Camp Siegfried, Theatre Exile
"Camp Siegfried is a two person play, and both performers are firing on full cylinders throughout. Jenna Kuerzi as 'Her' and Adam Howard as 'Him' have wonderful chemistry and play off of each other nicely. Kuerzi in particular is given more of the emotional depth of the piece, and is able to navigate the nuances within her character remarkably well. She’s engaging to watch whenever she is on stage, and is able to make moments of no dialogue a highlight."Theatre Mania's Favorite Shows Outside New York
"By keeping the action at a bare simmer throughout, Wohl suggests that losing oneself to a dangerous ideology happens in imperceptible ways. Deborah Block’s tense production matched the energy of the script, moving from cloying meet-cute to shocking descent before the audience’s eyes. As the central pair of campers, Adam Howard and Jenna Kuerzi enacted a chilling courtship." -Cameron Kelsall, Theatre Mania |
"It sounds like a bad joke, but Beth Wohl’s Camp Siegfried not only is based in reality—it’s one of the most riveting American plays in years, now on stage in a superb production at by Philadelphia’s Theatre Exile... At Theatre Exile, Deborah Block’s quietly masterful direction finds all the nuances in Wohl’s script. Adam Howard is excellent as Him… and in the more complex role of Her, Jenna Kuerzi is absolutely superb—lovable and frightening in equal measure. This is some of the strongest theater work I’ve seen in Philadelphia in many years.""Kuerzi and Howard show flashes of what could be as the power dynamic between the pair shifts. They’re like puppies, alternately rolling and playing and fighting."
-Wendy Rosenfeld, Broad Street Review |
"The inherent humanity of relationships triumphs over the back story of brainwashing. The story is about two kids falling in love, served with a side order of swastika, delivered on the sly. A ninety minute, no intermission performance on a single set with just two characters may seem like a formula for turgid theater. However, these impressive actors keep us entertained as the director moves things effortlessly forward."
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Steel Magnolias, Act II Playhouse
"Let’s get right to it. Act II Playhouse’s rendition of Robert Harling’s STEEL MAGNOLIAS is one of the best productions I’ve ever seen... The daughter, played by Jenna Kuerzi, brings surprising depth to the ailing Shelby, especially when she ignores her own problems to concentrate on and help the other older friends. Kuerzi also has an impressive and subtle vocal range, which adds to the characterization. The pacing and comedy timing is flawless, and the switch to a dramatic ending is handled brilliantly." |
"For Jenna Kuerzi, the process of excavating and portraying her character has been at once vulnerable and triumphant. After being diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes several years ago, Kuerzi is thrilled to have the opportunity to realistically and compassionately portray a character with Type 1 Diabetes. Although she describes herself as “more Philly grunge than blush and bashful,” she’s been able to access Shelby’s whimsy in a way that is grounded and real." |
"These ladies are no wallflowers or shrinking violets but rather funny, feisty and full of life." |
Mrs. Harrison, Montgomery Theatre
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"Kuerzi finds a nicely textured bitterness in her portrayal of Holly, a sycophantic wheedling that curdles into barely contained rage. Her performance makes an obvious mask of certain liberal niceties, one that curls away from Holly’s veneer-like brittle wallpaper and reveals a special kind of enmity. Years of thinking about Aisha spill out in this encounter, years of mental rehearsal for this exact moment. We become uncomfortably aware of how much Holly wants to be her, how much she detests her for it, how her hatred for Aisha is perhaps only secondary to her hatred for herself." -Kiran Pandey, Broadstreet Review
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"The scuzzy, thrown-together Holly, an unsuccessful writer, comic, and, by default, storyteller, is there for the free drinks....Chali Cooke and Jenna Kuerzi are exceptional performers." -Neal Newman, Philadelphia Theatre Reviews
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The Snow Queen, Arden Theatre
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"The Snow Queen is not Frozen. Nor is it Frozen II. What it is, is what the Arden does best: imaginative, physical, goosebump- to giggle-inducing live, meaningful storytelling, with a supporting cast of five seamlessly portraying a head-spinning average of five roles apiece... Jenna Kuerzi out-gypsies Janis Joplin as fall’s Robber Girl."
-Lauren McCutcheon, Philadelphia Inquirer "Accomplished actors appear in multiple roles with lots of entrances, exits, and complications. Rows of children in the audience sit transfixed. "
-Kathryn Osenlund, Phindie |
"Jenna Kuerzi is a dynamic actor who embodies each of her roles with grace and animation, making clear emotional choices and enthralling all ages in the audience."
-Daralyse Lyons, Broadstreet Review The Snow Queen‘s small cast of talented and versatile actors really bring the story to life. Jenna Kuerzi, Jo Vito Ramirez, and Mary Fishburne easily adapt into various roles- playful, fearful, frightening and funny."
