REVIEWS | VSterling

REVIEWS

Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Signature Theatre

"The show is bolstered by incredible singing performances from both Sawyer Smith (Hedwig) and... (V) Sterling (Yitzhak). Their singing objectively outperforms the original and 2014 Broadway album recordings... Yes, I did say that Smith and Sterling sang it better than NPH."

- Julian Oquendo, DC Theater Arts

"Equally impressive is ... (V) Sterling as Yitzhak, who provides a more subtle counterpoint, conveying emotional depth and powerful vocals while staying silent for much of the show, using her expressions to do the talking."

- Keith Loria, TheaterMania

"(V) Sterling gave a standout performance as Yitzhak, Hedwig’s long-suffering husband and backup singer. Sterling’s restrained power and simmering emotion added crucial depth to the show, culminating in a breathtaking final transformation."

- Barbara Papendorp, Stage and Cinema

"Sterling serves as a splendid second fiddle to Smith. Supplying smooth harmonies, and soaring through solos whenever Yitzhak grabs the spotlight — as on a sublimely desolate take on “The Long Grift” — they shore up Yitzhak’s part in this moving tale of a damaged person, “split in two,” desperately seeking her missing other half."

- Andre Hereford, Metro Weekly

"Yitzhak... is as mercurial as a snapdrake – alternating between servile and surreptitious... Sterling is a perfect vocal match to Smith and their harmonies are most especially lovely in the ballads."

- Jordan Wright, Whisk and Quill

A Midsummer Night's Dream, Hedgerow Theatre

"Sterling (Oberon), and Juliette Nero Eddings (Puck) do an excellent job with their fairy magic – perfectly timed gestures and responses that send each other sinking to the floor or spinning off across the room."

- Jennifer Kramer, PlayShakespeare.com

Camelot and The Understudy, Montgomery Theater

"Sterling was right on as Mordred, who convincingly causes the downfall of Arthur’s dreams. [They] were also excellent in Montgomery Theater’s THE UNDERSTUDY."

- Neal Newman, Philadelphia Theater Arts

Into the Woods, Arden Theatre Company

"A standing ovation is in order for... [V] Sterling... [They] tackle three different roles... [and] often only have a split second to transition from one character to the next using their physicality, voice, expression, and delivery... [They] demonstrate what inventive and strong acting is all about... Garrick Vaughan and [V] Sterling's renditions of Agony in both the first and second acts were showstoppers."

- Tony Oriente, Broadway World

"Casting two actors to play the roles of Cinderella's two Stepsisters and the two Princes is a master stroke. Garrick Vaughan and [V] Sterling pull the whole thing off with abundant humor and some meaningful insight."

- Rebecca Rendell, Talkin' Broadway

"I especially loved the scenes with [V] Sterling as Rapunzel’s Prince and Garrick Vaughan as Cinderella’s Prince. “Agony”, with the two of them as brothers, was a stand-out performance."

- Brenda Hillegas, Philadelphia RowHome Magazine

Life Is A Dream, EgoPo Classic Theater

"Awkwardly distrustful one moment and violently combative the next, Sterling is genuinely disturbing as Prince Segismundo. Their intensity is vital to the success of the play."

- Rebecca Rendell, Talkin' Broadway

"Sterling brings an unpredictable wild energy to Segismundo as he embraces his new power, as well as a desperate, raw rage when he processes his years of trauma."

- Kirsten Bowen, Broad Street Review

Sleeping Beauty, Storybook Musical Theatre

"Joycelyn the good fairy and [V] Sterling as her evil fairy sister Evileen both stole any scene they were in with their over-the-top performances that the characters demanded... Sterling's Evileen was the right amount of scary and camp."

- Beth Vasil, Philly Review

Hamlet, Capital Repertory Theatre

"[T]he scene I loved most in the production was the early scene between Hamlet and Ophelia, the tender one. [V] Sterling as Ophelia was for me the finest actor in this production, and in this scene she got gentleness out of him.

It ended without the kind of rancor we are used to, but with a kind of resignation on Hamlet’s part. The intensity of Ms. Sterling’s speaking held the house in silence. No fluttering butterfly this one, she owned her moments... this Ophelia was easily one of the finest I have seen."

- Keith Kibler, The Berkshire Review

"Sterling as the aforementioned Ophelia shines in the brilliantly paced second act. When Sterling runs onto the stage, you take notice and hold your breath."

- Will Gallagher, Discover Albany

Henry IV, Part 1, Shakespeare Theatre Company

"Though heavily male-dominated, [V] Sterling holds her own in one of a handful of female roles as Lady Mortimer, daughter of Glendower, who sings a haunting Welsh ballad."

- Celia Wren, The Washington Post

"Edmund Mortimer (Aaron Gaines) and Lady Mortimer ([V] Sterling) make a delightful couple, and Lady Mortimer’s song is haunting and lovely."

- Sophia Howes, DC Metro Theatre Arts

"The past haunts the present in “Henry IV” — and... in this resentment-scarred kingdom, betrayals beget more betrayals and bloodshed more bloodshed. You can even read this sad truth into the Welsh song that Glendower’s daughter ([V] Sterling) sings in one of the production’s most haunting moments: Wild and melancholy, the song seems to acknowledge a deep hurt in the world that a victorious battle — or a spree in a tavern — can only temporarily salve."

- Chuck Conconi, Washington Life Magazine