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Ruthless
The Speakeasy Stage Company
"Three cheers for Kathy St. George. In the course of the hilarious musical spoof "Ruthless!," SpeakEasy Stage Company's latest production, St. George transforms herself from a bland, suburban housefrau to a grasping Broadway diva, with a show-stopping turn as Judy Garland along the way. St. George's breathtaking performance is side-splitting, and helps keep the bizarre plot of this musical pastiche on its zig-zagging track."
"Director Larry Coen smartly lets St. George control the insanely fast pace of the show, and it's impressive to watch her shift gears. Just when you think the action will spin completely out of control, St. George pulls things back, at least long enough to allow the audience to catch its breath from laughing."
BOSTON HERALD - June 11, 2003 - by Terry Byrne
"Kathy St. George gets the showiest role here, or at least the one with the most range, playing sweet Judy Denmark like Donna Reed on mood elevators in the first act, then Ginger DelMarco like some Jackie Susann show business monster in the second. She's perfect in both, and her transformation from Judy to Ginger, in which she all but channels Judy Garland, is pure inspiration. (those out there looking for an actress to play Garland in some sort of parody should look no further than St. George. She is brilliant at caricature.)"
BAY WINDOWS - June 12, 2003 - by Robert Nesti
"Kathy St. George as Judy Denmark, is a magnificent actress with polished comic timing, rich voice, and rubber face who knows how to go from homely to bitch with great success."
TheaterNewEngland.com - June 20, 2003 - by Larry Blumsack
"Judy is played to the hilt by Kathy St. George. When her star potential is revealed as the first act comes to a climax, she's suddenly possessed by the essence of Judy Garland -- which St. George captures better than anybody around. Hugging herself, clawing the air and crying out for Lorna, she's soon on her way to becoming a victim of 'booze, pills and heavy meals late at night.'"
OnStage Boston - June 11, 2003 - By R.J. Donovan
"Ms. St. George owns the most precious moment of the evening: as the talentless mother who realizes she has boffo genes in her after all, Ms. St. George ends Act One by transforming herself into a beloved gay icon down the last twitching mannerism; her impersonation lends a few heartbeats to the broadsides because they just don't make 'em like that anymore. That is Camp at its best -- a sort of time capsule or archive; The Way Women Were..."
THEATER MIRROR - June 11, 2003 - by Carl A. Rossi
"Kathy St. George plays both the sugary housewife Judy and her tart show business counterpart, Ginger DelMarco, with considerable aplomb. Her moment of transformation, when she realizes her show business ambitions and all but channels Judy Garland in the process, is pure camp genius."
SOUTH END NEWS - June 12, 2003 - by Robert Nesti
"Kathy St. George plays Tina Denmark, who starts out as the perfect housewife and ends up looking and sounding like Judy Garland complete with facial expressions and hand gestures. Ms. St. George gives a tour de force performance holding it all together and keeping us in stithces throughout the show."
FOOTLIGHTS - June 13, 2003 - by Clint Hamblin
"Funny man Larry Coen directs the SpeakEasy Stage's production with maniacal abandon. Coen's entire cast is a treat, from Kristen Parker's adorably psychopathic eight year old to Kathy St. George as her wacky Jekyl and Hyde mother..."
THEATER MIRROR - June 18, 2003 - by Beverly Creasey
"It Will Never Be That Way Again," a farewell to the everyday that echoes Kurt Weill and is swathed in Edith Piaf-wrap by the talented Kathy St. George. As blissfully self-effacing mom Judy, who morphs into retro-chic and ruthless star Ginger Del Marco without shedding her innate adorableness, St. George is instrumental in connecting the show's Bad Seed and All About Eve halves..."
BOSTON PHOENIX - June 20, 2003 - by Carolyn Clay
"Beg. Borrow. Steal. Kill a subscriber. Whatever it takes. Do anything you can to get a seat. In short, 'Be ruthless!' as demanded by the title song of RUTHLESS! - SpeakEasy's screamingly hilarious latest Boston musical premiere."
"With Larry Coen directing the proceedings and the incomparable Kathy St. George at the helm of this outstanding cast, Paley and Laird would have been hard-pressed to find a better home. St. George begins the proceedings as 'Tina's mother,' Judy Denmark. St. George can tell an entire life story with one flick of her eyes. This actress doesn't let a moment escape her flawless execution. Just watch St. George take on performing Judy Denmark playing her mother playing Liza Minnelli playing Judy Garland. How does an actress play so many layers at once? Leave it to St. George."
IN NewsWeekly - June 25, 2003 - James A. Lopata
"Larry Coen's canny casting of Kathy St. George as the Garlandesque heroine drives the fans wild. St. George, the linchpin of the show, goes from self-effacing hausfrau to self-indulgent egomaniac with equal verve."
DORCHESTER REPORTER - June 26, 2003 - by Chris Harding
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