-Brenda Hillegas, Row Home Magazine |
"The ensemble is stellar and they exhibit a tangible sense of joy as they dance, fight, sing, and play their instruments together. An exquisite adventure, The Snow Queen is sure to awe and inspire all of the young people lucky enough to see it this holiday season...Jenna Kuerzi is utterly charming in summer and raucously enthusiastic in fall. The talented ensemble share an easy chemistry that makes the production sparkle."
-Rebecca Rendell, Talkin' Broadway
-Rebecca Rendell, Talkin' Broadway
Sunday in the Park With George
George (Brendan Sheehan) and Dot. Photo credit: Joe del Tufo/Moonloop Photography
'"What truly brings CTC’s conceptual production to life are the talented lead actors Brendan Sheehan as the two Georges and Jenna Kuerzi as Dot and Marie (the elder’s mistress/model in Act I, and their now-elderly daughter in Act II), who impressively deliver Lapine’s distinct characterizations and master Sondheim’s demanding score....Kuerzi is impatient and frustrated as the young Dot, in love with the artist, but craving the attention and devotion he is incapable of giving her, and her fully empathetic portrayal of the aged wheelchair-bound Marie – frail and shaking, yet resolute in her beliefs and amusing in her comments – is absolutely irresistible.
Both, in their solos and duets, demonstrate the exceptional range and control required for the composer’s signature songs, filled with his unconventional shifts in tempo and tone. Her powerhouse vocals on “Sunday in the Park with George,” “Everybody Loves Louis,” and “Children and Art,”.... and their well-matched pairing on “Color and Light,” “Move On,” and the heartrending “We Do Not Belong Together” are superb. As with all art, and especially with such experimental deconstructions as City Theater Company’s Sunday in the Park with George, the viewer’s response is subjective; but there is no disputing the star quality of the lead actors and their commanding voices."
-Deb Miller, DCMetro Theatre Arts
Both, in their solos and duets, demonstrate the exceptional range and control required for the composer’s signature songs, filled with his unconventional shifts in tempo and tone. Her powerhouse vocals on “Sunday in the Park with George,” “Everybody Loves Louis,” and “Children and Art,”.... and their well-matched pairing on “Color and Light,” “Move On,” and the heartrending “We Do Not Belong Together” are superb. As with all art, and especially with such experimental deconstructions as City Theater Company’s Sunday in the Park with George, the viewer’s response is subjective; but there is no disputing the star quality of the lead actors and their commanding voices."
-Deb Miller, DCMetro Theatre Arts
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"Driving some of George’s passions is the fiery Dot, played by an excellent Jenna Kuerzi. Dot has loving affection for George as well as impatience with his personality and frailties. Kuerzi wonderfully captures Dot’s struggles with precise movements to complement her superb singing voice. The parting lovers’ duet We Do Not Belong Together was haunting, with Kuerzi and Sheehan melding their voices beautifully."
-Mike Logothetis, Delaware Arts Info |
“I particularly enjoyed Jenna Kuerzi’s stellar performance as Dot/Marie. She was genuine, vulnerable and connected in both roles despite them being about 80 years apart in age. Her voice lends itself to Sondheim’s musical stylings and she glides across stage with such ease, you barely notice her moving.”
-Katie McGrier, Philly Review |
"Stirring performances from the central couple compensate for some directorial missteps..... Kuerzi taps into the many facets of Dot’s personality. She’s appropriately funny and flirty in “Everybody Loves Louis,” a paean to settling for life’s simple pleasures. A moment later, she delivers a devastating “We Do Not Belong Together.” Rarely have I heard Dot’s burgeoning cry of self-actualization — “No one is you and no one can be / But no one is me, George / No one is me!” — ring out with such authority. She brings humor and pathos to the second-act role of Marie, Seurat and Dot’s illegitimate daughter."
-Cameron Kelsall, Broadstreet Review
-Cameron Kelsall, Broadstreet Review
Let It Snowden
Drawing by Chuck Schultz
"Entertainment has captured the hearts of people for centuries, and beauty in the world has always been exploited. But the world still has beauty, and it can be found in this theater in the periphery of the periphery of the periphery of Off-Broadway, Barrymore-recommended Philadelphia."-Chuck Schultz, Phindie
cana of galilee
"Rosenberg manages to execute these tonal shifts with admirable precision. One moment, Laura laughs off Jenna’s flight suit: “I fucking love that my family is so freaked out by your uniform.” A moment later, Jenna gives heartfelt voice to the act of watching her brother die. Kuerzi — a skilled comic performer, with enough charisma to fill a space ten times the size of the tiny Papermill Theater — splendidly restrains her natural magnetism and leans into the tender moment."
