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| Debra K. Stevens photo by Reg Madison Photography |
highlights from local critics reviews - (click link at bottom of each review to read complete review)
Click here for more information on this production that runs through June 27
"...Mark St. Germain's one-woman show Becoming Dr. Ruth is a charming and moving play that lets the details of Westheimer's fascinating story, before she became the famous sex expert, take center stage. The Phoenix Theatre Company's production features Debra K. Stevens in a glorious, moving and heroic performance as Westheimer....St. Germain worked with Westheimer to craft the play...and his dialogue is warm and witty, just like Westheimer. He uses a fairly chronological order in the piece, which works beautifully to portray her fascinating past and to depict the steps she took to get her doctorate and what led to her becoming well-known....Debra K. Stevens has appeared in dozens of plays in town and, while she looks much younger than the age of 69 that Ruth is at the time of the play, she is delivering a moving, funny, touching and genuine portrayal of this famous woman..." -Gil Benbrook, Talkin' Broadway (click here to read the complete review)
"We all knew Dr. Ruth Westheimer and her witty jabs at common misconceptions about sex practices. Bringing the sex therapist back to life is a challenge for any performer but The Phoenix Theatre Company found the perfect actor in Debra K. Stevens who crafts a remarkable portrait in Becoming Dr. Ruth....Stevens relishes every story nuance as she carefully crafts her remarkable portrait of Dr. Ruth. Stevens is aided by Katie McFadzen’s energetic staging that keeps the show moving briskly and adds clever bits of business and subtle innuendos that further assist Stevens fine Dr. Ruth portrait...."
-Chris Curcio, Curtain Up Phoenix (click here to read the complete review)
"...St. Germain has crafted a poignant one-woman show, now playing with agreeable warmth and veracity at The Phoenix Theatre Company. It's a stark account of Karola Ruth Siegel, whose would-be celebrity status belies her tragic beginnings....Debra K. Stevens, who wields an impressive command of a voluminous text while practically staging a tutorial on how storytelling ought to be paced. She gives us a Dr. Ruth who is warm, funny, and authentic. ...In this genre, it's easy for lesser actors to fall into mimicry, but in her partnership with Ms. Stevens, director Katie McFadzen has set the appropriate temperature to keep Dr. Ruth brazen but honest, striking a fine balance between humor and outrage...." - Robert Encila-Celdran, Broadway World (click here to read the complete review)
"...St. Germain has crafted a poignant one-woman show, now playing with agreeable warmth and veracity at The Phoenix Theatre Company. It's a stark account of Karola Ruth Siegel, whose would-be celebrity status belies her tragic beginnings....Debra K. Stevens, who wields an impressive command of a voluminous text while practically staging a tutorial on how storytelling ought to be paced. She gives us a Dr. Ruth who is warm, funny, and authentic. ...In this genre, it's easy for lesser actors to fall into mimicry, but in her partnership with Ms. Stevens, director Katie McFadzen has set the appropriate temperature to keep Dr. Ruth brazen but honest, striking a fine balance between humor and outrage...." - Robert Encila-Celdran, Broadway World (click here to read the complete review)
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