REVIEWS
“TWO-HEADED” AT THE BERKSHIRE THEATRE FESTIVAL
“...deeply moving, brilliantly staged and far-far more than “a play about Mormons.” Up-stage right is a clothes line, very basic to the imaginative direction of Director Marc Geller. That clothes line links the scenes so brilliantly that years can pass and scenes change beneath the tree. And by the time the play ends, we will know what is locked in the great storage chest under it. I found myself moved to tears...as a production it is flawless...the direction keeps the stage of this two character play active and compelling...This is an extremely moving play, impeccably presented.”
Frances Benn Hall New Berkshire
“The two women are directed in an open-faced performance of this play by Marc Geller who seems to have taken notice of each character’s weaknesses and strengths and exposed both in the best way possible. Not a traffic cop, Geller has directed the internal play between these characters...his stage pictures are fine and the physical balance between (the women) is never incorrect or false for even a moment. It is time well spent...one of the best two-headed plays you may ever see.”
J. Peter Bergman Edge Boston
“The pleasure of being in the audience and witnessing a well-constructed play is similar to reading a well-written story. At the conclusion when the stage lights go down or when we close the book, we can think: 'Yes. That's the way the story should be told.' That was my reaction to the play entitled “Two- Headed” authored by Julie Jensen and directed by Marc Geller...the entire production is effectively paced to allow reflection on the beliefs and disbeliefs of the women and the impact of religion and death upon their lives.”
Herbert Wolff WAMC Northeast Public Radio
“...director Marc Geller has staged it so that these women's difficult lives play out with plenty of dramatic tension but none of melodrama inherent in the backstory. It ends exactly when it should, after just eighty minutes, but it will stay with you much longer.”
Elyse Sommer CurtainUp
“...director Marc Geller has May and Prusha play every moment of pain and distress. Geller has wisely staged this play without an intermission. It is fine theatre and well worth an hour and a half of your time.”
Gail M. Burns gailsez.com
“Marc Geller has directed “Two-Headed” with a steady, patient hand. Together with his designers, Geller has created a richly evocative atmosphere onstage.”
Jeffrey Borak The Berkshire Eagle
“Geller's tight, sometimes tense direction, Aaron P. Mastin's set, Dennis Ballard's costumes and Frank DenDanto's lighting all work to plant us deep in the world of the two women.”
Michael Eck Times Union
“Director Marc Geller uses designer Dennis Ballard's appropriately muted costumes subtly, too, with the women beginning each scene by taking a child's pinafore or a matron's apron from a pile of laundry and putting it on, then shifting to the next scene by hanging that item on a clothesline before donning the next age's uniform. The device has an understated symbolism and quiet rhythm...”
Louise Kennedy Boston Globe
“While On The Road In America this summer, I was gifted with the opportunity to see a new Berkshire Theater Festival production, Two-Headed... Two-Headed is a stunning and provocative production...”
Christine Anne Piesyk Clarksville
“Director Marc Geller keeps Two-Headed tightly paced, running 79 minutes, and has his superb actresses move from lithe 10-year-olds to sexually awake 20-year-olds to liberated 50-year-olds...Two- Headed is a play for those who revel in drama that forces you to think as it entertains, a type of two- headedness that great theater possesses.”
James Yeara Metroland
“Under Marc Geller’s focused direction Lavinia’s and Hettie’s tough lives are revealed with sensitive and dramatic intensity.”
Ron Lee WBRK Radio
“...the work is genuinely affecting...a subdued portrait of victimized women...director Marc Geller trusts the material and his performers, so he does not push hard to impose blatant drama on such a delicate piece of material...beautiful and poignant.”
Bob Goepfert The Record
“Director Marc Geller keeps the pacing strong...the last image, making full use of Mastin’s set, provides a touching finale...impressively presented.”
Jonathan Levine The Pittsfield Gazette
“...moving without being sentimental...exceptional performances...I thought it was excellent”
Lesley Ann Beck Berkshires Week
“SOUVENIR” AT STAGEWORKS HUDSON
'Souvenir' hits high note in Hudson
“If the play is to work, the audience has to appreciate the woman's love of music and transcend her non-existent talent. It should be about the beauty of the music that exists in our heads. Thank you director Marc Geller for recognizing this. When the play works as well as it does at Stageworks, the audience makes the same journey. Director Geller recognizes it as a memory play - and he wisely makes Mc Moon an important partner in the production.”
