Reviews
The Last Five Years
Streetlights, People! Productions & West Virginia Public Theatre
Streetlights, People! Productions & West Virginia Public Theatre
"Enough cannot be said about the level of finesse that both actors exhibit in their performances.
Perone's soprano both soars through the gut-wrenching moments of tears, loss, and frustration and finds its grounding in the more comical moments. She perfectly embodies the loveable every-artist with her sardonic sense of humor, although with every quip she manages to underscore the pain of falling in love with an industry that doesn't love you back.
Perone keeps Cathy from becoming embittered and instead presents her as softened by her personal and artistic insecurities, made more tender by playing bystander to her husband's massive professional success."
- BroadwayWorld
Perone's soprano both soars through the gut-wrenching moments of tears, loss, and frustration and finds its grounding in the more comical moments. She perfectly embodies the loveable every-artist with her sardonic sense of humor, although with every quip she manages to underscore the pain of falling in love with an industry that doesn't love you back.
Perone keeps Cathy from becoming embittered and instead presents her as softened by her personal and artistic insecurities, made more tender by playing bystander to her husband's massive professional success."
- BroadwayWorld
What Would Julie Do? Live at the Pheasantry
A benefit performance for the Royal Theatrical Fund
A benefit performance for the Royal Theatrical Fund
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"Earlier, we had had a gutsy, and near flawless, rendition by Perone of the patter section of ‘Getting Married Today’ from Sondheim’s ‘Company’ – she has the magnificent deadpan comedic face of a Virginia O’Brien or a young Mary Wickes, with eyes that communicate a hundred subtle shades of surprise, alarm, disbelief, dismay and more. They were both clearly totally on top of their material, and pointed the witty lyrics in their numbers with great aplomb. These are bracing new talents and just the kind of artists this event is designed to showcase. Above all, it was great to see such dramatic performances from these committed, emotionally expressive artists, putting themselves entirely at the service of the material."
- British Theatre |
"In a consistently strong ensemble, Nora Perone stands out as caustic grad-student Deb, her withering glances and visible, fizzing frustration at everyone around her satisfyingly undercutting the show’s introspective sentimentality."
- The Stage ★★★
"A semi-neurotic slice of contemporary crisis, Nora Perone completely nails the role with her excellent vocals and comic timing. Before she has uttered a word, Perone is hilarious. Her astute physical presence suggests Deb’s bubbling rage at every turn, while in quieter moments she is always able to explore the darker side of crazy."
- The Play's the Thing
"Nora Perone was perfect in this role and delivered a funny, thought-provoking, touching and strong performance. As Deb... discovers the ability to live with free abandon the audience is treated to a beautifully crafted and delivered character performance. Showing many light and dark moments, Perone’s portrayal of Deb epitomised modern American musical theatre and I’m excited to follow her career further."
- Stuart James NZ ★★★★
"Nora Perone’s performance as Deb is witty, sharp and often moving. She perfectly strikes the balance of brutal and direct honesty for comedic effect, and her character's slow development from an overtly frustrated, hectic and impatient person, to someone who learns to breathe and appreciate the beauty of the ordinary is a pleasure to watch."
- Ed Fringe Review ★★★★
"Nora Perone is superb in her portrayal of the bumbling grad student Deb, with an exceptional voice and consistent comedic delivery... Perone and Cameron were excellent at transitioning between moments of hilarious conflict and tender ‘big picture’ revelations."
- Hiive ★★★
"Thanks to some top notch singing and dancing, especially from Nora Perone who is scarily believable as her character, the production achieves more in seventy-five minutes than most shows do in three hours."
- RemoteGoat ★★★★
"... we meet Nora Perone’s Deb who gives the role the perfect New York neurosis that it requires. She’s got a wonderfully expressive face and her scenes with Cameron spark with a platonic chemistry that’s refreshing to see played so well."
- Broadway Baby ★★★★
"Nora Perone plays the neurotic yet optimistic Deb flawlessly. With the just the right amount of crazy to not be over bearing and a singing voice that really tells a story, Perone adds some comedy to the piece."