-Cameron Kelsall, Broadstreet Review
-Cameron Kelsall, Broadstreet Review
And then one feels great anxiety
"Jenna Kuerzi ably performs this new 65-minute solo piece. She's distinguished herself in everything from Shakespeare and musical comedies to notorious late-night productions by On the Rocks. In Anxiety, she plays Kineta, an actress defecting to East Germany in 1987. .. Kuerzi makes the monologue active, despite sitting onstage before the house opens and never standing until the end. She constantly faces the audience, though appearing to only see her own reflection. In that reflection, she sees a young woman whose bright red hair looks big, long, and wild, with a topknot. She wears a big scarf and a winter denim coat over grungy clothes. Her cubicle walls create an echo effect on the large empty stage. Kuerzi can't help but find the funny moments in Dinah's meandering efforts to convince the East Germans to adopt her... She's a twitchy character, always scratching, always touching her face and hair distractedly. Maybe she hasn't slept for days."
-Mark Cofta, Broadstreet Review
-Mark Cofta, Broadstreet Review
Close your legs, honey
Photo credit: Kate Raines, Plate 3 Photography
"Jenna Kuerzi (Sweetie)...act wonderfully as foils to Parke’s Honey. Each girl has her own personality quirks and demons.
The physical humor in the show was outstanding. Having adults portray children’s eccentricities in a blocked and choreographed musical is not easy. Movements need to be precise and children are anything but that. The women portraying the pageant girls were off-step as contestants, but right on cue when backstage — i.e., not being judged. "
-Mike Logothetis, Delaware Arts Info
The physical humor in the show was outstanding. Having adults portray children’s eccentricities in a blocked and choreographed musical is not easy. Movements need to be precise and children are anything but that. The women portraying the pageant girls were off-step as contestants, but right on cue when backstage — i.e., not being judged. "
-Mike Logothetis, Delaware Arts Info
"The central concept of grown women playing 11-year-old pageant darlings works and sets you up to know that what you see is not necessarily what you get, especially since some of parts are played by other actors at other performances. The darlings, Baby (Claris Park), Angel (Colleen Murphy), Sweetie (Jenna Kuerzi) maintain their youthful innocence...Just when you think you know where this show is heading, it surprises you and takes you down an unexpected byway, handling difficult issues with a light touch. Overall, it’s a comedic look at the shit women have to put up with until they just can’t any more."
-Naomi Orwin, Phindie
-Naomi Orwin, Phindie
fishtown
w/Zachary Chiero. Photo credit: Kate Raines (Plate 3 Photography)
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"The actors are tirelessly inventive... but Kuerzi deserves special mention for performing Fishtown so well and then rushing to West Philly to give another superb high-energy performance in On the Rocks' The Groom's a Fag . . . Tribe of Fools' Fringe productions merit the troupe's must-see status."
-Mark Cofta, Broad Street Review "Creator/Performers... Jenna Kuerzi... are flawless in their definitions of the quirky characters (featuring women in key roles), impeccable in their comic timing, masterful in their delivery of the vintage lingo from then and the techno-speak of now, and perfectly synchronized in their seemingly effortless execution of Chiero’s inspired choreography."
-Deb Miller, DC Metro Theatre Arts "There is a moment, about halfway through, where the satire suddenly becomes an intriguing narrative and the plot actually thickens. But that doesn’t keep this wildly gymnastic cast from niftily choreographed production numbers that are part fights, part dance, part acrobatics... All in all, Fishtown is just the kind of show that is the essence of Fringe. Don’t miss it."
-Toby Zinman, Philadelphia Inquirer |
"A parody submerged in Noir aura, it hits its marks. Cool and sometimes ridiculous, FISHTOWN’s a winner. I’m pret-tysure you haven’t seen something just like this before. This is what you’re looking for. This is Fringe. Tribe of Fools delivers the goods… again."
-Kathryn Osenlund, Phindie "It also has the feel of something original and surprising about a subject deeper than it appears at an evening of good fun. I've often felt that at Tribe of Fools productions."
-Howie Shapiro, Newsworks "Aimsley's brainy but stressed out secretary Claire is rendered with deceptive charm by Jenna Kuerzi. Beyond the wacky dancing, hilarious dialogue, and sleek noir styling, Fishtown is a cautionary tale about the technology that encourages us to create idealized versions of ourselves and warps the way we interact with others. It is a joy to watch and a lot to think about as you turn your cell phone back on and head home."
-Rebecca Rendell, Talkin' Broadway ****2018 Barrrymore Award Nominee: Best Ensemble in a Play and Best New Play****
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beehive (Pitman Broadway Theatre)
Janis Joplin. Photo credit: ScardaPix
"By herself, Jenna Kuerzi redeems the entire second act, which centers on a tribute to Woodstock. Here, she powers through three Janis Joplin tunes, thrilling with her own emotionally devastating take on “Cry Baby.” As someone that doesn’t care much for Joplin’s music (or persona), Kuerzi’s performance held me captivated in a way that the entire evening failed to accomplish."
