ARLINGTON Review Quotes
“SARA JANE IS FLAWLESSLY PORTRAYED BY THE GIFTED SINGER ALEXANDRA SILBER! Ms. Pen’s carefully written but unobtrusive music, and Mr. Lodato’s well-sketched portrait of a young woman beginning to question the beliefs she’s been raised with, are certainly nicely integrated; the music and lyrics mirror each other in mood perfectly. Ms. Pen’s music follows the […]
“SARA JANE IS FLAWLESSLY PORTRAYED BY THE GIFTED SINGER ALEXANDRA SILBER!
Ms. Pen’s carefully written but unobtrusive music, and Mr. Lodato’s well-sketched portrait of a young woman beginning to question the beliefs she’s been raised with, are certainly nicely integrated; the music and lyrics mirror each other in mood perfectly. Ms. Pen’s music follows the wanderings of Sara Jane’s mind dutifully and with agility. Ms. Silber gives an impressive, confident and musically lustrous performance. Her soprano has a bright, blooming sheen.”
– Charles Isherwood, The New York Times
“ALEXANDRA SILBER’S PERFORMANCE COULDN’T BE MORE GORGEOUS.”
Sara Jane (played by Silber), who grew up in a military family and describes herself as “weak,” starts off singing about how great her man is, but by the end of this hour-long play she is devastated, having slowly, inadvertently, revealed to the audience the horror of war as she understands it—and, tragically, she understands it intimately.
– The New Yorker
“’ARLINGTON’ IS A SUBVERSIVE DELIGHT!
A tightly packed little firecracker!”
– James Hannaham, Village Voice
“THE PRODIGIOUSLY GIFTED ALEXANDRA SILBER IS TERRIFIC!
A joy to watch and hear.”
– Adam Feldman, Time Out
“MS. SILBER’S PERFORMANCE IS EXTRAORDINARY,
at once vulnerable and forceful, confident and in fine voice for the duration.
The music, by Polly Pen, is melodic and lovely”
– Jesse Oxfeld, The New York Observer
“ENGAGING!
Silber has golden pipes and sturdy acting chops and expertly conveys
Sara’s shifting state of mind and her sweetness, uncertainty and despair.”
– Joe Dziemianowicz, New York Daily News
“SILBER’S FIERCE COMMAND OF THE STAGE SHINES THROUGH!
Victor Lodato and Polly Pen have developed a unique and compelling
theatrical approach to addressing the unsolvable riddles of the nature of war.”
– Hayley Levitt, TheaterMania
“THIS IS A HANDSOMELY PRESSED, POLISHED, AND AFFECTING WORK!
ALEXANDRA SILBER IS A WONDER AS SARA JANE,
Gorgeous, full-weight legit music.”
– Matthew Murray, Talkin’ Broadway
“ALEXANDRA SILBER GIVES AN EXTRAORDINARY PERFORMANCE!
Ben Moss is equally adept musically,
while bringing convincing depth of character.
Lodato’s text creates a poetic exploration of a woman caught in a crisis of thought.
Arlington provides a worthwhile example of how seriously thoughtful and adventurous
dramatic writing can be incorporated into the realm of musical theatre.
– Ron Cohen, NYtheatrenow.com
“AN EXCELLENT AND THOUGHT-PROVOKING SHOW!
Carefully and smartly written.
Silber’s nuanced portrayal of Sara’s transformation is exceptional.
– Gregory A. Wilson, CurtainUp
Artists
Alexandra Silber
(Sara Jane) Born in Los Angeles, California, Alexandra Silber grew up outside Detroit, Michigan.
She attended Interlochen Center for the Arts, graduating with the coveted Young Artist Award and continued her training at The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland (formerly The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama) in Glasgow, majoring in Acting. She graduated in 2005 with The Faculty Student of the Year award just days before her West End debut as Laura Fairlie in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Woman in White.
Alexandra made her feature film debut in Stephen King’s 1408 starring John Cusack, before portraying Hodel in The Sheffield Crucible’s 2007 production of Fiddler on the Roof, and its subsequent West End transfer.
She joined Fiddler on the Roof director Lindsay Posner once again, portraying Julie Jordan in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel at The Savoy Theatre in London’s West End. She received tremendous critical acclaim, and received Great Britain’s TMA Award for Best Performance in a Musical.
Alexandra made her American acting debut in a revival of her portrayal of Julie Jordan for Reprise Theatre Company in Los Angeles, (under the artistic directorship of Jason Alexander) once again to overwhelming critical acclaim, and garnered an Ovation-nomination. She joined Tony Award winner Tyne Daly in Terrence McNally’s Master Class at The Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, directed by Stephen Wadsworth, and made her Broadway debut in the same production with Manhattan Theatre Club in the Spring of 2011 (garnering a nod from Backstage for one of the great theater performances of 2011).
Alexandra made her New York theatre debut portraying The Young Wife in the Transport Group’s Revival of Michael John LaChiusa’s Hello Again, and was nominated for a Drama League Award. She debuted two of her solo cabarets entitled “London Still” and “Ex Libris,” at the esteemed New York nightclub Feinstein’s at The Loews Regency, and was honored to be a part of Barbara Cook’s Spotlight Series at The Kennedy Center in December of 2011.
Last fall she portrayed Jenny Cavilerri in the North American Premiere of Love Story the Musical at The Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia, and returned to New York in a highly-acclaimed performance of Arlington – a new one woman musical, as part of the Inner Voices series. Alexandra has also appeared as a Guest Star on all three branches of the Law & Order series (SVU, Criminal Intent and the original).
In April, 2013 Alexandra made her Carnegie Hall debut singing the role of Nina with the Collegiate Chorale and American Symphony Orchestra in a concert performance of Song Of Norway, followed by a summer festival appearance at Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts with The Orchestra of St. Luke’s as Amalia Balash in She Loves Me, marking the first time a musical has been presented at this prestigious venue. Alexandra made her San Francisco Symphony debut as Maria in concert performances and a recording of West Side Story with Music Director Michael Tilson Thomas, and she returned to her hometown to appear with Leonard Slatkin and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in the world premiere of David Del Tredici’s opera Dum Dee Tweedle.