- West End Wilma ★★★★
"Nora as Deb is to me the stand-out performance of this production. Her wry cynicism with accompanying huffs and eye rolls is laugh-a-minute stuff, and bites playfully (but not too hard) at the sticky-sweetness of Warren’s utopic musings."
- The Empty Space
- The Stage ★★★
"A semi-neurotic slice of contemporary crisis, Nora Perone completely nails the role with her excellent vocals and comic timing. Before she has uttered a word, Perone is hilarious. Her astute physical presence suggests Deb’s bubbling rage at every turn, while in quieter moments she is always able to explore the darker side of crazy."
- The Play's the Thing
"Nora Perone was perfect in this role and delivered a funny, thought-provoking, touching and strong performance. As Deb... discovers the ability to live with free abandon the audience is treated to a beautifully crafted and delivered character performance. Showing many light and dark moments, Perone’s portrayal of Deb epitomised modern American musical theatre and I’m excited to follow her career further."
- Stuart James NZ ★★★★
"Nora Perone’s performance as Deb is witty, sharp and often moving. She perfectly strikes the balance of brutal and direct honesty for comedic effect, and her character's slow development from an overtly frustrated, hectic and impatient person, to someone who learns to breathe and appreciate the beauty of the ordinary is a pleasure to watch."
- Ed Fringe Review ★★★★
"Nora Perone is superb in her portrayal of the bumbling grad student Deb, with an exceptional voice and consistent comedic delivery... Perone and Cameron were excellent at transitioning between moments of hilarious conflict and tender ‘big picture’ revelations."
- Hiive ★★★
"Thanks to some top notch singing and dancing, especially from Nora Perone who is scarily believable as her character, the production achieves more in seventy-five minutes than most shows do in three hours."
- RemoteGoat ★★★★
"... we meet Nora Perone’s Deb who gives the role the perfect New York neurosis that it requires. She’s got a wonderfully expressive face and her scenes with Cameron spark with a platonic chemistry that’s refreshing to see played so well."
- Broadway Baby ★★★★
"Nora Perone plays the neurotic yet optimistic Deb flawlessly. With the just the right amount of crazy to not be over bearing and a singing voice that really tells a story, Perone adds some comedy to the piece."
- West End Wilma ★★★★
"Nora as Deb is to me the stand-out performance of this production. Her wry cynicism with accompanying huffs and eye rolls is laugh-a-minute stuff, and bites playfully (but not too hard) at the sticky-sweetness of Warren’s utopic musings."
- The Empty Space
Interviews and Features
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"Interview With Nora Perone and Daniel Stevens, the Stars of West Virginia Public Theatre's Production of THE LAST FIVE YEARS"
Richard Allen, BroadwayWorld February 7, 2019 "As for challenges while preparing, Perone stated that, 'the range of emotions the show covers is very extreme. We see Cathy at her most ecstatic, her most heartbroken, her most enraged, her most determined. Because of the unique way the show is structured, I start at the end of the story and tell it in reverse, while Dan (Stevens) as Jamie tells his side of the story in chronological order. It always makes me think of ballroom dancing; I'm doing everything my partner is doing, but backwards and in heels!'" (Read the full article here.) |
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"Native West Virginians Rehearse for Play Thousands of Miles Apart"
Bill Lynch, Charleston Gazette-Mail September 14, 2018 An interview with Nora Perone about her career in the United Kingom and her work on The Last Five Years, presented by West Virginia Public Theatre (in association with Streetlights, People! Productions) at Monongalia Arts Center in Morgantown, West Virginia. "Saturday night, Stevens and Perone delivered engaging and earnest performances in an intimate, if bare-boned theatre space. They were warmly received, regardless of the cool weather outside." (Read the full article here.) |
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"Interview: StageFaves in #EdFringe... Ordinary Days"
StageFaves - August 21, 2017 "We saw them melt hearts at the London Theatre Workshop, but the cast of ORDINARY DAYS have brought the show up to the Edinburgh Fringe for a full run. Making a new home at C Venues, the show is now in a more intimate setting, on a thrust stage, with the barrier between audience and performers distinctly smaller. We chatted to the wonderful Nora Perone about their reasons for transfering the show to Edinburgh, their time at the fringe and, of course, her ultimate StageFave..." (Read the full interview here.) |