The Good Soldier Schweik, Long Beach Opera, January 2010 Jesse Merlin, he of the smooth acting and sonorous bass-baritone familiar from past LBO productions, was hilarious as a nurse (female) whose default treatment option is the enema (don't ask).
Carved in Stone, Theatre Asylum, June-August, 2009 ...you can't help but marvel at Jesse Merlin's portrait of Oscar Wilde, with a wonderful bass voice and the ultimate gentlemanly decorum.
...Merlin's Wilde is played out with impeccable hauteur and comic timing.
Merlin captures the dry, aloof wit of Wilde...
Jesse Merlin's brilliant Oscar Wilde is forever dropping one of his trademark quips... Wilde's iconic quotes land like bad puns after which the actor, in grand style, raises his chin with a dismissive scowl and looks menacingly about to see if anyone will dare try to one-up him.
Merlin's walk on the Wilde side is a droll stroll. He dispenses Oscar's bon mots with a charming grace.
...Jesse Merlin was pitch perfect as everyone's favorite dandy, Oscar Wilde.
Jesse Merlin as the caustic and snobbish Wilde is deliciously delightful.
The Emperor of Atlantis & The Clever Woman, Long Beach Opera, May, 2009 Merlin impressed with his gravitas and the effortless power of his dark-hued instrument.
Exemplary, too, was Jesse Merlin as the Loudspeaker and a vagabond.
The Beastly Bombing, Opera aan het Ij (Amsterdam), February-March 2009. De zangers waren stuk voor stuk goed, met een paar uitschieters wat betreft acteren. Jesse Merlin, die ook in de Amerikaanse voorstellingen de president speelde, steelt de show door zijn droogkomische stijfheid en zijn perfecte tongue in cheek. English: All the singers were good, but there were a few who really peaked as actors. Jesse Merlin, who also played the role of the president in the American production, steals the show with his wry stiffness and his perfect tongue in cheek.
Jesse Merlin, die maakte zijn eigen rol, en vertolkt de president ook uitstekend met een sterk gevoel voor timing, en een mooi en helder stemgeluid. English: Jesse Merlin, who created his own role, gives a first-rate rendering of the president with a strong sense of timing and a lovely vivid voice.
Uitzondering is Jesse Merlin. Niet alleen steekt hij qua zang boven iedereen uit, ook zijn acteerprestaties zijn sterk. English: Jesse Merlin is exceptional. Not only is he above everyone in singing, but his acting performance is strong.
The Cunning Little Vixen, Long Beach Opera, January, 2009 Jesse Merlin's booming voice stood out in the role of the Parson...
Jesse Merlin sings a lonely and passionate parson...
The Beastly Bombing, The Steve Allen Theater and The New York Musical Theater Festival, July 2006-October 2007 Jesse Merlin puts in a charismatic star turn as the vain, sex-obsessed, militaristic president.
Jesse Merlin as President Dodgeson is just a ring-tailed wonder: Stephen Colbert with Ray Bolger's limbs and Alfred Drake's baritone.
Writer-director Julien Nitzberg's wittiest and most satirical writing is superbly acted by Jesse Merlin. Merlin exquisitely portrays President Dodgeson as a cross between President Bush and an immoral, cowardly Benjamin Franklin "Hawkeye" Pierce.
Merlin wisely avoids a warmed-over George W. Bush caricature and instead piles on the basso profundo that's just right for the egotistical head of the self-absorbed nation... At his best, Merlin's manner and voice suggest the drop-dead seriousness of a dynamic divo...
Jesse Merlin is full of brio as President Dodgeson...
Lost in Hollywoodland, New York International Fringe Festival, August 2007 Jesse Merlin's turn as a Shakespearean has-been gone Hollywood takes the statue for the night. Equally silly and refined, he hits the highest note of truth and humor when he quips, "We are all stars trying to work our way back into the chorus."
Don Giovanni, Opera San Jose, April 2006 ...Leporello, sung by Opera San Jose bass-baritone Jesse Merlin, is the finest characterization he has achieved in many roles with the company. The chemistry between the hapless, long-suffering Leporello and the rakish Don is palpable and delightful.
...bass-baritone Jesse Merlin is hilarious as Leporello, Giovanni's spineless sidekick.... that long experience of being onstage together has a lot to do with the success of "Giovanni." The comic rapport between (Joseph) Wright and Merlin grows out of shared experience...
Jesse Merlin's Leporello dealt well with the extensive stage demands on the role.
The Marriage of Figaro, Opera San Jose, Sept.-Oct. 2004 ...penetrating voice... Merlin's voice cut through the orchestra, hitting the balcony with greater impact than anyone in the cast.
