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A CHRISTMAS CAROL @ McCarter Theatre
Newark Star Ledger
With apologies to Ben Franklin, perhaps there are actually three things in life of which we can be certain: death, taxes — and the annual excellence of the McCarter Theatre Center’s “A Christmas Carol.” Once again, director Michael Unger has done an exemplary job with the Charles Dickens chestnut. Each year, this production retains its crown as the most handsome one that the state sees all year. That’s the McCarter “A Christmas Carol.” It gives audience members twice as much as they expected.
New York Times
A crackling production. Richly re-imagined. A Must-See.
Princeton Packet
McCarter has not rested on its past success, however. Those who know productions of seasons gone by will find familiar and new delights in the current offering. This is Michael Unger’s 13th season as director, and he’s getting more out of the show every time. This is an exciting, funny, uplifting show that never fails to please. Some may think it’s old hat. After all, Dickens wrote for a people who valued hyper-sentimentality, which today seems embarrassing. Never mind that; I defy you to hold back the waterworks when Tiny Tim and a transformed Scrooge embrace in the final scene. Go ahead and admit it: You’re bringing the kids to see McCarter’s Christmas Carol this year, but really it’s you who wants to see it all over again.
Pennington Post
A local institution, the beloved holiday production has lost none of its joyful, moving magic. For a whole legion of folks in Mercer County and beyond, the definitive version of Charles Dickens’s immortal holiday ghost story is McCarter Theatre Center’s “A Christmas Carol.”
A tradition for families, friends and lovers of grand spectacle, “A Christmas Carol” at McCarter is both an extraordinary production and a magical social event, creating a sense of cheerful unity the moment the spotlight first hits that Christmas tree at center stage. Following a 2000 revision and the introduction of new director Michael Unger, Thompson’s adaptation remains the “Carol” people mark their calendars to see. And it’s a fine, powerful strummer of the heartstrings, too. Viewers are reduced to mush and the water works begin. It’s a deeply, remarkably moving way to close the story, and it trumps the conclusions of many a “Carol” incarnation. Merry, bright and bursting with joy, it’s a local institution, and the perfect way to celebrate the season.MyCentralJersey.com
There is so much to recommend about the current McCarter production that it’s difficult to know where to begin. Veteran director Michael Unger returns annually to take charge, thus keeping quality high and the perspective consistent. In these uncertain times, it’s nice to know that McCarter’s annual production of “A Christmas Carol” can still provide dependable entertainment for audiences of all ages.
The Examiner
A Christmas Carol is grand entertainment at The McCarter Theatre. This is a marvelous, joyous production that is presented on a grand scale. All elements are impressive…. great cast, eye-popping sets, clever staging and beautiful costumes. Children… were as delighted and amused by the glorious production as the adults. This vehicle is a rarity since it entertains all age groups.
Newark Star Ledger
Once again, the annual production is warmer than a thick-logged fireplace in a happy home. The production’s two hours speed by, yet take the time to be wonderfully moving …excellent special effects.. sensitive direction…”A Christmas Carol” remains the most opulent show New Jersey sees all year.
Princeton Packet
This is an evening that soars from the first moments… sensitive direction… fresh and emotionally charged… it has the size and feel of the best Broadway family musicals. The current staging will sweep you into the Christmas season, leave you gasping in admiration and on your feet cheering. When is some other regional theater in the area going to discover the magic that Unger exudes?
Times of Trenton
Where, I asked myself, does Unger hide his magic wand? He must have one. Every year, what he brings to his grateful audiences of all ages is another memorable occasion.
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MY SISTER IN THIS HOUSE @ Deaf West
LA Times
… a striking new production by Deaf West. Director, Michael Unger and his cast create a rich world of ritual. … intensely erotic symbiosis… This may be the most embodied production I’ve ever seen in L.A. “My Sister” is an absorbing, often oppressive study of class and codependency.
Backstage
Through the thoughtfulness of playwright Wendy Kesselman and director Michael Unger, this production ideally suits Deaf West Theatre and its imaginative yet nonintrusive melding of the hearing and non-hearing worlds.
