Les Miserables
(Éponine, Carbonell Award Winner, Best Supporting Actress)
"Gwen Hollander is heartbreakingly real as selfless Éponine, whose soul is saved but life is doomed by her love for a man who loves another woman. Hollander’s performance of 'On My Own' is one of the most beautiful moments from a show filled with beautiful moments."
- Miami Artzine
"Gwen Hollander is heartbreaking as the plucky Éponine, the young woman who sacrifices everything for the man who loves another."
- Miami Herald
"Gwen Hollander is winning as the waifish Éponine on 'On My Own."'
- Talkin' Broadway
"Éponine [played by] a golden-voiced Gwen Hollander...
- Talkin' Broadway
press
Avenue Q
(Kate Monster, Lucy The Slut)
"The truly outstanding performance in this production of 'Avenue Q' belongs to Gwen Hollander, who’s called upon to deliver the two most contrasting characters in the show. One is Lucy the Slut, a confirmed tramp who does a vigorously enticing special number at the Around the Clock Café, which Ms. Hollander delivers wildly... the other totally different character this talented singer/actress portrays and puppets, is the most complicated inhabitant of Avenue Q, Kate, a beginning kindergarten teacher who aspires to, and eventually creates, a Monstersorri school for monsters. From her first tentative steps toward finding love, to her full voiced arrival in it after Lucy has seduced Princeton temporarily away from her, she sings the lovely, enduring number 'There’s a Fine, Fine Line Between Love and a Waste of Time' with moving affirmation. Ms. Hollander’s performance is transfixing."
- The Southampton Press
“'Avenue Q' is often surprisingly touching...poignancy in Kate’s number 'There’s a Fine, Fine Line'... the whole cast is terrific. If standouts had to be named, they would be Mr. Smith (who played Princeton on Broadway in 2006), Ms. Hollander and Ms. Zimmerman. "
- The New York Times
Little Women
(Amy, First National Tour)
"Gwen Hollander undergoes a deftly limned transformation."
- Chicago Sun Times
"There are also appealing performances, most notably Autumn Hurlbert as the doomed Beth and Gwen Hollander as the amibitious Amy.."
- Boston Herald
"...Hollander is fetchingly uppity, petulant and, finally, blossoming as the youngest sister Amy."
- San Fransisco Chronicle
"...she virtually steals the show as the incorrigible junior member of the four-some, Amy, whose life change is the most pronounced of the four."
- Daily Pilot
"Gwen Hollander expertly matures youngest-sister Amy from a restless youth into a fetching young woman, a transformation wrought as much by Hollander's subtle movements as her powerful voice."
- Metroactive Stage
"...she neatly manages the trick of changing Amy from petulant child to self-assured adult in the course of the evening. She even seems larger by the show's end."
- KDHX Theatre Review
"In the role, Gwen Hollander undergoes an impressive transformation from jealous brat to worldly bride."
- Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
"As Amy, Gwen Hollander matures nicely from jealous girlhood to a dawning adulthood tinged with the romantic sophistication of a trip to Europe... The Most Amazing Thing, Hollander's duet with Stephen Patterson (an endearing Laurie), finds humor and charm in the couple's hesitant way of revealing their newfound love to Jo."
- The Columbus Dispatch
"A talented cast delivers each girl in all her familiar vivacity... Gwen Hollander is full of charm as Amy, who longs for the pretty things that her family lacks... The actresses bring such understanding to their roles, you can't help wondering if they, like countless American women, loved the book when they were girls."
- St. Louis Post-Dispatch
"Gwen Hollander plays the youngest sister Amy who is the brat of the family. She gives an effective performance as an obnoxious child who would shame Margaret O'Brien."
- Talkin' Broadway
"Gwen Hollander (as Amy) was one of my favorite parts of the show! She nailed the bratty, immature side, and draped herself dramatically over the couch to make her points. But she was also excellent with the more emotional and grown up Amy."
- criticaltheatre.com
Urinetown The Musical
(Hope Cladwell)
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"As heiress Hope Cladwell, Gwen Hollander (who played the Beauty to Sessions' Beast in an earlier Actors' production) sings like an angel without sacrificing the comedic edge that makes Bobby's love interest so much more intriguing than your standard musical theater ingenue." - Miami Herald
"A graceful Gwen Hollander has the lovely singing voice of a Disney heroine, and is wonderful as Hope Cladwell” - Talkin' Broadway
"Gwen Hollander's Hope, who also happens to be the daughter of the evil Caldwell B. Cladwell, has an instrument as meltingly gorgeous as [Tally] Sessions' is powerful." - Miami New Times
"Outstanding performances were exhibited by all 'Urinetown' cast members, especially Gwen Hollander as lovable Hope." - MiamiArtsLover.com |
Disney's Beauty and the Beast
(Belle)
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"Led by sparkling Gwen Hollander as the beautiful Belle… the cast is terrific. Hollander’s sweet soprano brings both yearning and brightness to the songs by composer Alan Menken and lyricists Howard Ashman and Tim Rice, and she conveys Belle’s odd-girl-out braininess as well as her lovely appeal.” - Miami Herald
"As Belle, Gwen Hollander is a vocal dead ringer for the original voice of Belle, Paige O’Hara. Hollander does a particularly lovely job with the song Home…” - Talkin' Broadway
"The main characters are met in a festive town square: the lovely Belle, played angelically by the petite and lively Gwen Hollander…” - Entertainment News and Views
"As Belle, Gwen Hollander is a plucky pragmatist, not the usual dreamy romantic. Hollander’s singing is strong and articulated… she is a dynamic performer, and energizes the show every time she makes an entrance… When the story finally focuses on a series of scenes between Belle and the Beast in the 2nd Act, Hollander and [Tally] Sessions deliver the romantic goods.” - Miami New Times
"Gwen Hollander's winsomeness and emotional aliveness results in an enchanting Belle." - Miami Sunpost |
See Rock City & Other Destinations
(Dodi, Lily, World Premiere)
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(Best Performance By a Lead Actress in a Musical)Disney's Beauty And The Beast
Belle
"Leading lady Gwen Hollander, who plays the iconic Belle, is no stranger to Beauty given she played the role under the direction of David Arisco at the Actor’s Playhouse. Her charming performance encapsulates the nerdy-ness that makes Belle simultaneously affable and sexy, but also reigns in the drama when it could be easy to let things go the way of the jazz-hands (thanks to the fact that we are, after all, dealing with Disney)."
- Long Beach Post
"Gwen Hollander earned the role of Belle (the Beauty) and rightly so. Her voice was beautiful and her timing and acting were impeccable. She has grace on the stage, belying her Broadway and touring experience, and it certainly did not hurt that she had played Belle previously."
-Rex Bass
"...casting choices are inspired... beginning with the marvelous Gwen Hollander’s enchanting, gorgeously sung Belle..."
(Best Performance By a Lead Actress in a Musical)
- Stage Scene LA
