Pilgrims Musa and Sheri in the New World, Mosaic Theater Company of DC
"When lovers Sheri and Musa have a passionate fight in a diner, she throws coffee at him, and he offers to satisfy her by pouring the entire pot over his head. An act of dishonesty by Musa, a gentle Egyptian immigrant who drives a cab in this American city, has enraged Sheri, an impulsive, garrulous waitress... But when he holds the coffee pot up as if to pour, she climbs on a table to grab the pot. He clambers up, too. “You are my type for me,” he tells her tenderly in his slightly broken English. “I stand on the table with you.” This disarming moment displays the major strength of “Pilgrims Musa & Sheri in the New World,”... on view in a handsomely acted production from Mosaic Theater Company, the play thoughtfully ponders migration, assimilation and barriers to understanding between people of different heritages. But the characters are never mere markers of ethnic diversity or social niche... they are idiosyncratic individuals richly endowed with quirks... The most richly drawn character is Sheri (the vibrant Rachel Felstein), an endearing, emotionally scarred neurotic who appreciates Musa’s heritage and enjoys talking about God... “Pilgrims Musa & Sheri” is bracingly specific. We’re not the ones who get drenched with caffeine when the lovers quarrel, but watching these keenly individualized characters, we get an energizing jolt."-- The Washington Post
"Romantic, funny and complex, Mosaic Theater Company offers a must-see theatrical event that is sure to warm hearts and occupy minds of those who are lucky enough to experience it... equal parts sharp, smart, and filled with heart and is marvelously performed by the cast of five actors, led by Ahmad Kamal and Rachel Felstein. All the elements of a romantic comedy are present... But the play is far more satisfying than a Hallmark Channel romance-of-the-week. This rom-com crosses cultural barriers having a sweet-natured Egyptian cab driver fall for a sassy and talkative American waitress who is anything but shy. He’s a semi-practicing Muslim and she’s a handful of neurotic quirks and a salty mouth. As portrayed by Kamal and Felstein, respectively, Musa and Sheri make for an unlikely yet inevitable pair. Their personal differences draw them together as much as they complicate their relationship, especially as the play progresses... the heart of the play is the central lovers, Musa and Sheri; and actors portraying them could make the audience fall in love with them, based on the reactions I observed on opening night. Ahmad Kamal, as Musa, is warm, open-faced, and a gentle giant for whom love is an awfully big adventure. By contrast, his American muse Sheri embodied expertly by Rachel Felstein, is just a mess of independence with no filter... Felstein and Kamal handle the sensuality of two grown-ups in love with tasteful restraint but with very believable chemistry, making their story even more powerful as they maneuver the extreme ups and downs of their whirlwind relationship... One of the beautiful moments from Musa and Sheri’s story together is discovering the moment when they embrace the idea of setting off to become... pilgrims in the new world. It made me think I hope we one day get to see where Sheri and Musa discovered on their journey and what they discovered about themselves along the way. Perhaps the playwright already has more planned for these new world pilgrims... For now, we have a heart-warming tale ready to fill a winter’s night with romance. What more could you ask for, really?"-- MDTheatreGuide.com
"Sometime between two and three in the morning, New York cabdriver Musa (Ahmad Kamal) leads waitress Sheri (Rachel Felstein) up a staircase... Sheri is loquacious and curious about everything, especially Musa. Despite coming from a family of alcoholics and ne’er do wells, she wants to be perceived as a good girl who does not normally accept invitations for a drink from relative strangers... And despite the body dysmorphia that causes Sheri to imagine herself fat, Musa makes her feel beautiful... Pilgrims Musa and Sheri in the New World is the sort of romantic comedy that was once a staple of independent film and, in more recent years, streaming television. There are no glamorous jobs, no luxurious apartments, no expectations of a big break so typical of mainstream Hollywood fare... El Guindi is an excellent storyteller who has populated his city with charming, flawed characters who have their own sensual desires, spiritual aspirations, and material needs... Director Shirley Serotsky has assembled a terrific cast. As the lovers, Kamal and Felstein have a dynamic rapport that allows one to lose oneself in their flirtations and inevitable and hilarious first fight. Felstein in particular delivers her speech with dancing syncopated rhythms... a particularly entertaining entry in the tradition of the American immigrant story."-- WashingtonCityPaper.com