LA Weekly
Handsomely staged…
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CRIMES OF THE HEART @ Theatre Aspen
KSNO Radio
Nobody–neither actors nor audience–gets cheated in the Aspen production directed by Michael Unger with a confidence that embraces Southern gothic chaos without losing control of the proceedings for a single moment. Maybe you’ve seen the movie but the stage version at Theatre Aspen surpasses those performances in my opinion. There’s nothing these actresses can’t do.
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SCHOOL FOR WIVES @ Weston Playhouse
The Shelbourne News
Tell all your friends — I certainly did!! The Weston Playhouse has a superb production of Moliere’s School For Wives currently on their stage. (When I say it’s superb, I want you to know that I sent e-mails about the performance to 40 or so friends the next day, a first for me. A laugh a minute… Perfect.
Director Michael Unger has produced an amazingly clear-sighted realization of the play. Kudos to him for the work he did with the actors. It was truly wonderful.The first-night audience laughed uproariously. The sets wonderfully telescoped into one another, with enough doors, trapdoors and windows to pop into or through that the audience kept wondering where the actors would appear next — and laughing when they did. A spry, sly production.
The Bennington Banner
“Weston’s ‘School For Wives’ showcases Moliere’s comic genius”
“The current Weston production is a highly polished exercise in farce. Assisted by a brilliant Richard Wilbur translation, director Michael Unger has crafted an evening of theatre that is quite funny and employs many broad farcical bits of action to amuse the audience. …a handsomely constructed evening of theatre.” – The Brattleboro Reformer
“The Weston Playhouse finishes off its stellar season with a vibrant showing of Moliere’s ‘School For Wives’. Director, Michael Unger, has made excellent use of Richard Wilbur’s classic poetic translation. Even the very serious moments are not allowed to drag. This ‘School For Wives’ boasts a magnificent, practical set – perhaps the most inventive construction of this season. Weston again finds itself ending on a note of triumph.
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TRIUMPH OF LOVE @ Weston Playhouse
Rutland Herald
A deliciously funny production. Weston’s production enjoys the full dimension of Marivaux’s characters. The ‘Triumph of Love’ is delightfully intelligent comedy.
Brattleboro Reformer
Weston’s production delivers some fine comic moments. The production is highly polished and thoroughly professional. Unger effectively maneuvers the cast through the plot. There are fine performances… that provide with gusto enough pratfalls, ear-numbing puns and outrageous malapropisms to keep the most jaded theatregoer happy.
The Vermont Message
‘Triumph of Love’ A triumphant finale for Weston’s 2002 summer season. A wonderful evening of theatre.
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RETRIBUTION @ Lambs Theatre
WQXR Radio
The real surprise occurred for us last night at the Lamb’s Theatre. The play is called Retribution. It is provocative and unrelenting. If you don’t hang on to your seat, you’ll be swept away by the surprisingly gripping and dynamic performances. A play that is worthy of your attention.
NY Post
Michael Unger keeps Retribution moving briskly toward a surprise conclusion.
NY Citysearch.com
…this is a sensitive approach to highly-charged material and there are moments in which the conflicts of Retribution take on a theatrical electricity… The play raises many questions about our fundamental beliefs, exposing them to probing that is provocative, if somewhat uncomfortable.
In Theatre
…the dramatic scenes at the end of Retribution are shattering.
Aisle Say Internet Magazine
Michael Unger has staged the play in the heightened manner of a Deathtrap-type evening. The actors emerge as sincere figures in a fictional landscape, no more real than the New York of Damon Runyon.
AP News
Retribution makes a strong impact at The Lambs Theatre.
Curtain Up
Mr. Unger deserves high praise for punctuating the shifting moods and mounting tension with music… that underscores the sensitivity and intelligence brought to this play.
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STILL @ Prop Thtr
Gay Chicago Magazine
An intriguing psychological thriller given an engrossing world premiere in a disturbing and driven production tightly directed by Michael Unger… Uniformly excellent performances… stunning, this production verges on a knockout… a beautiful creation
Q 101 Chicago
Brilliant. Two thumbs up. Go and check it out.
The North Sider
Still has a message for everyone: seasoned wisdom, realistic pains and spiritual insights. Filled with suspense, mystery and realistic tragedy.
Press Publications
Provocative… compelling… lurid… The fine work of these able performers is not lost in seven tons of sand by designer, Todd Rosenthal.
Reactor Magazine
A thrill a minute, a phantasmagorical romp through the psyche.