Bob Goepfert Troy Record/ WAMC
‘Souvenir’ a beautifully written gem featuring humor and compassion
“...sensitively directed by Marc Geller, is a most engaging comedy that combines heart and passion with a steady flow of gentle humor.”
Carol King Daily Gazette
“Souvenir” provokes tears and laughter
“...a stirring mix of tears and laughter ... a beautifully nuanced production of Souvenir. Director Marc Geller wisely eschews a go-for-the-laughs, mean-spirited, camp style. He concentrates instead on the simple reality of the situation ...This stylish production will unashamedly tickle your fancy as it subtly and thoroughly warms your heart.”
Charles Kondek The Independent
“Souvenir” hits all the right notes
“A fine production of the play ... one that is quite more engaging than a 2005 staging at the nearby Berkshire Theatre Festival. Director Marc Geller balances the music and the chat well, letting the first act linger to set up the full-scale concert of the second.”
Michael Eck Times Union
Take home StageWorks “Souvenir”
“The script, the acting, and the sensitive directing by Marc Geller collaborate to give dignity to characters who could easily be stranded in the realm of absurdity.Much of the audience wound up in tears, and all of us stood enthusiastically to applaud the curtain call.”
Violet Snow Woodstock Times
To See Ourselves As Others See Us
“...with deft direction from Marc Geller, Souvenir is a fanciful, hilarious ballet of perfectly timed and executed dialogue...”
Dianna Lefas Columbia County Scoop
“NOIR” AT NEW JERSEY REPERTORY COMPANY
“Director Marc Geller and the New Jersey Rep design team have brought it thrillingly, palpably, grittily to life ... Werse’s words and Geller’s direction effortlessly evoke and invoke the noirs of the thirties and forties.”
NYTheatre.com
“...splendidly directed by Marc Geller ... This slick and polished production should have a prosperous afterlife in regional theaters.”
CurtainUp
“Director Marc Geller has provided Noir with excellent pacing and performances. He provides major pleasure at the beginning with his decision to open the play with a film credit sequence... in the style of the credits of the original noir films which are the inspiration for this clever and entertaining Noir.”
Talkin’ Broaday
“Noir, written by Stan Werse and directed by Marc Geller, is a tribute to film noir ... The homage is loving and respectful, but with some playful touches ... rapid fire dialogue, excellent acting, and artfully created atmosphere ...”
The Link News
“This little gem is well worth the price of admission at the theater of the New Jersey Repertory Company.”
The Examiner
“Director, Marc Geller, keeps the action blocked like a alluring cover from a vintage bus station paperback ... plays like a sultry torch song”
Asbury Park Press
"As directed with respect for the style by Marc Geller and acted in period-perfect imitations of streetwise cops, Noir is good fun."
Scene on Stage
“NOIR” AT THE PLAYERS THEATRE in NYC
"Noir, sublimely directed by Marc Geller transports the audience back to New York City, 1950 ... Geller’s direction and staging breathe fresh life into a familiar morality tale of loyalty and betrayal ... do not miss this play."
NYTheatre.com
"... delightfully nasty ... Audience members who've watched such films as The Maltese Falcon or Out of the Past -- this is the crowd at whom Werse and shrewd director Marc Geller are pitching the sinister tale -- will think they've figured this one out. The beauty part is they may decipher some of it but not all."
Theatremania.com
CRITIC'S PICK "... spoken with the right snap by the four-person cast ...along with director Marc Geller, they take the material as seriously as a handgun pointed in their faces ... "
Backstage
“Director Marc Geller has done a skillful job evoking the dark, cynical, melodramatic and sometimes humorous atmosphere ... Geller knows the style and his gift for dead pan comedy pays off in spades here ."
Talk Entertainment
“... the direction by Marc Geller is smart and taut, supplying many delights.”
Hy Reviews
“DONNA ORBITS THE MOON” at NEW JERSEY REPERTORY COMPANY
“It’s a common misconception that directors are relatively unimportant in a one-person play. The opposite is true. Marc Geller’s guidance is obvious – and invisible.”
Philip Dorian Scene on Stage
“Andrea Gallo, and director Marc Geller have created a wonderful character. Gallo and Geller show us, that there is profundity in muddle and Middle America and midlife.”