-Jim Rutter, Philadelphia Inquirer
-Jim Rutter, Philadelphia Inquirer
Beehive (Candlelight dinner theatre)
Photo Credit: Tisa Delle-Volpe
"It does take a special soul to get Janis Joplin right. This brings us to Jenna Kuerzi's 3 tunes as Janis Joplin. Her costume was right out of her 1969 tv interview with Dick Cavett, 'so nice to see you, my little songbird', said Cavett. Janis came on that show carrying a bottle of gin. Jenna saw that as a cue and carried a similar prop. Kuerzi sang like the volatile vial of nitroglycerin that was Janis. In addition to impersonating all of Joplin's glass shattering screechy notes, she was hysterical in the portrayal."
-Broadway World
-Broadway World
Alice (Egopo Classic theatre)
Photo Credit: Lauren Garcia
"Kuerzi is everything you could want for an Alice. She conveys childlike innocence without being cloying, and when she seems irritated, her attitude transitions effortlessly to teenage insouciance and snark."
-Broad Street Review
-Broad Street Review
The Mystery of edwin drood
"...the bawdy and uninhibited Princess Puffer — a product of Dickensian London, played by Jenna Kuerzi... the South Jersey theatre scene has never had an actress quite like Kuerzi, and probably will never find another. Her gravely voice and ability to deliver one line with such energy, and the next so pragmatically, keeps each character in check and her own character(s) ever fresh."
-Jim Cook Jr, SJ Times
-Jim Cook Jr, SJ Times
Xanadu
" One of the best comic actresses in town...Kuerzi, as goofy Kira with the exaggerated accent, isn’t far behind. She spends more time on roller skates than anyone, though she’s funniest when she’s wearing just one."
-Holly Quinn, Stage Magazine
-Holly Quinn, Stage Magazine
Photo Credit: Joe del Tufo
"Kuerzi was downright enchanting, her exaggeration bordering on ridiculousness. “Is this not the dawn of the ’80s?” she proclaims as if invoking the dawn of civilization."
-Margie Fishman, The News Journal
-Margie Fishman, The News Journal
Bat Boy: The Musical
"Dana Michael and Jenna Kuerzi are two tiny sprites who play spirited mother and teenaged daughter, respectively. They rock, shuck and jive with the oversized vigor of the energizer Bunny coming out of lithe and slender bodies. Those two and the rest of the cast, all of whom have incredible light and spark, managed to do all of their singing and dancing while swinging up and down their jungle gym bars as if born to it."
-Margaret Darby, Delaware Arts Info
-Margaret Darby, Delaware Arts Info
Shelley, Pan (Adam Wahlburg), and Edgar (Brendan Sheehan). Photo credit: Joe del Tufo
stairs to the roof
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" Cheers to ... the actors who move like precise machines, deliver lines as if they were written for comic panels and run around the stage like a zoo on the loose."
-Howard Shapiro Newsworks "EgoPo's brilliant and hilarious second show in their season of "American Giants....It is here that the show's spirited ensemble—a combination of Rowen theater students (current and alums) and professional actors—shines. Kudos where kudos are due...Precision timing plus amusing schtick: speed where needed, slo-mo where needed, over-the-top where needed
-Toby Zinman, Philadelphia Inquirer " several members of the large supporting cast give good comic performances, including Jenna Kuerzi as Ben's noisy wife"
-Tim Dunleavy, Talkin' Broadway " The cast — current and former Rowan University students and faculty —proves ideal, “collegiate” in the best sense: energetic, eager, refreshingly committed. .... earnest performances are ably supported by Jenna Kuerzi as Ben’s unhappy wife..."
-Mark Cofta, City Paper |
Ben (Craig O'Brien) and Alma Photo credit: Dave Sarrafina
" The style is more playful than I could have imagined, brimming with visual imagination and energy (and it’s carried through by a remarkably gifted, winning cast of young people, some of them current college students). "
-David Fox, Reclining Standards " Abandoning an expectant wife for an office romance as a symbol of self-expression and a break from oppression reeks of misogyny in our post-feminist era, but the portrayals of the shrewish wives Alma (Jenna Kuerzi) and Edna (Rachel O’Hanlon-Rodriguez) are such hysterical caricatures, that we can’t help but laugh at the period’s unenlightened view of women and the actresses’ hilarious over-the-top performances."
-Deb Miller, Phindie " Jenna Kuerzi makes a case for empathy as Alma, but the production turns her more into a comic shrew than an abandoned, cheated-on wife."
-Neal Zoren, NealsPaper |
dogfall
Will (Adam Altman), Alousha, and Jack (Luke Moyer). Photo credit: Josiah & Steph Photography
"Jenna Kuerzi portrays the enemy Alousha, a frightened and fragile boy soldier and the perennial outsider who inspires both the compassion and the hatred of Will and Jack. All three turn in affecting performances that convey the violent desperation, unbearable loneliness, apocalyptic devastation, and full-blown insanity of war, in contrast with the upbeat tempo and optimistic lyrics of Irving Berlin’s 1926 hit song “Blue Skies” that repeatedly plays in the background."
