Spelling Bee National Tour Reviews
Best of Baltimore 2006:Professional Tours BroadwayWorld.com
Outstanding Supporting Actor-Eric Petersen "Spelling Bee"
Denver Post Ovation Awards 2006
Best Supporting Actor-Eric Petersen
"Eric Petersen, possessing a supple, leading man's singing voice..."
-Jayne Blanchard, Washington Times
"The touring cast couldn’t be better... especially Eric Petersen as William Barfée, who repels almost everyone he meets.
In real life, Petersen is about to marry a Winter Garden native, so let’s hope his new in-laws see him for what he really is – not the character who makes other people cower for cover but the actor who sends audiences into convulsions and, with William’s so-called “magic foot,” moves across the stage like a dream. All marriages, and all theater, should be so lucky."
-Elizabeth Maupin, Orlando Sentinel
"There's disheveled William Barfee, who wants to be handsome, given the perfect frenetic and elastic physicality by Eric Petersen."
-Juliet Wittman, Denver Westword.com
"Petersen's goofy yet graceful gliding motions turn into the full-fledged musical number, "Magic Foot," one of Putnam County's showstoppers."
-Curt Holman, Creative Loafing Atlanta
"Actor Eric Peterson does a phenomenal job as Barfee (it’s pronounced Bar-fay!), dressed in shorts, a long sleeved half-tucked in shirt, with a tissue shoved into his nostril and hair that apparently hasn’t been combed in days. Particularly memorable is "Magic Foot", a tribute to his secret weapon that Peterson brilliantly belts out."
-Kareem Tabsch, Edge: Ft. Lauderdale
"Petersen's William Barfee is a symphony of tics, arrogance, and sensitivities"
-Paul Hodgins,Orange County Register
"However, the standout[s] in director James Lapine's touring production [is] determined Eric Petersen as rude, hygienically challenged William Barfee"
-J. Wynn Rousuck, Baltimore Sun
"The prize of the lot is William Barfee ...portrayed by Eric Petersen, a physically gifted performer who perfectly captures the angst of childhood."
-Forrest Hartman, Reno Gazette-Journal
"But the biggest praises have to go out to Eric Petersen. He has the greatest role of the play. With his ‘magic foot’ he doesn’t just spell across the stage, he glides his words into our hearts. He finds the right dynamic between over the top and sincere that works all through the production."
-Gary Dean Murray, TheCityWeb.com
Barn Theatre Reviews
The Producers
"Eric Petersen's portrayal of Hitler-worshipping playwright turned actor Franz Liebkind provides some of the loudest guffaws of the show, not to mention the most spectacularly silly singing and dancing."
-Marin Heinritz, Kalamazoo Gazette
"Eric Petersen yet again shows why he is one of the best performers to ever apprentice at the Barn as the Nazi playwright."
-Christopher Tower, Battle Creek Enquirer
Geppetto & Son
"High points in the show include Eric Petersen's Stromboli (his singing of ``Bravo Stromboli'' rings out energetically). These performances approach brilliance and alone make attending worthwhile."
-CJ Gianakaris, Kalamazoo Gazette
"Eric Petersen is probably the best thing about this show in the role of Stromboli and clearly earned the loudest ovation during the curtain call."
Hair
"Eric Petersen is bright-eyed and animated as the naughty ring leader Berger."
-Sue Merrell, Grand Rapids Press
Two Into One
"Petersen's brilliant body language and clumsy kung-fu are very physical comedy at its best, his every line expertly delivered."
-Elizabeth Clark, Kalamazoo Gazette
Bat Boy
"Most of the character actors play multiple roles, which only adds to the show's hilarity. Eric Peterson once again shows off an extensive comic range, like Jim Carrey, and proves why he is surely destined for stardom."
"Perhaps the funniest part of the show is a handful of actors who play multiple townspeople, switching between male and female roles at the tip of a hat. Eric Petersen did a wonderful job of this, creating a cocky teenager, a doctor from India , a pipe-chewing rancher and a fan-waving blonde."
The Fantasticks
"Petersen again reveals his great capacity to play roles completely opposite of the kind he’s played before. If Petersen does not return to the Barn next year, look for his picture in the gallery of now-famous performers who once appeared there."
More Reviews Coming Soon!