"True to Mosaic’s worthy mission, this rom-com has a higher purpose. Programmed as part of Mosaic’s estimable Voices from a Changing Middle East Festival, this briskly witty comedy is, in Artistic Director Ari Roth’s words, “a romantic fable” about “intercultural union.” Specifically... about the cross-cultural romance between Musa (Ahmad Kamal), an earnest, reticent Muslim cab-driver born in Egypt, and Sheri (Rachel Felstein), a frisky, do-me waitress born in America... Felstein’s performance of Sheri was excellent... Billed as a romantic comedy, Pilgrims is wickedly funny with touches of farce, sweet but not saccharine, sad but not tragic. In fact, loss is part of the equation in this bittersweet tale of triumph over the odds... There are some dazzling performances in Pilgrims, all executed with perfect timing. One of the funniest of these is the scene in which Gamila... returns unexpectedly, and finds a naked woman (an ebullient Rachel Felstein) in her fiancé’s bed. The two women engage in a verbal duel in which Sheri, pulling on her underwear, tries to explain, while Gamila, oozing contempt, responds with poisonous disdain. More rapturous, but just as comic, are the scenes between Sheri and Musa... as they circle around each other in a kind of antic foreplay, and ultimately fight in what may be the sexiest lovers’ quarrel in history."-- DCMetroTheaterArts.com
"What makes "Pilgrims Musa & Sheri in the New World" special is the way it enmeshes the theme of cultural diversity within the framework of an-fashioned rom-com... As the playwright also expresses so poetically, being in love is a kind of insanity no matter who falls into it and with who... As a playwright, El Guindi, frequently examines the collision of ethnicities, cultures, and politics facing Arab-Americans and Muslim-Americans, has peopled his work with two main characters who are likeable, if confused and not only honest with themselves and others... Rachel Felstein is loony but also lovely as Sheri. She takes what could become a stereotype -- of a woman who jumps into bed with men, then demands commitment -- and turns her into a believable, sexy, and charming woman you root for."-- BroadwayWorld.com
"Embarking on a new relationship, or a new life in a country far from home, inspires a mix of fear and excitement, feelings that are tenderly rendered in the romance between Egyptian immigrant Musa and American waitress Sheri in Yussef El Guindi’s Pilgrims: Musa & Sheri in the New World. Shirley Serotsky’s affecting production at Mosaic... finds a sweet spot in its mingling of romantic comedy and cultural commentary with a streak of quiet melancholy... As the seemingly more cynical city girl, Rachel Felstein captures Sheri’s boldness, the loud brass she employs to fill up space and overcome whatever trepidation she feels as she and Musa take steps towards intimacy."-- MetroWeekly.com
"Beneath differing customs and languages, are people basically the same? Playwright Yussef El Guindi makes a strong case with his unique and endearing romantic comedy Pilgrims Musa & Sheri in the New World. After a chance meeting, a free spirited American waitress and an Egyptian immigrant cab driver forge their own path together, while navigating the rocky shoals of failed relationships and divergent obligations of family and culture. It’s a lovely, brazenly hopeful tale of imperfect souls grasping for new love and purpose in this big American melting pot... cab driver Musa (Ahmad Kamal) picks up spritely waitress Sheri (Rachel Felstein). After discovering an unexpected spark, they return to Musa’s apartment for spirited conversation about cultural origins, beauty standards, the perils of dating, and more. The endearing fumblings of this odd couple recall classic meet-cutes between Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, or Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts. Felstein bubbles with dizzy energy... and excellent comic timing, while Kamal exudes an infectious warmth and hope for the future, despite his modest circumstances. It’s refreshing to see the basic rom-com formula tweaked to include weighty themes of immigration and religion, reflecting the fabric of our increasingly diverse nation. Mosaic Theater Company reliably highlights moving, relevant perspectives from underrepresented corners of society. In the experienced hands of director Shirley Serotsky, Pilgrims becomes another brick in Mosaic’s wall of multicultural successes. With humor and heart – and without preaching or politics – it makes a persuasive case for a shared humanity that spans cultures and oceans".-- DCTheatreScene.com
Right to be Forgotten, Arena Stage
"Rothstein's witty and insightful text is brought to life by a stellar cast... Derril and Marta's biggest challenge comes in the form of Annie (Rachel Felstein), Marta's former colleague and friend who has earned a reputation as Big Tech's secret weapon. Oozing confidence, Felstein's Annie struts around the stage in the perfect image of a sleazy lobbyist, but slowly shows the audience a more nuanced, thoughtful woman. Annie is a confident women who's good at her job, but the vulnerability that she reveals makes it clear she's also principled - even if those principles are at odds with Marta's... Arena Stage's production is a smart, solid, and charming show with a strong cast and production team, and has the ability to elevate the debate in an honest and nuanced way." --BroadwayWorld.com