-Deb Miller, DC Metro TheatreArts |
"Alousha (Jenna Kuerzi), a wounded and rattled boy forced to serve, complicates Will and Jack's friendship, testing their assumptions about what they can and should do to win the war. The unconventional casting works.... Kuerzi is ferociously committed, and her gender raises no doubts or distracting questions." -Mark Cofta, Broad Street Review "The acting is good across the board, although all three actors indulge in the inherent melodrama of the script a little too much. But, at times, they do bring the characters alive, and those are by far the most enjoyable moments of this play."
-Ninni Saajola, Phindie |
'Till Birnam wood
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"The formidable ensemble of eight is not confined to a traditional stage, but moves freely around the space and the audience, surrounding and enveloping us in the dark tale. The “weird sisters” (played with sinister fervor by Angela Smith, Jenna Kuerzi, and Katherine Perry) hiss, shriek, and whisper hair-raising spells and spine-chilling prognostications into our ears..."
-Deb Miller, DCMetro Theatre Arts |
"Relying predominately on pre-recorded audio, sound effects that illustrate the action being performed within the plot, and of course the vocal prowess of its eight actors, Till Birnam Wood… manages to control the somewhat frenzied movement of the story without any visual cues." -Zachary Connor, Theatre is Easy |
love's labour's lost: the musical
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"Standouts include....Kuerzi’s Rosaline...There are really no weak spots in the sizeable cast, no parts of the show where you don’t feel entertained."
-Holly Quinn, Delaware Online "The four young women, played by... Jenna Kuerzi (Rosaline)... use the wit, playfulness and strength of the script to the fullest."
-Ken Grant, Delaware Arts Info |
Photo Credit: Joe del Tufo
*DC Metro Theatre Arts' 2015 "Best of Philadelphia" Year End Awards for "Best Musical"
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Hamlet
"The Ghost of King Hamlet appeared around 15 seconds into the first scene, and the play’s 4,000 lines were slashed to 1,500, spoken by six actors playing just 12 characters. That led to some unique performances, such as Jenna Kuerzi playing Ophelia as well as Guildenstern... With so few actors, the direction employed brightly colored scarves to help young viewers keep track of characters (and dead bodies). Several swiftly dispatched wooden cubes served as furniture and scenery. The swordplay was sharp, the actors dedicated and crisp, and the dialogue hewn from the original script was as peremptory as Claudius’s marriage. Perhaps at the cost of some of the play’s beauties, Philly Shakes’s show did bring out the teens’ true laughs, sometimes in unexpected places, as during the culminating cascade of deaths. But, as Kuerzi said, that really is kind of funny."
-Alaina Johns, Broadstreet Review
-Alaina Johns, Broadstreet Review
Spookfish
" Spookfish is a big glorious mess, an ambitious no-budget production fuelled by youthful passion.
I loved it. A great young cast --...Jenna Kuerzi (who's also terrific in IRC's Exit the King)....-- don't play Walker's horror-flick inspired script for laughs, but take it to a higher level. I found the cleverly plotted self-destruction of this band of misfits outrageous and engrossing, with a committed genuineness that kept it from devolving into winking satire. The actors are too good, and Walker's script reveals too much squalid small-town real life, for that to happen.
That's not to say Spookfish is perfect -- but its bold imperfections, high stakes, and ridiculous meta ending are part of its infectious rough charm."
-Mark Cofta, CityPaper
I loved it. A great young cast --...Jenna Kuerzi (who's also terrific in IRC's Exit the King)....-- don't play Walker's horror-flick inspired script for laughs, but take it to a higher level. I found the cleverly plotted self-destruction of this band of misfits outrageous and engrossing, with a committed genuineness that kept it from devolving into winking satire. The actors are too good, and Walker's script reveals too much squalid small-town real life, for that to happen.
That's not to say Spookfish is perfect -- but its bold imperfections, high stakes, and ridiculous meta ending are part of its infectious rough charm."
-Mark Cofta, CityPaper
" the energetic cast (Joe Canuso, Richard Chan, Arlen Shane Hancock, Jenna Kuerzi, Campbell O’Hare, and Zoe Richards) keeps things fast-paced and funny."
-Chris Munden, Phindie
Kori waits.
Birdie's pit stop and the tribe of queers who fucked everything up
Huntin' the Stag. Photo credit: Campbell O'Hare
"Camp and kitsch reign supreme...an outrageously funny world-premiere parody of the horror genre....Casting of the characters is spot-on, featuring a nine-person ensemble of some of the city’s best emerging talents."