Nita Congress nytheatre.com
“Donna defies gravity ... tight staging and nuance”
Valerie Drach Weidmann The Mirror
“ASCENSION” AT THE LION THEATRE ON THEATRE ROW
“... stunning ... Marc Geller has directed his players smoothly”
Anita Gates New York Times
“Marc Geller's taut direction, and the performer's deft handling of crisp, meaty dialogue by De Santis, with its welcome dollop of suspense and black humor, makes “Ascension” an edge-of-your-seat must see.”
Arlene Epstein Merrick Herald
“Ascension has been given a first-class production, helmed very effectively by director Marc Geller ... it is the best kind of theatre:.”
Martin Denton nytheatre.com
“The question is who's manipulating who and why. Mr. DeSantis does give each character a sinister yet comic scene for being in full control and director Marc Geller smoothly handles these who's in charge shifts.”
Elyse Sommer CurtainUp
“... director Marc Geller has expertly picked his players ...”
Drew Pisarra New York Magazine Online
“ADJOINING TRANCES” AT THE BECKETT THEATRE ON THEATRE ROW
“Adjoining Trances is a thrill to any heart, lonely or otherwise ... Geller has a true gift for revealing the essence in people and their stories ... This is a show to listen to and enjoy, then take a deep sigh at the end.”
Ricky Spears In Theater
“Adjoining Trances is a little gem of a play. Mr. Geller’s direction gives it a sweet suppleness; the characters move with poise, ease and refinement.”
Scott & Barbara Siegel Drama-Logue
“Mr. Geller’s direction is leisurely and detailed ... absolute perfection. Adjoining Trances is highly recommended.”
Larry S. Ledford The Bergen News
“Adjoining Trances is an elegant package celebrating two remarkable figures.”
Sam Whitehead Out New York
“ACTS OF LOVE” AT THE KIRK THEATRE ON THEATRE ROW
“Acts of Love” deserves attention from city theatre-goers this season...well-worth your time...director Marc Geller’s cast is splendid..This play is excellent”
Lawrence Harbison Chelsea Clinton News
“Ms. Chetkovitch's supreme character development and Marc Geller's taut direction keep the play interesting and exciting.”
Duncan Pflaster BroadwayWorld.com
“Director Marc Geller does a nice job balancing both the play's lightness and gravitas, acknowledging how they both feed off of and complement each other. And his work with the actors is very strong. Chetkovich, along with Geller and their talented cast, make the unit-set family drama feel fresh again.”
Michael Criscuolo nytheatre.com
“... sensitively directed by Marc Geller ... absorbing and near flawless.”
Andrew Gilchrist Hi!Drama
“Under Marc Geller's direction, both Tyler and Royle bring a professional gloss and a pleasing vitality.”
Karl Levett Backstage
“THE FABULOUS KANE SISTERS IN BOX OFFICE POISON” AT THE CHERRY LANE THEATRE
“Geller gets points for being a canny director who has coaxed his entire talented cast to fever pitch, sculpting an energetic and seamlessly stylized production...a theater nerd’s dream.”
Ruth McCann Village Voice
“... everyone laughs until their sides hurt ... a phenomenal takeoff on mystery films, backstage comedies, and gay camp, including delicious one-liners ... the play, only becoming more hysterical as the night, directed by Geller, goes on. The panoply of characters are all cut from the campiest fabric and worn by the actors with aplomb.”
Leonard Jacobs Backstage
“I don't think I've laughed that much at a show since probably "Boeing-Boeing." Just absolutely hilarious... very finely polished. It's the sort of stuff that in the wrong hands would just get a whole evening of groans - but somehow there is magic going on onstage, and every time I thought I would groan, I would fall out my seat laughing instead. I found this to just be an absolute ridiculous joy.”
Mostly Legit
“The packed house was eating it up and I couldn't wipe the dumb smile off my face either. The "identical twin" Kane Sisters were about 40 years apart in age. I have no idea how they were able to pull it off but this dumb joke NEVER got old.”
David Bell Show Showdown
“This show is hilarious! Every other line causes the audience to laugh out loud. There is sex, mystery, and naked men. What more do you need for a fun evening?”