"...Marta Lee (Melody Butiu)…opposed by her former law school classmate, Annie Zahirovic (Rachel Felstein), now a corporate lobbyist for big tech firms…A signal success of Rothstein’s writing, and the actors’ characterizations is that none that of these people come off as a hero or a villain. All have human failings; all have reasons for what they have done. Like the issue the play discusses, they live in a world of uncomfortable nuances… Each stands in need of understanding and, perhaps, forgiveness. Marta and Annie are recognizable types: the lawyer so wedded to her cause that she is willing to act unethically and contrary to her client’s needs to achieve her goals, and the hard-boiled lobbyist ruthlessly doing whatever is necessary to protect the interests of her clients. Butiu and Felstein have some crackling sharp confrontations, often attacking with a smile... It is no easy job for the director and actors, in a play of ideas like Right to be Forgotten, to create characters who, in addition to standing in for various positions in an unresolved, ongoing debate, come across as credible individuals, whose changing relationships are clear to the audience. The team’s success in doing so is a credit to the production." -- DCMetroTheaterArts.com
Antigonick, Taffety Punk
"The Chorus interludes—often ponderous and awkward in modern times—are here handled with engaging verve. As the ensemble, Cackley, Davis, and Spencer are joined by Esther Williamson and Rachel Felstein... Felstein—a standout in the Chorus—also has a fascinating turn as the blind seer Teiresias." --DCMetroTheaterArts.com
Fun Home, Virginia Stage Company:
"Director Jessica Holt has created an emotion-filled piece with complete use of the space and a job well done with casting. The performance of Rachel Felstein, who plays Joan, Alison’s liberal and edgy girlfriend, is worth noting, as she portrayed the difference between confident Joan and awkward Alison exceptionally. I applaud each member of the cast, as I left the theatre feeling the lasting effects of this beautiful piece.” --AltDaily.com
"The audience reacted with delight to “Changing My Major,” a show-stopping ode to Alison's first sexual experience with a fellow student named Joan… Rachel Felstein as Medium Alison’s college girlfriend is exactly the kind of gay friend any person struggling with coming out needs: empathetic, gentle, and supportive.” --OutWire757.com
Summerland, Washington Stage Guild:
"Luckily, a dark lady barges in to keep us guessing which way the story is going to lean, and the second act belongs to her. This is Mrs. Mumler, referred to as a spider and played with poise and menace by Rachel Felstein, whose voice has a deep luster to match her character’s slate silk dress. Part black widow, part Civil War spy, the flamboyant, seemingly shameless Mrs. Mumler plays the seductress and the savvy debater with Tooker. Meanwhile, director Kasi Campbell’s tasteful staging in the intimate Undercroft Theatre jolts your senses with muffled haunted-house effects. The dialogue spins with rational arguments, while the theatrics spookily knock the furniture around. The effects aren’t fancy, yet Campbell creates a persuasive mood. By the second act, the acting hits a level you might call restrained gothic amid the slightly pulpy feel of Marianne Meadows’s shadowy lighting and the subtle bumps and scrapes of Matthew Nielson’s sound design. Campbell never lets this descend into silly stuff. Instead, it shrewdly frames the lasting philosophical arguments prompted by Mumler’s peculiar true story.” --The Washington Post
“...What began as a mundane two-hander focused on stiff argumentative males in an investigative procedural play, develops into something pleasingly knotty and intense. All it takes is one new character appearing on stage. She throws the entire production and the men in it off balance. That is a good thing, a very good thing. The lift-off point is when Rachel Felstein makes her appearance as Mrs. Mumler… Things become more tangled and vibrant. Summerland takes on a new, ringing life in which male fear of the female comes openly on to the stage… The power of a wife over her husband and the power of the same woman over another man comes full force... A hand gesture, a more silky fabric, a calculating pat on the loveseat.. is all it takes to discombobulate the two men into a kind of submission. Felstein (in her WSG debut) by her mere presence, left me to drink in dialogue that might perhaps have been hidden away with a male director… Felstein brings out Jones’ script with line delivery and subtle visual depictions. As Mrs. Mumler, Felstein has a husband with no interest, if not fearful of sexual intimacy... Felstein also drives another man bonkers merely by chatting softly, even while showing bite as a possible traitor to the Union cause during the Civil War. The anxieties that Felstein’s character causes are visually palpable reactions of the men on stage with her. They pull away. All in all, the WSG production of Summerland is really two shows in one. There is the ‘main’ focus in Act I on issues about death, spirituality, reason, faith, truth, and science… Then there is the much more intriguing focus that Summerland veers off into in Act II. This is Summerland with heat and vitality about relationships between men and woman. Now that focus was something that had me lean forward not wanting to miss the dialogue, the physical presence, and the psychological nuances. This part has sizzle, and plenty to debate after the show.” — DCMetroTheaterArts.com
