the Hangar does manage to provide a regular flow of laughter." -Ross Haarstad, Ithaca Times Broadway World Hangar Theatre Theatremania Photo Gallery |
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Pump Boys and Dinettes
The production of Pump Boys and Dinettes directed by John Doyle slated to open on Broadway in April of 2013 has been postponed indefinitely. Check back for future news.
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Holidays with the ChalksNovember-December 2012
With her cohorts Kathryn Markey and Mary Brienza, Leenya cowrote the raucous Country Music Comedy Holidays with the Chalks that debuted at the Alliance Theater in Atlanta Georgia. Directed by Susan Booth, the Chalks took Atlanta by storm, turning the theater into a real life Honkey Tonk. Atlanta Theater Fans Review"Once inside, country music blares over the speakers, drinks are served and darts are thrown while audience members wait for the ladies to take the stage. As soon as the lights dim, the laughter begins. The story, while preposterous at times, is parody and satire on par with anything Seth MacFarlane could dream up. It is witty, touching and funny. There are no sacred cows and everything is fair game." -Kenny Norton Atlanta Insider Review "Belva can even sing while chewing gum!" -Sylvia A. Small Arts Atlanta Review "Leenya Rideout of the Chalks rocks it at the Alliance." -Andrew Alexander Atlanta In Town Review Access Atlanta Review "As written and performed by Mary Brienza (Judeen), Kathryn Markey (Judelle) and Leenya Rideout (Belva), “Holidays with the Chalks” is a gleeful diversion from some of the well-trod entertainments that turn Atlanta into tinsel town every season. The Chalks sure pour their giddy hearts and souls into making us merry." _Wendell Brock Pure Politics Review The Chalks at 54 Below"Country and contrary (is there such a thing as contrary country?) The Chalks, a trio in spangled shirts and country garb to the max, totally took over. "Absolute favorites" of Susie's and now I know why. Hilarious songwriting and terrific musicianship, complete with some boot-and-cowbell percussion, they created their own world and for a couple of tunes, we got to go there." _Tom Dworetzky, New York Daily News |
Backstage at 54 Below
Leenya was one of the first to perform at the beautiful 54 Below:"Leenya Rideout, who's in War Horse at Lincoln Center, busted out an agonized version of Sondheim's "I Remember" that I guarantee I'll never forget. (If anybody filmed it, please hit us up with a link in the comments.)"
-Trey Graham at NPR
-Trey Graham at NPR
Merrily We Roll AlongMarch, 2012
Leenya played Gussie Carnegie in Merrily We Roll Along directed by John Doyle at Cincinnati Playhouse in the Park. 'Merrily We Roll' Along at the Playhouse in the Park wins 5 LCT Awards. Stephen Sondheim reportedly pleased with John Doyle's staging of his 'Merrily We Roll Along' City Beat Review "Leenya Rideout is his glamorous second wife, the cold-as-ice, manipulative Gussie, who pushes a “roll-around” string bass most of the evening. (The seductive Rideout, an attention-getter from start to finish, even takes the instrument atop the piano for one number). That might sound distracting, but these musical elements add depth and dimension to the characters and the storytelling." -Rick Pender |
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War HorseMarch 2011 to January 2012
Leenya learned the art of puppeteering to portray Joey as a foal in this groundbreaking play at Lincoln Center. She also performed the roles of Matron Callahan, Rose, Paulette, the Songwoman, and the Songman. Broadway.com: Opening Night Backstage Review "The first nod must go to the amazing puppeteers who embody Joey (Stephen James Anthony, David Pegram, and Leenya Rideout are the foal; Jeslyn Kelly, Jonathan David Martin, and Prentice Onayemi are the grown horse) and Topthorn, another majestic English horse (Joel Reuben Ganz, Tom Lee, and Jonathan Christopher MacMillan). They create thoroughly detailed personalities solely through sounds and movement." -Erik Haagensen |
Man of La ManchaLeenya stars with Gary Lindemann as Aldonza/Dulcinea in the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina's production under the direction of DJ Salisbury.
Island Packet Review "Leenya Rideout, as Aldonza, Escalante and Dulcinea, surfaces in an impressive way, and we are taken by her energy, physicality and the convincing harshness which the role demands, all tempered by her dignity. Her dark vocals convey the nature of her character. Equally remarkable for other reasons, are the moments when Aldonza offers "Dulcinea."" -Nancy Wellard |
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Company (2006 Broadway Revival)Leenya costars as Jenny in John Doyle's production of this Sondheim masterpiece starring Raul Esparza as Bobby.