Broadwayworld.com
“A kooky ensemble of third-rate variety acts are possible suspects in this campy, fast talking, pun- overloading, gender-bending, flesh-exposing mystery comedy. “
Nancy Kim NYTheatre.com
“What a ride! An outrageous, riotous, ribald, raunchy, over-the-top, risqué, nonsensical - leave all logic behind comedy at the Cherry Lane Theatre. All ye who enter to see The Fabulous Kane Sisters in Box Office Poison be ready to laugh until your sides ache or better yet - bring a “Depend” along. The period costumes by Jennifer Kirschman are superb, as is the lighting by Frank DenDanto III and the the direction by Marc Geller.”
Oscar E. Moore Talk Entertainment
“This kind of zinger-filled camp is not easy to do well, but Geller has directed with precision and has virtually everyone in the cleverly-costumed ensemble playing it exactly as it should be.”
Patrick Lee Show Showdown
“ ...you’d be hard pressed to find a show with a faster pace or a higher ratio of on-target humor. ...the casting and characterizations are uniformly top notch.”
Scott Stiffler EDGE Boston
“SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET” AT THE GLORIA MADDOX THEATRE, NYC
“It’s one of the most fascinating events of the year ... Marc Geller directed superbly ...”
Peter Filichia Broadway.com
“Both horror and hilarity ensue ... Director Marc Geller brings it all together seamlessly ...”
Brooke Pierce Theatremania.com
“Director Marc Geller has gotten it exactly right in this fine production ... it's up to director Geller to find the proper tone and appropriate pace that will subtly shift spectators from nervous laughter to barely suppressed shrieks as the stakes--and body count--rise. He delivers, masterfully.”
Martin Denton nytheatre.com
“...the production, directed by Marc Geller, is a good one, atmospheric and well-cast...What is perhaps best about the production—aside from its smooth professionalism—is that Geller has not allowed himself to be beholden to the Sondheim-Wheeler-Prince vision...Geller’s staging of Sweeney Todd is one of those rare "showcase code" entries that arrives with a top-drawer off-Broadway imprimatur.”
David Spencer Aisle Say
“Marc Geller cleverly directs the Grand Guignol play with surprising humanity ... a cut above the rest!”
Eva Heineman Hi! Drama
“MORE THAN THIS” AT URBAN STAGES NY
"More Than This is beautifully staged by Marc Geller."
Matthew Murray Talkin' Broadway
"... a rich and rewarding theatre experience staged with raw theatricality by Marc Geller ... "
Martin Denton nytheatre.com
“CLOUD 9” AT THE GLORIA MADDOX THEATRE, NYC
“... flawless. Marc Geller is responsible for the outstanding direction, as well as the notable costuming. This Cloud 9 is aptly titled.”
Helen Harvey Show Business
“In its current revival, directed and mostly designed by Marc Geller, Cloud 9 succeeds winningly ... staged stylishly and saucily and filled with delicious funny moments ... Mr. Geller's staging is fast and assured...Credit Mr. Geller with giving it lots of punch, this Cloud 9 is enormous fun.”
Martin Denton nytheatre.com
“... beautifully directed by Marc Geller. Extremely enjoyable. I loved it!”
Eva Heinemann Hi! Drama
“UNIDENTIFIED HUMAN REMAINS AND THE TRUE NATURE OF LOVE” AT THE JUDITH ANDERSON THEATRE on THEATRE ROW
“Anyone who missed the movie version of Brad Fraser’s play Unidentified Human Remains and the True Nature of Love, or even those who did catch the so-so film, would have been grateful for this first-rate production. Guided by Marc Geller’s confident direction, the fine ensemble inject just the kind of energy and intensity the film sorely lacked. Geller keeps the action moving briskly and makes good use of the simple set’s multiple levels.”
William Stevenson BackStage
“DARK OF THE MOON” ON THEATRE ROW
“...a powerful, magical revival under the masterful direction of Marc Geller. Mr. Geller has captured both aspects of the play expertly in this sensitive, enormously watchable production. Every one of the play's nine scenes is superbly done ... Mr. Geller, in addition to his superb direction, is responsible for the production's costumes, all beiges except for Barbara's brilliant red dress ... an unforgettable production of a play that, alas, seems to have been forgotten.”
Martin Denton nytheatre.com
“THE SHADOW BOX” AT HUDSON GUILD THEATRE, NY
“Praise should go to Geller who directs with great skill.”
Ken Urban nytheatre.com
“THE FRANKENSTEIN SUMMER” AT THE 45TH STREET THEATRE
“Geller directs with precision and a sense of style.”
Scott & Barbara Siegel Theatermania.com