"Both men reserve their deepest pain/anger for Mrs. Mumler. To her husband, she has a power he wants, but cannot really claim; and to the marshall, she is a cold-hearted treasonous woman who deserves to hang. She is a survivor and uses every weapon at her disposal to find an advantage. When she receives Tooker alone... she plays him as adroitly as a cat idling with a mouse. Who knew that a flash of calf and ankle from beneath a prim white cotton nightdress could reduce a man to stammering? Felstein’s Mrs. Mumler has the intellect of a chess master and the resolve to carry through her plans, whatever they may be. She is the most mysterious character of the three, and as a woman in 1869, the most vulnerable... she too is shadowed by pain… This is an intelligent, resolute work... and these actors bring us fully into that world.” --MarylandTheatreGuide.com
"While Rachel Felstein, playing Mrs. Mumler, does not appear until the final moment of the first act, her grandiose and theatrical entrance sparks interest in how her character fits into the bigger picture. Saucy and strangely fiery, as if lit with embers from an otherworldly presence, Felstein approaches the character with certainty, grounding her place in both the lives of William Mumler and Joseph Tooker as well as the narrative with tremendous fortitude. In her unyielding tension-strung exchange with Tooker, there is an unsettling vivacity with which she pursues various matters which arise. Her expressions and overall attitude are channeled through not only her vocal delivery but her physicality with striking sincerity." --TheatreBloom.com
The Merry Wives of Windsor, The Shakespeare Theatre of NJ:
"The oddball collection of Shakespeare's characters that command our attention have other things on their minds to help fill their days; such as finding a suitable husband for the marriageable Anne Page (a disarming performance by Rachel Felstein)." - CurtainUp.com
"...A contender for the affections of the scarcely 17-year-old Anne, sweetly played by Rachel Felstein." - Examiner.com
"Rachel Felstein is a lovely Anne Page, about to traded like a horse by a mother and father to different candidates, when all she wants is to marry the noble Fenton." - NJArtsMaven.com
"Mistress Page has a marriageable daughter, the lovely Anne Page (Rachel Felstein). Because of her wealth and beauty, Anne is a prime catch. She’s being pursued by a mob of suitors, but Anne’s heart belongs to Fenton (James Costello), and their true love provides a poignant counterweight to the comic sexual maneuvering going on around them." - DailyRecord.com
"Director Monte gets fine performances from Macdonald as Falstaff, Jonathan Finnegan as Abraham Slender, Rachel Felstein as Anne Page, Caralyn Kozlowski as Alice Ford and others in a large cast." - HistoryNewsNetwork.org
The Marvelous Wonderettes, Allenberry Playhouse
"Betty Jean, who kazoos her way into audience hearts during "Allegheny Moon" in the first act, is played by Rachel Felstein. Betty Jean's "It's My Party" is a terrific performance that also advances the plot notably. Betty also knocks out an "I Only Want to be With You" that's even more upbeat than Dusty Springfield's, while she wears the hippest Sixties wig of the team." - BroadwayWorld.com
"This effervescent, two-act musical comedy, powered by lots of familiar pop songs from the 1950s and 1960, features an endearing and talented cast of young women who seem to have no problem channeling their inner schoolgirls. The giggly Wonderettes -- Betty Jean (Rachel Felstein), Cindy Lou (Beth Miller), Missy (Greta Kleckner) and Suzy (Katie Sexton) have little difficulty tearing through a nostalgic song list. The performances by Allenberry's young cast are first-rate." - PennLive.com
Man of La Mancha, National Tour
"Rachel Felstein is great as Antonia, Quijana's niece. She's got a beautiful singing voice and her number, "I'm Only Thinking Of Him," is a high point of the show. That's in part because of the two other performers in that number with her. It's almost a shame that the three of them aren't featured even more in the show, since they have three of the best voices and are also among the most talented actors." - BroadwayWorld.com
"All the actors — among them Rachel Felstein as Don Quixote’s selfish niece— have perfect diction. Whether speaking or singing, not a syllable is lost. Does that sound trivial? Go to one of the many shows that don’t offer that courtesy and think again. The clarity keeps the audience with the show moment by moment." - STLToday.com