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CRIES FROM THE MAMMAL HOUSE @ Misfits Ensemble
DramaLogue
Cries From the Mammal House is adrenalized with a fine ensemble cast that makes all the pieces of the play’s mosaic fit together. Michael Unger’s fluid direction is first-rate staging making the most of a small stage and three acts of busy changes.
Village View
In the first authorized American staging of this play, the talented Misfits Ensemble takes audiences on a bizarre emotional roller-coaster ride… Director/Producer Michael Unger somehow succeeds in conveying Johnson’s ‘the world is ending, but let’s smile’ theme while confined to an intimate black box stage. It is a considerable achievement. Outstanding performances… in this compelling and satisfying interpretation.
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LOVE'S FIRE @ Asolo Conservatory
Sarasota Herald Tribune
The production is beautifully staged by guest director Michael Unger, who brings out the best performances we’ve seen this season from the second-year students.
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NOISES OFF @ New Harmony Theatre
Evansville Courier Press
‘NOISES OFF’ IS A DISASTROUS DELIGHT
New Harmony Theatre’s first show of the season is a complete disaster. That’s great, since the script for Michael Frayn’s backstage farce-within-a-farce maps a furiously choreographed, madcap dash toward that destination. Armed with Frayn’s map, director Michael Unger, his production team and 10-member cast, followed through with a frothy, frenzied, often breathlessly funny evening of folly. It was a wild, bumpy ride, with ax attacks, crashing scenery, pratfalls on sardine-slicked floors, and a full-body tumble down a flight of stairs. The entire cast plunged through the show’s polyrhythmic choreography of door-slamming entrances and exits, axe, cactus and sardine attacks with abandoned precision. Book it while you can. – Evansville Courier & Press Evansville, IN
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CHANGES OF HEART @ Barrington Stage Company
BRAVO Magazine
Best Pick
Berkshire Record
The Inconstant Lovers is currently being given an interesting and thought-provoking production at the Barrington Stage Company… The play’s director, Michael Unger has artfully walked the dangerously thin line between broad comedy and philosophical observations. He moves his cast well and has incorporated a number of sight gags that are fully unexpected and are, therefore, effective. His bridges from comedy to discussion are achieved simply without disturbing the pace of the production. He has also employed some very nice directorial touches, one in particular at the end of the second act. There is much to enjoy and ponder.
Tri-State Compass
It’s a gem, a treasure, a delight… bent on hilarity. This is a visually stunning production. Scheming triumphs and burlesque is alive and well.
The Columbia County Independent
Mr. Unger makes his costume comedy into a very modern play including two of the funniest period dresses I have ever seen… you have to see it to believe it.
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TAMING OF THE SHREW at The Complex Theatre
Drama-Logue
There’s action aplenty in the new Action Theatre Ensemble… Unger wisely refrains from altering Shakespeare’s text, simply brackets it contemporarily in a cozy jukebox joint… With a swift change of scene, in the twinkle of a time-warp, we’re in ancient Padua. The hullabaloo begins…
LA Reader
Brief modern-day scenes bookend Michael Unger’s faithful adaptation of Shakespeare’s comedy… setting the tone for a fun and energetic handling of the Bard’s tale… the performers deliver the witty dialogue with wonderful grace and facility. Unger and his strong cast dance through a slapstick romp that will surprise those who think Shakespeare was all stiff collars and soliloquies… an exceptional cast. This production makes Shakespeare a whole lot more entertaining than your high-school English teacher ever did.
LA Weekly
Unger’s finely tuned and well-trimmed adaptation of Shakespeare’s bawdy romp… a very funny and readily comprehensible production.”
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ON THE RAZZLE @ Babcock Theatre - University of Utah
The Salt Lake Tribune
Tom Stoppard’s ”On the Razzle,” provides a welcome dose of silliness to combat the post-holiday winter doldrums. The large cast has great fun with this lively material, and Michael Unger’s stylish and inventive direction gives them lots to work with. ”On the Razzle” is simply out to entertain, and it succeeds admirably.
Deseret Morning News
Babcock Theatre’s ‘Razzle’ is a farce that dazzles. Early in the play one of the characters announces, “One false move and we could have a farce on our hands.” And the audience laughs, because they have already realized that “On The Razzle” is a farce in the truest sense of the word.”