-Deb Miller, DC Metro Theatre Arts |
"...the production is brought to life by seriously committed comic performances from the nine-member cast....most notably... Jenna Kuerzi as (Birdie's) hellfire sister on the hunt for the mythical stag... the horror plot is well-crafted though thoroughly ridiculous and twee-ly self-conscious..." -Christopher Munden, Phindie *DC Metro Theatre Arts List of "Best New Play" of 2016*
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The groom's a f^g, the bride's a c%*t, the best man's a whore, and the maiden of honor (just) hung herself in the closet
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"The Groom's a Fag; The Bride's a Cunt; The Best Man's a Whore; and the Maiden of Honor (Just) Hung Herself in the Closet is the epitome of Fringe Festival: loud, profane, booze-sodden, rock-fueled passion. Nora is comically vicious to.... even the wedding planner (Jenna Kuerzi, channeling Phyllis Diller in a performance as wonderful — and different — as her role in Tribe of Fools’ Fishtown).
-Mark Cofta, Broad Street Review "They are distinguished by their fierce intelligence and understanding of theatrical tropes, which they gleefully deconstruct in well-made plays that are simultaneously freewheeling and narratively sound. Jenna Kuerzi turns in a comic tour-de-force as a wedding planner who’s dancing as fast as she can."
-Cameron Kelsall, Phindie |
Tori and Daniel (Ashton Carter). Photo credit: Larry Barnes
"Jenna Kuerzi presents a laugh-old-loud caricature of the couple’s driven and nerdy wedding planner. .. the audacious and unapologetic On the Rocks will creep you out and make you laugh, while delivering a serious message about people who don’t fit into their life or environs, and encouraging those who feel alienated, inauthentic, and unfulfilled to GTFO while they can. Fast. Before it’s too late."
-Deb Miller, DC Metro Theatre Arts |
nightmares in neverland
"A dark, disturbing fantasy on disenchantment with adulthood, adult behavior, and sexuality, and the lives of modern-day children tragically cut short (JonBenet Ramsay and Anne Frank), who at last find the childhood happiness they missed in Neverland. The non-linear surrealistic piece interweaves original dialogue with characters and voice-overs of passages from Barrie’s book, and features a standout performance by Jenna Kuerzi as a tough-talking Anne and the overbearing mother of JonBenet."
-Deb Miller, Phindie
-Deb Miller, Phindie
"There are strong performances from Jenna Kuerzi as Anne Frank...."
-Tim Dunleavy, Talkin' Broadway
-Tim Dunleavy, Talkin' Broadway
Anne. Photo by Brey Barrett
Buzzfeed, donald trump, and dead black kids
Two Millennials Sit On A Couch. Carin and Ty (Iman Aaliyah).
"Two high school girls (Iman Aaliyah and Jenna Kuerzi, both in subtle, pitch-perfect performances) sit on a sofa with a school project looming... When one girl compliments the other with, “You’re the whitest black girl I know,” the temperature in the room suddenly drops and the conversation rides off the rails."
-Toby Zinman, Broad Street Review
-Toby Zinman, Broad Street Review
WOLFCRUSH: A QUEER WEREWOLF PLAY
"Jenna Kuerzi strikes comedic gold playing a series of stereotypically ineffectual town leaders — a Trumpian mayor, right down to the overlong red tie; a brash high-school principal who may or may not have killed his wife; a detective who harbors an unhealthy obsession with Mariska Hargitay. "
-Cameron Kelsall, Broadstreet Review
-Cameron Kelsall, Broadstreet Review
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"The acting is still stellar: Jenna Kuerzi provides welcome humor as a principal, a mayor, and a cop (all male)."
-Phindie |
"Jenna Kuerzi moves through multiple adult male characters with ease and amazing comedic timing."
-Bonaly reviews |
taming of the shrew
Kate and Petruchio (Aaron Kirkpatrick)
Philadelphia Shakespeare Theatre
Photo Credit: Kendall Whitehouse
"Nobody can seethe like Jenna Kuerzi. As Katherina in The Taming of the Shrew, Kuerzi reacts to every slight from her unwelcome suitor Petruchio with rage. Her nostrils flare. Her eyes bulge. Her tongue bounces around in her mouth, straining against her cheeks. Her voice erupts into a piercing bellow that belies her petite frame. Her unruly hair even seems to grow a few more inches. *it’s Khan’s vision of Katherina (a.k.a. Kate) as a surly punk princess in a Brooks Brothers world, aggravated by the attitudes and the attire of all and sundry, that makes this Taming of the Shrew special."
-Tim Dunleavy, DCMetroTheaterArts
-Tim Dunleavy, DCMetroTheaterArts
"Kuerzi’s dynamic Kate, a “fiend of hell” ...is a typically moody, impetuous, disrespectful, rebellious, overly dramatic teen. ...Clad in black with a mess of fire-red curls, she packs a plus-size voice in a petite body, bellowing at her mother — and everyone else who crosses her in a spitting fury that would seem mentally ill from anyone over 19. ..... Sound, props, and furniture are minimal, focusing our attentions on the actors, who always earn it — especially Kuerzi and Kirkpatrick, whose connection sizzles. The arc of their complicated relationship is both clear and satisfying."