"When lovers Sheri and Musa have a passionate fight in a diner, she throws coffee at him, and he offers to satisfy her by pouring the entire pot over his head. An act of dishonesty by Musa, a gentle Egyptian immigrant who drives a cab in this American city, has enraged Sheri, an impulsive, garrulous waitress... But when he holds the coffee pot up as if to pour, she climbs on a table to grab the pot. He clambers up, too. “You are my type for me,” he tells her tenderly in his slightly broken English. “I stand on the table with you.” This disarming moment displays the major strength of “Pilgrims Musa & Sheri in the New World,”... on view in a handsomely acted production from Mosaic Theater Company, the play thoughtfully ponders migration, assimilation and barriers to understanding between people of different heritages. But the characters are never mere markers of ethnic diversity or social niche... they are idiosyncratic individuals richly endowed with quirks... The most richly drawn character is Sheri (the vibrant Rachel Felstein), an endearing, emotionally scarred neurotic who appreciates Musa’s heritage and enjoys talking about God... “Pilgrims Musa & Sheri” is bracingly specific. We’re not the ones who get drenched with caffeine when the lovers quarrel, but watching these keenly individualized characters, we get an energizing jolt."-- The Washington Post
"Romantic, funny and complex, Mosaic Theater Company offers a must-see theatrical event that is sure to warm hearts and occupy minds of those who are lucky enough to experience it... equal parts sharp, smart, and filled with heart and is marvelously performed by the cast of five actors, led by Ahmad Kamal and Rachel Felstein. All the elements of a romantic comedy are present... But the play is far more satisfying than a Hallmark Channel romance-of-the-week. This rom-com crosses cultural barriers having a sweet-natured Egyptian cab driver fall for a sassy and talkative American waitress who is anything but shy. He’s a semi-practicing Muslim and she’s a handful of neurotic quirks and a salty mouth. As portrayed by Kamal and Felstein, respectively, Musa and Sheri make for an unlikely yet inevitable pair. Their personal differences draw them together as much as they complicate their relationship, especially as the play progresses... the heart of the play is the central lovers, Musa and Sheri; and actors portraying them could make the audience fall in love with them, based on the reactions I observed on opening night. Ahmad Kamal, as Musa, is warm, open-faced, and a gentle giant for whom love is an awfully big adventure. By contrast, his American muse Sheri embodied expertly by Rachel Felstein, is just a mess of independence with no filter... Felstein and Kamal handle the sensuality of two grown-ups in love with tasteful restraint but with very believable chemistry, making their story even more powerful as they maneuver the extreme ups and downs of their whirlwind relationship... One of the beautiful moments from Musa and Sheri’s story together is discovering the moment when they embrace the idea of setting off to become... pilgrims in the new world. It made me think I hope we one day get to see where Sheri and Musa discovered on their journey and what they discovered about themselves along the way. Perhaps the playwright already has more planned for these new world pilgrims... For now, we have a heart-warming tale ready to fill a winter’s night with romance. What more could you ask for, really?"-- MDTheatreGuide.com
"Sometime between two and three in the morning, New York cabdriver Musa (Ahmad Kamal) leads waitress Sheri (Rachel Felstein) up a staircase... Sheri is loquacious and curious about everything, especially Musa. Despite coming from a family of alcoholics and ne’er do wells, she wants to be perceived as a good girl who does not normally accept invitations for a drink from relative strangers... And despite the body dysmorphia that causes Sheri to imagine herself fat, Musa makes her feel beautiful... Pilgrims Musa and Sheri in the New World is the sort of romantic comedy that was once a staple of independent film and, in more recent years, streaming television. There are no glamorous jobs, no luxurious apartments, no expectations of a big break so typical of mainstream Hollywood fare... El Guindi is an excellent storyteller who has populated his city with charming, flawed characters who have their own sensual desires, spiritual aspirations, and material needs... Director Shirley Serotsky has assembled a terrific cast. As the lovers, Kamal and Felstein have a dynamic rapport that allows one to lose oneself in their flirtations and inevitable and hilarious first fight. Felstein in particular delivers her speech with dancing syncopated rhythms... a particularly entertaining entry in the tradition of the American immigrant story."-- WashingtonCityPaper.com