Die Fledermaus, Opera San Jose, April-May 2004 The jokes are fine-tuned, the emotions deftly rendered... Nowhere was that more evident than in Tuesday's comic highlight, an extended bit of silent stage business executed with dazzling precision by bass Jesse Merlin as the prison warden Frank. Arriving at the prison still drunk from the evening's festivities at Orlofsky's villa, Frank attempts to change out of his party clothes and into his work outfit, and in those few minutes Merlin -- like a magician doing close-up work -- offered a wonderfully transparent tour de force.
Jesse Merlin proved a standout actor and comedian at the party and later as the seriously hung-over jail commander, topping off both with a fine basso.
Another standout is resident artist Jesse Merlin, a bass, who took on the role of the jail warden who likes to party.
...bass Jesse Merlin does a Chaplin-esque turn in his underwear...
The Pearl Fishers, Opera San Jose, Jan.-Feb. 2004 ...Merlin still demands attention with that impressively vibrant and masculine bass voice.
Don Pasquale, Opera San Jose, September 2003 As the old miser, Jesse Merlin was a delight of genuine pantalone schtick. Physically and vocally, Merlin gave a superb performance.
In the title role, bass-baritone Jesse Merlin played surprisingly well off Rubalcava.... adept physically, playing the usually corpulent Don Pasquale as a shaky little old man and finding just about every bit of funny business in the libretto... Merlin is a good reason to see the opening night cast. ...Merlin's performance, full of body language and funny business, gave the opening night performance Saturday much of its ardor... The manner in which Pasquale buys into the sham marriage is even funnier than the torment. Relishing the prospect of a young, innocent bride, the sexagenarian [sic] shucks a tunic like a flasher opening his raincoat. Merlin's duck-walking little old man is reminiscent of the old Italian fellow in a current commercial who enters his delighted wife's boudoir shaking a can of "Vigoroso" and twirling his mustache. Later, conversely, Merlin's devastation is touching. ...it's hard to imagine... a more distinctive Pasquale than Merlin. ...the Merlin gamble is a memorable success.
Faust, Opera San Jose, November 2002 Jesse Merlin is perfectly cast as Mephistopheles. He makes for a stylized, stereotypical devil.... Merlin's performance was consistent and his acting appropriate.... Everything about his persona and his costume has been manipulated in favor of creating a convincing and charming devil.
La Boheme, West Bay Opera, May-June 2002 Jesse Merlin's goofy, convivial Benoit worked beautifully, making of the landlord a credible if naive character, wonderfully different from the doddering fool one usually sees played.
Madama Butterfly, Opera San Jose, April-May 2002 Bass-baritone Jesse Merlin was very impressive, both in acting and singing in his brief appearance as Butterfly's rich suitor, Prince Yamadori...
Manon, Opera San Jose, February 2002 Jesse Merlin rounded out the main cast with a very impressive Count des Grieux...
Faust, West Bay Opera, October 2001 Jesse Merlin's big baritone as Wagner... rounded out the cast with youthful, energetic performance and solid vocalism.
The Mikado, Lamplighters, July-August 2001 This was in time to thoroughly enjoy the second act entrance of the resplendently attired Mikado, played and sung by Jesse Merlin. The 23-year-old bass from Opera San Jose reminded this reviewer of Samuel Ramey. When he was on stage, the rest of the cast and the audience felt it. He sang, scowled, smiled, strutted and danced as if he were thoroughly enjoying himself.
La Boheme, Opera San Jose, April-May 2001 ...Jesse Merlin stole the show for the few moments he was on stage as Benoit, the money-grubbing landlord.
H.M.S. Pinafore, Lamplighters, July-August 2000 Jesse Merlin, as Boatswain's Mate, shone in the "British tar" trio and in his solo, "He is an Englishman." Merlin had such a fine baritone voice -- indeed, one of the best voices in the cast -- that I wondered why he had such a small role. Had the director deemed him too young and handsome to play Dick Deadeye?
Iolanthe, Stanford Savoyards, April-May 2000 Jesse Merlin is the evening's most distinctive performer as Lord Mountararat, one of the buffoonish Peers. His singing about the doltish qualities of his social group is one of the show's best moments.
Pirates of Penzance, Stanford Savoyards, November 1999 On the lower end of things, the Savoyards offer up some real vocal firepower- namely... Jesse Merlin, who lent a basso profundissimo to the Sergeant of Police.
Princess Ida, Stanford Savoyards, April-May 1999 ...Merlin followed by tackling some impressive neo-baroque baritone runs in "This helmet, I suppose..."
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