-Mark Cofta, Broad Street Review
-Mark Cofta, Broad Street Review
"In actor Jenna Kuerzi’s hands, the “shrew” Katharina is a punk-rock-style anger-filled woman. ...The obvious regard Kate and Petruchio have for one another frame their games—which in some other productions come across as necessary masculine cruelty—as romantic interplay. Kate’s much-derided speech in the denouement (“I am ashamed that women are so simple”) reads as personal thanks and commitment, not unreconstructed dribble, farce, or irony."
-Christopher Munden, Phindie
-Christopher Munden, Phindie
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" With Kuerzi's performance, there is no doubt that the shrew in question needs help to change. She is at least as unhappy as her behavior makes everyone else, full of anger and discontent and fully aware that she lacks the social skills to handle her emotions."
-Jennifer Kramer, PlayShakespeare |
"...Jenna Kuerzi's Katherina, a copperheaded spitfire in black lace stockings and studded motorcycle boots. She's the kind of girl you see smoking on the hood of someone's car outside a 7-Eleven, talking too loud and starting fights..."
-Wendy Rosenfield, Philadelphia Inquirer |
*DCMetro Theatre Arts Year End List: Best Performances of 2015*
henry v
"Jenna Kuerzi's character appears the most rebellious with her aloof attitude, dyed hair, and non-uniform leggings and boots, but she throws herself into her roles with the most enthusiasm. Her Corporal Nym is a hiccuping drunk mess, while she gives Lord Scroop the nervous tic of rubbing his scarf against his face even as he attempts to conceal his treachery, and the Duke of Orleans a prim and arrogant carriage that complements the rest of the French forces."
-Jennifer Kramer, PlayShakespeare
-Jennifer Kramer, PlayShakespeare
"The young ensemble features some of the best emerging talents in Philadelphia, who bring a youthful energy, passion, and humor to the characters and their conflicts in Henry’s coming-of-age story."
-Deb Miller Phindie
The Royal Court. With Lizzie Spellman, Ife Foy, and Jahzeer Terrell.
" Henry V” has several instances of comic relief, as Shakespeare inculcates three of the rogues Henry sported around with during his wilder days as Prince Hal, who liked to haunt taverns and have adventures before getting to the serious business of government. Scenes with Bardolph, Nym, and Pistol offset Henry’s battle plans while showing what his character once was like. Johnny Smith, Richard Chan, and especially Jenna Kuerzi, are particularly entertaining as this trio. Smith and Chan are all bravado, while Kuerzi, as the candid, cowardly, and more inebriated Nym, admits he would rather be at Mistress Quickly’s gaming and consuming sack that on a French battlefield where he can get killed. ..... Kuerzi makes her presence welcome in a variety of roles."
-Neal Zoren, NealsPaper
a midsummer night's dream
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"The actors playing the four young lovers have the most demanding roles, and they excel at every turn... Jenna Kuerzi, as Hermia, brings a contemporary approach to strongly deliver Shakespeare’s prose..."
-Chris Evalgelista, Geekadelphia "Until one spellbinding scene in Act Two, there was almost certainly not enough of the young foursome that anchors the bulk of Shakespeare's whimsical plot. Jenna Kuerzi's Hermia and Jessica Giannone's Helena scratched and clawed like alley cats....Without any sense of silly slapstick or cheap humor, these young actors delighted with their emotion-laden expressions of Shakespeare's quick-witted poetry, delivered by Kuerzi and Giannone's excellent portrayals and clear voices."
-Jim Rutter, Philadelphia Inquirer " the actors’ intriguing characterization choices for the Athenians lead to some larger-than-life performances without slipping into caricature. But when the two are not fighting over betrayal and short jokes, Gianone and Kuerzi have a warm and natural chemistry that nicely sets their friendship apart from the torrid state of their romantic relationships."
-Jennifer Kranmer, PlayShakespeare |
Hermia and Demetrius (Arlen Hancock)
Photo Credit: Kendall Whitehouse
"The four Athenian kids addled by love and ancient Greek law (Jenna Kuerzi, Jessica Giannone, Josh Kachnycz and Arlen Hancock) bring it all off with admirable oomph."
-Howie Shapiro, NewsWorks " The four young lovers, besides being attractive, make clear their various positions and can show exasperation, or ecstasy, as much through posture and facial expression as through Shakespeare’s words. Kuerzi continually has Hermia flailing at someone or something, giving intensity to everything that happens, calamitous or inconsequential. Kuerzi and Giannone show proper confusion and authentic contempt as they believe themselves to be bandied about and mocked mercilessly by their one-time friends and lovers. Kachnycz, Kuerzi, Hancock, and Giannone are all attractive, handle Shakespearean verse well enough, and know how to go at each physically." -Neal Zoren, NealsPaper |
" Jessica Giannone, Jenna Kuerzi, Arlen Hancock, and Josh Kachnycz excel as the four young lovers whose affections are magically altered by Puck, with hilarious results."