"True to Mosaic’s worthy mission, this rom-com has a higher purpose. Programmed as part of Mosaic’s estimable Voices from a Changing Middle East Festival, this briskly witty comedy is, in Artistic Director Ari Roth’s words, “a romantic fable” about “intercultural union.” Specifically... about the cross-cultural romance between Musa (Ahmad Kamal), an earnest, reticent Muslim cab-driver born in Egypt, and Sheri (Rachel Felstein), a frisky, do-me waitress born in America... Felstein’s performance of Sheri was excellent... Billed as a romantic comedy, Pilgrims is wickedly funny with touches of farce, sweet but not saccharine, sad but not tragic. In fact, loss is part of the equation in this bittersweet tale of triumph over the odds... There are some dazzling performances in Pilgrims, all executed with perfect timing. One of the funniest of these is the scene in which Gamila... returns unexpectedly, and finds a naked woman (an ebullient Rachel Felstein) in her fiancé’s bed. The two women engage in a verbal duel in which Sheri, pulling on her underwear, tries to explain, while Gamila, oozing contempt, responds with poisonous disdain. More rapturous, but just as comic, are the scenes between Sheri and Musa... as they circle around each other in a kind of antic foreplay, and ultimately fight in what may be the sexiest lovers’ quarrel in history."-- DCMetroTheaterArts.com
"What makes "Pilgrims Musa & Sheri in the New World" special is the way it enmeshes the theme of cultural diversity within the framework of an-fashioned rom-com... As the playwright also expresses so poetically, being in love is a kind of insanity no matter who falls into it and with who... As a playwright, El Guindi, frequently examines the collision of ethnicities, cultures, and politics facing Arab-Americans and Muslim-Americans, has peopled his work with two main characters who are likeable, if confused and not only honest with themselves and others... Rachel Felstein is loony but also lovely as Sheri. She takes what could become a stereotype -- of a woman who jumps into bed with men, then demands commitment -- and turns her into a believable, sexy, and charming woman you root for."-- BroadwayWorld.com
"Embarking on a new relationship, or a new life in a country far from home, inspires a mix of fear and excitement, feelings that are tenderly rendered in the romance between Egyptian immigrant Musa and American waitress Sheri in Yussef El Guindi’s Pilgrims: Musa & Sheri in the New World. Shirley Serotsky’s affecting production at Mosaic... finds a sweet spot in its mingling of romantic comedy and cultural commentary with a streak of quiet melancholy... As the seemingly more cynical city girl, Rachel Felstein captures Sheri’s boldness, the loud brass she employs to fill up space and overcome whatever trepidation she feels as she and Musa take steps towards intimacy."-- MetroWeekly.com
"Beneath differing customs and languages, are people basically the same? Playwright Yussef El Guindi makes a strong case with his unique and endearing romantic comedy Pilgrims Musa & Sheri in the New World. After a chance meeting, a free spirited American waitress and an Egyptian immigrant cab driver forge their own path together, while navigating the rocky shoals of failed relationships and divergent obligations of family and culture. It’s a lovely, brazenly hopeful tale of imperfect souls grasping for new love and purpose in this big American melting pot... cab driver Musa (Ahmad Kamal) picks up spritely waitress Sheri (Rachel Felstein). After discovering an unexpected spark, they return to Musa’s apartment for spirited conversation about cultural origins, beauty standards, the perils of dating, and more. The endearing fumblings of this odd couple recall classic meet-cutes between Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, or Hugh Grant and Julia Roberts. Felstein bubbles with dizzy energy... and excellent comic timing, while Kamal exudes an infectious warmth and hope for the future, despite his modest circumstances. It’s refreshing to see the basic rom-com formula tweaked to include weighty themes of immigration and religion, reflecting the fabric of our increasingly diverse nation. Mosaic Theater Company reliably highlights moving, relevant perspectives from underrepresented corners of society. In the experienced hands of director Shirley Serotsky, Pilgrims becomes another brick in Mosaic’s wall of multicultural successes. With humor and heart – and without preaching or politics – it makes a persuasive case for a shared humanity that spans cultures and oceans".-- DCTheatreScene.com
Right to be Forgotten, Arena Stage
"Rothstein's witty and insightful text is brought to life by a stellar cast... Derril and Marta's biggest challenge comes in the form of Annie (Rachel Felstein), Marta's former colleague and friend who has earned a reputation as Big Tech's secret weapon. Oozing confidence, Felstein's Annie struts around the stage in the perfect image of a sleazy lobbyist, but slowly shows the audience a more nuanced, thoughtful woman. Annie is a confident women who's good at her job, but the vulnerability that she reveals makes it clear she's also principled - even if those principles are at odds with Marta's... Arena Stage's production is a smart, solid, and charming show with a strong cast and production team, and has the ability to elevate the debate in an honest and nuanced way." --BroadwayWorld.com
