About Us
Isabel Reviews is where you will find thought-provoking reviews of all things Theatre. Isabel Zamaroni has been a theatre goer, producer, and reviewer for over ten years. She loves everything from the small intimate, to the large sophisticated. Isabel Zamaroni adores the collaborative magic that creates theatre.
Welcome to Isabel's latest theatre reviews! Here, you'll find her insightful thoughts on recent performances, showcasing her passion for the stage. Dive in and enjoy her unique perspectives on the plays that have captivated audiences. Happy reading!
WELCOME
Welcome to Isabel's Theatre Reviews! Here, you’ll find honest and compelling insights into productions large and small. Isabel adores the collaborations that bring the magic of theatre to life, and she invites you to join her on this journey. the reviews and discover the artistry behind each performance!
Recent Reviews
Review: Water by Kacie Michelle Devaney – United Solo Festival
By, Isabel Zamaroni
Based in New York City’s Theatre Row, the United Solo Festival is the largest celebration of solo performance in the world. On November 9th, I had the pleasure of attending Water, a captivating piece written and performed by Kacie Michelle Devaney. What struck me immediately was the seamlessness with which each character emerged. Waters’ hilarious premise, a playwright who confuses her performance dates and has not finished the piece quite yet, belies the meaty material that is yet to come. This persuasive framing device allows eight distinctive figures to come alive, each with a vivid, thought-provoking story. Water is not only a brilliantly crafted solo work—it is impeccably executed. Devaney proves herself a skilled playwright and a fearless actress unafraid to tackle complex characters and challenging content.
The piece weaves together personalities drawn from both history and fiction. Winston Churchill and his daughter, Diana, were among the first to appear onstage. Devaney’s portrayals were eerily precise, conveyed through accent, physicality, and minimal but effective props. Diana Churchill—about whom I knew little beforehand—was one of the evening’s many standout depictions. Devaney shifted fluidly from the flamboyant energy of Winston to the self-deprecating vulnerability of Diana, revealing through poignant dialogue the pressures and frustrations she endured as a woman with a sharp mind in the 1940s and 50s. Diana’s confession of why she ultimately took her own life in 1963 was chilling, humane, and deeply affecting.
From there, a cascade of characters spilled across the stage—hilarious, engaging, and heartbreaking by turns. We meet Georgina, a former actress of stage and screen, caught in a rainstorm that mirrors the play’s motif of water. She recounts her early career and the painful unraveling of her marriage after the birth of her stillborn son. With lines like, “I’m an actress—we’re dramatic—but you already knew that,” Georgina elicits laughter, only to lead the audience gently into the grief of a mother longing to see her child’s face again. She made me laugh, then she made me cry.
Other memorable figures include Sara-Anne, a Southern aspiring screenwriter pitching her script to Harley, a sleazy Hollywood producer. Their meeting—set in a restaurant where Harley nearly chokes to death because he refuses to drink anything but Evian—is comedic brilliance.
Devaney then pivots effortlessly into Etienne, a swaggering Frenchman explaining how his country perfected the art of love. With his spread-eagle stance, signature scarf, and dangling cigarette, Etienne had the audience in stitches.
Antoinette, another indelible character, recounts the life of a renowned French forger during World War II. Devaney’s accent work, as in every segment, is impeccable. Within Antoinette’s story is a devastating monologue in which she becomes Felicity, one of the children she failed to save from the Nazis. As Devaney collapses to her knees, portraying a five-year-old separated from her mother during the Vel d’Hiv roundup, the distant clatter of trains underscores the moment. The audience sat in absolute stillness—utterly absorbed in this powerful sequence that helped make Water such a riveting success.
The final character, Julie, is an Italian American woman from New York whose dementia is revealed only gradually. Before the truth of her condition emerges, she dances joyfully to Chubby Checker and reminisces about meeting Jimmy, her granddaughter’s grandfather. Julie’s story grips you by the heart, offering a tender, immersive glimpse into a mind unraveling.
The complexity of Water’s characters is enhanced by original music and movement. Devaney is a multi-talented performer—actor, singer-songwriter, dancer, choreographer, and playwright—and Water showcases the full breadth of her artistry. The sold-out audience rose to its feet in a well-deserved standing ovation. Water was directed by Karen Devaney founder of Soapbox Stageworks in Carmel California.
My only regret was that when the piece ended, I wanted more. I hope Devaney stages Water again soon. When she does, I will be there ready for another glass of Water.
For more information about Kacie Devaney's work go to https://www.kaciekreation.com/
For more information about Soapbox Stageworks go to
Our Town Review,
By, Isabel Zamaroni
It was a rainy Sunday afternoon on the Central Coast when I dashed out the to catch Monterey Peninsula College’s matinee performance of Our Town by Thornton Wilder. To be fair, this play has never been on my top-ten list. But as a theatre reviewer, I wanted to see for myself how Director Todd Siff would interpret this 1938 classic.
As the lights dimmed, Siff’s choices in lighting, sound, and an intentionally minimal set immediately drew me into Grover’s Corners—the small, imaginary New Hampshire town where the play unfolds.
At first, the mimed day-to-day actions annoyed me. Then, I became enthralled. It was brilliant to watch the detailed repetition, particularly from the two wives: Mrs. Webb, played by Persis Kyra Kobata, and Mrs. Julia Hersey Gibbs, played by Betsy Andrade. I soon forgot they were working without real props—their miming as they moved through their daily chores was flawless and entirely believable. Whether preparing early morning breakfasts, shooing children off to school, stringing green beans, , their physical storytelling was so vivid that I could almost feel the summer heat and smell the scent of soil.
The play is divided into three acts, each framed by the Stage Manager—a pivotal role played by Faith Beety. As narrator she set up each scene with the affection of someone who knows this world intimately. Beety fully embodies the role, luring the audience into the heart and soul of Grover’s Corners. Her performance was outstanding: she radiated old-fashioned warmth and kindness, her voice carrying the rich cadence of a seasoned storyteller. She spoke to us as if we were all old friends.
In Our Town, the banality of daily life becomes the beacon of the community’s tight-knit spirit. The mundane transforms into the miracles of friendship, love, and loyalty. The entire cast conveyed how those small, everyday moments are where our most precious memories are made.
The young lovers, Emily Webb (Tara Mann) and George Gibbs (Gilbert Wright), were an absolute delight. Their innocence was palpable—making the third act, when life’s random cruelty separates them by death, all the more difficult to watch. The act’s themes of mortality, loss, and life’s fragility had a profound effect on me, stirring reflections on my own personal losses. I doubt I was the only audience member who felt this.
Siff’s direction and set design approached the material with sensitivity and tenderness, rendering the final act thought-provoking, moving, and uniquely beautiful. It invites philosophical questions about spirituality and the afterlife.
The cast of Our Town was a well-oiled ensemble, authentic in their portrayals and distinct in their contributions. From the Woman Among the Dead (Emily Evers), to the baseball players (Caesar Difrano and Grant Padilla), to the town undertaker Joe Stoddard (Tristan Newcomb), every role supported the world of Grover’s Corners with care and purpose.
After watching this deeply moving performance, I can say that Our Town has officially moved up my list—landing squarely in my top ten favorite plays. Thank you, Todd, for a sensational production, and hats off to the dedicated cast and crew.
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