-Mark Cofta, CityPaper
-Mark Cofta, CityPaper
Twelfth night (Philly Shakespeare)
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" The hilarious (and cruel) practical joke played on Malvolio threatens to steal the show."
-Hugh Hunter, Philadelphia Inquirer " Be it in the sadistic laugh of Olivia’s maid Maria (Jenna Kuerzi).... this is comedy choreographed like a ballet. " -Scott Wiser, Phindie "If you’ve never seen Twelfth Night, this new edition is a terrific place to start. It’s got a lot of visual wit, a lot of strong voices, and a lot of heart. Malvolio gets some formidable opponents in the trio of jokers who pull that trick on him... Jenna Kuerzi is saucy as the maid Maria." -Tim Dunleavy, DC Metro Theatre Arts |
A rowdy crew of misfits. Photo credit: Kendall Whitehouse
" The anti-Malvolio plotline gains greater prominence, helped along by the cast’s energetic performances."
-Jennifer Kranmer, Play Shakespeare |
macbeth
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" Scenes which drag down or seem out of place in other productions—the conversation between Lady MacDuff (Elise Hudson) and her child (Jenna Kuerzi) as Macbeth’s former allies begin to abandon him—are well-timed and congruent."
-Chris Munden, Phindie "Overall the cast is very strong. As the son of Macduff, Jenna Kuerzi manages to pull off precocious without being precious."
-Jennifer Kranmer, PlayShakespeare |
Lady Macduff (Elise Hudson) and the Macduffling.
Photo credit: Kendall Whitehouse
"Carmen Khan has wisely cast for voices: this is a cast with perfect diction and powerful resonance. The actors speak the lines as if it were their native tongue."
-Toby Zinman, the Philadelphia Inquirer |
"The rest of the ensemble delivers fine support, with rich voices that show a strong facility with Shakespearean diction. Standouts include...Jenna Kuerzi, who brings a human touch to the role of Macduff’s son."
-Tim DunLeavy, DC Metro TheatreArts
-Tim DunLeavy, DC Metro TheatreArts
Exit the king
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" The actors all do what they can, given the repetitions and obviousness in the script."
-Toby Zinman, Philadelphia Inquirer " Jenna Kuerzi endows the elder queen’s waiting woman with the contradictory air of being better than her station yet knowing her place." -Neal Zoren, Neal's Paper |
Photo Credit: Johanna AustinArt
" One of the most compelling moments occurs between Jenna Kuerzi as the Juliet the maid and Robb Hutter as King Berenger, the first. Juliet says: “I wake up in the pale light of the morning and work all day, my back hurts, I am tired.”
-Jessica Foley, FoleyGotComped |
"Supported by Brock’s affecting sound design, Patricia Durante and Anna Lou Hearn as Berenger’s queens, Susan Giddings as his doctor, Jenna Kuerzi as the maid, and Bob Schmidt as the royal guard all hit the tragicomic mark with precision and deliver a powerful 90 minutes of intensely thought-provoking, hilarious, and heart-wrenching irrationality on life, death, and the human condition."
-Deb Miller, Phindie
BY THE BOG OF CATS
"Kuerzi’s Caroline is a study in befuddled sorrow, a motherless waif bullied by her father and battered by Hester and Carthage’s struggle for Josie and against their feelings for one another. "-Mark Cofta, Broadstreet Review
king lear
"Jenna Kuerzi, an actor who has lived in the Philly shadows for far too long, is fantastic as Lear’s Fool. She tackles the Fool’s dense language and circuitous logic deftly, providing a joyous and much-needed source of comedy. But she also lets the Fool’s inner life come forward, painting the portrait of a jester whose purpose is to bring emotional support in the form of laughter for an old man who is slowly losing his mind."
-Alix Rosenfeld, Broadstreet Review
-Alix Rosenfeld, Broadstreet Review
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"The Fool, portrayed by the versatile Jenna Kuerzi, energizes the stage action, emerging from the audience space, moving quickly up and down the few set pieces in mocking impersonation of the aging ruler, and singing. The Fool’s humor reaches the audience (granted, some of the original riddles are replaced by modern songs, such as “The House of the Rising Sun ”).
-Barbora Příhodová, thINKing dance |
"Another musical highlight came as Lear starts to go mad, musing on “this great stage of fools.” And we were all fools in love for Jenna Kuerzi’s performance as Lear’s court Fool keeping in straight with ironic wisdom about life’s inescapable paradoxes. We were all fools in love for Jenna Kuerzi’s starry night performance belting out the Animals classic House of the Rising Sun- Kuerzi a fine blues hollerer in Shakespeare in Clark Park’s holler. "
-alternate takes |
Twelfth night (Clark Park)
Photo by Chuck Schultz
"Sir Toby Belch with a mustache was played by Jenna Kuerzi... They portrayed a undignified manner, by sitting in the audience, it made those who came to see the play feel a real upright rudeness."
-Chuck Schultz, Phindie
-Chuck Schultz, Phindie