OLD WICKED SONGS (COLONY THEATRE): 94% – SWEET

Tavis Danz and John Towey in "Old Wicked Songs" at the Colony Theatre. Credit: Michael Lamont.

SWEET
Towey is as eloquent in his silences as in his speech and acts with unforced authority. Danz provides a wonderfully prideful foil. Together they produce potent theater magic.
Neal Weaver – Backstage

SWEET
Towey and Danz are actor-musicians at the top of their game, and Old Wicked Songs is intimate musical dramedy at its most compelling and entertaining.
Steven Stanley – StageSceneLA

SWEET
This is a remarkable revival of a play that appears to be close to achieving classic stature.
Don Shirley – LA Stage Watch

SWEET
Both actors play it beautifully. Marans has woven his knowledge about, and passion for, Robert Schumann’s song cycle “Dichterliebe” — and for music in general — into the story with unusual grace, informing without ever seeming to lecture, and director Stephanie Vlahos guides the remarkably natural performances with a light hand.
Margaret Gray – LA Times

SWEET
If there was ever such a thing as a love affair between lighting and a face, it can be seen in the way Sayeg highlights Towey’s silent thoughts. It is quite simply, divine.
Ellen Dostal – Musicals in LA

SWEET
This is a wonderful drama featuring two very intricate personalities.
Carol Kaufman Segal – Reviewplays

SWEET
In pairing memorable theater veteran John Towey, whose career spans decades on Broadway and regional stages, with youthful counterpart Tavis Danz, the Colony production has come up trumps. Both men prove to be accomplished classical pianists whose in-the-moment performances at the Steinway grand give the play added immediacy.
Lynne Heffley – Glendale News Press

SWEET
The Colony Theatre Company once again gives us a winner with the remarkable play OLD WICKED SONGS written by Jon Marans and directed by Stephanie Vlahos. This is a play you MUST SEE. Not just for the beautifully written two character play, but also for the amazing and superb performances by John Towey and Tavis Danz.
Cathy Wayne – NoHoArtsDistrict

BITTERSWEET
Both Danz and Towey pull off the roles with ease, engaging in a battle of wills that crackles when they take turns at the piano. But playwright Jon Marans goes for predictable, tidily resolved plot points. He is clearly taken with the music of Robert Schuman, less so with building an authentic relationship between mentor and protégé.
Amy Lyons – LA Weekly

OLD WICKED SONGS
Presented by and at the Colony Theatre Company
555 N. Third St., Burbank
Feb. 4–March 4, 2012; Thu. and Fri., 8 p.m.; Sat., 3 and 8 p.m.; Sun., 2 p.m.
Tickets: $20-$42; (818) 558-7000 ext. 15
Running time: 2 hours, 20 minutes