Theatermania Review "The performances of the actor-musicians who play Bobby's married buddies are, for the most part, exemplary: - Leenya Rideout and Fred Rose as Jenny and David, whose experimentation with marijuana is both hilarious and touching;" Recording the Soundtrack New York Times Review "...all are fine actors and singers and, more impressively, mobile and apparently hard-to-rattle musicians." New York Times Review |
The Ladies Who Sing Sondheim
Acting Company Benefit Concert
April 7th, 2008
Conceived and directed by John Doyle
"Connective tissue by the Chorus, dubbed here The Broadway Babies (some of them, in Doylian manner, also playing instruments), yielded delightful work in ensembles as well as in a few solos, notably from Heather Laws in “Getting Married Today” and the delicious Leenya Rideout (who also expertly doubled on violin and double bass) in “Steps of the Palace” from Into the Woods."
-John Simon of Broadway.com
April 7th, 2008
Conceived and directed by John Doyle
"Connective tissue by the Chorus, dubbed here The Broadway Babies (some of them, in Doylian manner, also playing instruments), yielded delightful work in ensembles as well as in a few solos, notably from Heather Laws in “Getting Married Today” and the delicious Leenya Rideout (who also expertly doubled on violin and double bass) in “Steps of the Palace” from Into the Woods."
-John Simon of Broadway.com
Guys and Dolls
September, 2001
Leenya costars as Sergeant Sarah Brown with Ted Koch as Sky Masterson in North Carolina Theater's production of this Frank Loesser classic.
Leenya costars as Sergeant Sarah Brown with Ted Koch as Sky Masterson in North Carolina Theater's production of this Frank Loesser classic.
Cabaret (1998 Broadway Revival)Leenya played the Kit Kat girl Texas in the original cast of this revival directed by Sam Mendes and Rob Marshall starring Alan Cumming and Natasha Richardson.
Roundabout Blog "Over 18 million audience members saw Cabaret over its 6-year run" New York Times Interview with The Kit Kat Girls ''Each night we dedicate the number (Mein Herr) to someone different,'' Ms. Chittick said. ''Often it's one of Leenya's ex-boyfriends.'' Ms. Rideout admitted, ''I have a lot of ex-boyfriends.'' -Wilborn Hampton |
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Portable Pioneer and Prairie Show
February, 1997
Leenya stars as Karen in Mel Marvin and David Chambers musical kicking off Larry Hirschorn's new theater company The Melting Pot Theater Company.
Playbill.com
Leenya stars as Karen in Mel Marvin and David Chambers musical kicking off Larry Hirschorn's new theater company The Melting Pot Theater Company.
Playbill.com
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My Fair Lady: International Tour1994
Leenya stars as Eliza Doolittle in National Touring Musicals' production all over the US, Canada, and Asia. Times Leader Review, Wilkes Barre, PA "Eliza Doolittle, that spunky street urchin on the cusp of ladyhood, curls up on a Victorian sofa. Mrs. Pearce, the housekeeper, covers her with a pink blanket and exits. "Awww," breathes a spectator. It's Friday night at the Kirby Center. The house is almost full. The show is "My Fair Lady." Leenya Rideout, as Eliza, is alone on the stage. Now that the character is no longer such a complete guttersnipe, now that she can pronounce a letter "H" sound at the beginning of words and utter her famous sentence about Spain's rainy plains, suddenly she seems more vulnerable than ever. And she's won over her audience, making them coo, sigh and chuckle in sympathy as she finds it hard to sleep. In one of the most appealing moments of Friday's performance, Rideout sings "I Could've Danced All Night" in a soaring voice that hovers somewhere between birdlike and angelic. Her winning performance follows the most interesting action in the first half of the Lerner and Loewe musical. Professor Henry Higgins (Gary Kimble) and Colonel Pickering (Richard Springle) have been sharing Eliza's exhaustion as the professor tries to make her speak with marbles in her mouth and books on her head. Doggedly, they persist. Then, sharing her eventual triumph, the trio prances and sings. They imitate a matador and bull. Rideout sings with operatic vigor and elegant sophistication as the transformed Eliza. Enough of the Cockney-accented tunes of the pre-metamorphosis flower girl; this is the voice that comes to her naturally." -Mary Therese Biebel |