"...Marta Lee (Melody Butiu)…opposed by her former law school classmate, Annie Zahirovic (Rachel Felstein), now a corporate lobbyist for big tech firms…A signal success of Rothstein’s writing, and the actors’ characterizations is that none that of these people come off as a hero or a villain. All have human failings; all have reasons for what they have done. Like the issue the play discusses, they live in a world of uncomfortable nuances… Each stands in need of understanding and, perhaps, forgiveness. Marta and Annie are recognizable types: the lawyer so wedded to her cause that she is willing to act unethically and contrary to her client’s needs to achieve her goals, and the hard-boiled lobbyist ruthlessly doing whatever is necessary to protect the interests of her clients. Butiu and Felstein have some crackling sharp confrontations, often attacking with a smile... It is no easy job for the director and actors, in a play of ideas like Right to be Forgotten, to create characters who, in addition to standing in for various positions in an unresolved, ongoing debate, come across as credible individuals, whose changing relationships are clear to the audience. The team’s success in doing so is a credit to the production." -- DCMetroTheaterArts.com
Antigonick, Taffety Punk
"The Chorus interludes—often ponderous and awkward in modern times—are here handled with engaging verve. As the ensemble, Cackley, Davis, and Spencer are joined by Esther Williamson and Rachel Felstein... Felstein—a standout in the Chorus—also has a fascinating turn as the blind seer Teiresias." --DCMetroTheaterArts.com
Fun Home, Virginia Stage Company:
"Director Jessica Holt has created an emotion-filled piece with complete use of the space and a job well done with casting. The performance of Rachel Felstein, who plays Joan, Alison’s liberal and edgy girlfriend, is worth noting, as she portrayed the difference between confident Joan and awkward Alison exceptionally. I applaud each member of the cast, as I left the theatre feeling the lasting effects of this beautiful piece.” --AltDaily.com
"The audience reacted with delight to “Changing My Major,” a show-stopping ode to Alison's first sexual experience with a fellow student named Joan… Rachel Felstein as Medium Alison’s college girlfriend is exactly the kind of gay friend any person struggling with coming out needs: empathetic, gentle, and supportive.” --OutWire757.com
Summerland, Washington Stage Guild:
"Luckily, a dark lady barges in to keep us guessing which way the story is going to lean, and the second act belongs to her. This is Mrs. Mumler, referred to as a spider and played with poise and menace by Rachel Felstein, whose voice has a deep luster to match her character’s slate silk dress. Part black widow, part Civil War spy, the flamboyant, seemingly shameless Mrs. Mumler plays the seductress and the savvy debater with Tooker. Meanwhile, director Kasi Campbell’s tasteful staging in the intimate Undercroft Theatre jolts your senses with muffled haunted-house effects. The dialogue spins with rational arguments, while the theatrics spookily knock the furniture around. The effects aren’t fancy, yet Campbell creates a persuasive mood. By the second act, the acting hits a level you might call restrained gothic amid the slightly pulpy feel of Marianne Meadows’s shadowy lighting and the subtle bumps and scrapes of Matthew Nielson’s sound design. Campbell never lets this descend into silly stuff. Instead, it shrewdly frames the lasting philosophical arguments prompted by Mumler’s peculiar true story.” --The Washington Post
“...What began as a mundane two-hander focused on stiff argumentative males in an investigative procedural play, develops into something pleasingly knotty and intense. All it takes is one new character appearing on stage. She throws the entire production and the men in it off balance. That is a good thing, a very good thing. The lift-off point is when Rachel Felstein makes her appearance as Mrs. Mumler… Things become more tangled and vibrant. Summerland takes on a new, ringing life in which male fear of the female comes openly on to the stage… The power of a wife over her husband and the power of the same woman over another man comes full force... A hand gesture, a more silky fabric, a calculating pat on the loveseat.. is all it takes to discombobulate the two men into a kind of submission. Felstein (in her WSG debut) by her mere presence, left me to drink in dialogue that might perhaps have been hidden away with a male director… Felstein brings out Jones’ script with line delivery and subtle visual depictions. As Mrs. Mumler, Felstein has a husband with no interest, if not fearful of sexual intimacy... Felstein also drives another man bonkers merely by chatting softly, even while showing bite as a possible traitor to the Union cause during the Civil War. The anxieties that Felstein’s character causes are visually palpable reactions of the men on stage with her. They pull away. All in all, the WSG production of Summerland is really two shows in one. There is the ‘main’ focus in Act I on issues about death, spirituality, reason, faith, truth, and science… Then there is the much more intriguing focus that Summerland veers off into in Act II. This is Summerland with heat and vitality about relationships between men and woman. Now that focus was something that had me lean forward not wanting to miss the dialogue, the physical presence, and the psychological nuances. This part has sizzle, and plenty to debate after the show.” — DCMetroTheaterArts.com
"Both men reserve their deepest pain/anger for Mrs. Mumler. To her husband, she has a power he wants, but cannot really claim; and to the marshall, she is a cold-hearted treasonous woman who deserves to hang. She is a survivor and uses every weapon at her disposal to find an advantage. When she receives Tooker alone... she plays him as adroitly as a cat idling with a mouse. Who knew that a flash of calf and ankle from beneath a prim white cotton nightdress could reduce a man to stammering? Felstein’s Mrs. Mumler has the intellect of a chess master and the resolve to carry through her plans, whatever they may be. She is the most mysterious character of the three, and as a woman in 1869, the most vulnerable... she too is shadowed by pain… This is an intelligent, resolute work... and these actors bring us fully into that world.” --MarylandTheatreGuide.com
"While Rachel Felstein, playing Mrs. Mumler, does not appear until the final moment of the first act, her grandiose and theatrical entrance sparks interest in how her character fits into the bigger picture. Saucy and strangely fiery, as if lit with embers from an otherworldly presence, Felstein approaches the character with certainty, grounding her place in both the lives of William Mumler and Joseph Tooker as well as the narrative with tremendous fortitude. In her unyielding tension-strung exchange with Tooker, there is an unsettling vivacity with which she pursues various matters which arise. Her expressions and overall attitude are channeled through not only her vocal delivery but her physicality with striking sincerity." --TheatreBloom.com
The Merry Wives of Windsor, The Shakespeare Theatre of NJ:
"The oddball collection of Shakespeare's characters that command our attention have other things on their minds to help fill their days; such as finding a suitable husband for the marriageable Anne Page (a disarming performance by Rachel Felstein)." - CurtainUp.com
"...A contender for the affections of the scarcely 17-year-old Anne, sweetly played by Rachel Felstein." - Examiner.com
"Rachel Felstein is a lovely Anne Page, about to traded like a horse by a mother and father to different candidates, when all she wants is to marry the noble Fenton." - NJArtsMaven.com
"Mistress Page has a marriageable daughter, the lovely Anne Page (Rachel Felstein). Because of her wealth and beauty, Anne is a prime catch. She’s being pursued by a mob of suitors, but Anne’s heart belongs to Fenton (James Costello), and their true love provides a poignant counterweight to the comic sexual maneuvering going on around them." - DailyRecord.com
"Director Monte gets fine performances from Macdonald as Falstaff, Jonathan Finnegan as Abraham Slender, Rachel Felstein as Anne Page, Caralyn Kozlowski as Alice Ford and others in a large cast." - HistoryNewsNetwork.org
The Marvelous Wonderettes, Allenberry Playhouse
"Betty Jean, who kazoos her way into audience hearts during "Allegheny Moon" in the first act, is played by Rachel Felstein. Betty Jean's "It's My Party" is a terrific performance that also advances the plot notably. Betty also knocks out an "I Only Want to be With You" that's even more upbeat than Dusty Springfield's, while she wears the hippest Sixties wig of the team." - BroadwayWorld.com
"This effervescent, two-act musical comedy, powered by lots of familiar pop songs from the 1950s and 1960, features an endearing and talented cast of young women who seem to have no problem channeling their inner schoolgirls. The giggly Wonderettes -- Betty Jean (Rachel Felstein), Cindy Lou (Beth Miller), Missy (Greta Kleckner) and Suzy (Katie Sexton) have little difficulty tearing through a nostalgic song list. The performances by Allenberry's young cast are first-rate." - PennLive.com
Man of La Mancha, National Tour
"Rachel Felstein is great as Antonia, Quijana's niece. She's got a beautiful singing voice and her number, "I'm Only Thinking Of Him," is a high point of the show. That's in part because of the two other performers in that number with her. It's almost a shame that the three of them aren't featured even more in the show, since they have three of the best voices and are also among the most talented actors." - BroadwayWorld.com
"All the actors — among them Rachel Felstein as Don Quixote’s selfish niece— have perfect diction. Whether speaking or singing, not a syllable is lost. Does that sound trivial? Go to one of the many shows that don’t offer that courtesy and think again. The clarity keeps the audience with the show moment by moment." - STLToday.com
