PRESS
REVIEWS
ON ORPHÉE ET EURYDICE (NEDERLANDSE REISOPERA):
“Intense to the end. Without disregarding Gluck’s intentions, Jennifer Williams stretched the emotional roller coaster optimally, using her sharp ear.”
”Williams’ detailed character direction corresponded fully with the vocal expression.”
”She surrounded her completely different directing concept like an illusionist with light, smoke and mirrors because ‘I don’t like sets’.”
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”Intens tot de grens. Maar zonder Glucks intenties te miskennen rekte Jennifer Williams de emotionele achtbaan optimaal, met behulp van haar scherpe oor.”
”Williams’ gedetailleerde personenregie correspondeerde hier volledig met de vocale expressie.”
”Haar geheel andere regieconcept omringde ze als een illusionist met licht, rook en spiegels want ‘van decors houd ik niet’.”
ON THE MEROLA GRAND FINALE:
“The program was staged with particular ingenuity by apprentice stage director Jennifer Williams, who in addition to a number of imaginative individual strokes — staging on Berlioz solo, for instance, as an old-time radio broadcast — hit upon the nice idea of bleeding one scene into the next to give the evening extra fluidity.”
ON AINADAMAR:
“Director Jennifer Williams’ production smoothly segued between Xirgu’s dressing room, the performance of the play on stage, and flashbacks to Spain and Cuba. Against Alyiece Moretto’s unit set, Steven Covey’s projections of Picasso-like suggestions of suffering, the ravages of war and Xirgu and Lorca on and off stage were strikingly effective. Julia LaVault’s subtle lighting underscored moments of drama and joy. Patricia Hibbert’s costumes captured the theatrical ambience in varied tones and the war in bleak hues. In a striking climax to Williams’ pitch perfect staging, Nuria assumes the role of Pineda as Xirgu joins Lorca in death.”
“A mesmerizing performance ... Not a moment was wasted in this production of Ainadamar. Director Jennifer Williams’ seamless transitions and fluid imagery beautifully paired with the sonic world of a musical composition combining electronic sounds and orchestra. Williams’ staging celebrated the fractal nature of the score, matching every angle with visceral meaning.”
ON DARK SISTERS:
“Williams’ spare staging cut to the heart of the drama, keeping the emphasis on Eliza’s dilemma and the wives’ faith. ”
ON SUMEIDA’S SONG:
“A revealing, complex depiction.”
“A strong production ... remarkable.”
ON 27:
“An imaginative staging ... delivered with verve and strong dramatic sensibility, and persuasive acting.”
“A winning new production.”
ON A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM:
“An audacious production ... Director Jennifer Williams has transferred Shakespeare’s romp in the woods to a post-apocalyptic landscape strewn with discarded remnants of the former civilization. Television monitors and Yee Eun Nam’s backdrop projection display the trees, flowers and global views that once were part of the milieu. In the tradition of Peter Brook’s famous Royal Shakespeare production of Shakespeare’s play, the singers playing mortals wear modern dress ... Williams’ vision shapes the many characters’ personalities with a distinctive touch and a sure sense of theatricality.”
ON LES CONTES D’HOFFMANN:
“Jennifer Williams’ consistently imaginative production made a virtue of the theater’s small stage with characters entering through openings in the set ... Patricia Hibbert’s handsome and multihued costumes and Yuki Izumihara’s clever unit set were enhanced by Yee Eun Nam’s projections of Spalanzani’s machines, Hoffmann’s stolen image and Miracle’s sinister medical positions in the manner of a horror movie. The entire staging was imaginative, thoughtfully conceived and greatly entertaining.”
“Extraordinariamente hermosa, con un gran despliegue de creatividad ... Pero sin duda, la clave para el éxito de esta producción tan bien estructurada fue la dirección escénica de Jennifer Williams. Sin duda una producción muy competitiva dentro su nivel de limitados recursos y que bien se mereció la larga ovación de pie.”
”Extraordinarily beautiful, with a great display of creativity ... Without a doubt, the key to success of this production was the stage direction of Jennifer Williams ... Undoubtedly a very competitive production within its limited resources and well deserved its standing ovation. ”
ON LA BOHÈME:
“The youthful cast of Miami Music Festival’s production brought enthusiasm and dramatic aplomb to director Jennifer Williams’ inventive staging ... Williams’ imaginative production made an asset of the low-budget, bare bones sets ... The Bohemians’ horseplay exuded a real sense of fun. Mimì’s death was given grandly tragic dimension on the darkened stage.”
“Billed as ‘a great introduction to new opera-goers,’ MMF’s staging of the accessible and emotionally driven drama is exactly that, having been given a modern twist ... The energetic direction of director Jennifer Williams occasionally left me reminded of Baz Luhrmann and the 1996 film ‘Romeo and Juliet,’ in that they are both hugely successful adaptations of a timeless masterpiece ... The cast, fresh-faced and youthful, was stupendous, creating a chemistry and cohesive atmosphere seen in those who have truly been friends for years, but is rarely seen onstage.”
ON THE ST. MATTHEW PASSION:
“The stage action was ingeniously interwoven with the music to give the Passion contemporary resonance.”
”The production gave the music a powerful new dimension .... The three-hour production flew by.”
”Extremely powerful, Brilliant, Monumental.”
ON VENUS + ADONIS:
“The joyful aspect was largely created by Director Jennifer Williams’ favoring of frolic and fun. We had a wide smile throughout and were hit by a wave of sadness at the tragic ending ... The simple story has been decked out with some very amusing scenes, the best of which involves Cupid giving lessons on love to his students in a classroom setting. We don’t always enjoy the current trend for gilding Baroque operas with such fancies but in this case it worked extraordinarily well and we now consider ourself a fan of Ms. Williams.”
ON BACKWARDS FROM WINTER:
“All the parts that make up opera are unified on stage to create an enormously satisfying theatrical experience. Monodrama may mean one voice, and Backwards from Winter spoke as one.”
ON ARIADNE AUF NAXOS:
“The desire to liberate opera from their traditional settings can yield powerful and intriguing new productions from which we experience the music, story, and characters, perhaps even our world with refreshed clarity ... Austin Opera’s presentation of the Richard Strauss classic Ariadne auf Naxos is the latest ... Meticulously staged by Jennifer Williams.”
ON THE TURN OF THE SCREW:
“Molding the way opera is experienced by taking every element of the production to the next level.”
ON COSÌ FAN TUTTE:
“An admirable and ambitious production. Director Jennifer Williams is finding fresh ways to deliver opera, which the audience clearly loved.”
ON UNE BELLE SOIRÉE:
“Incredibly talented ... a funny and whimsical show.”
ON AS TIME GOES BY:
“As bubbly as champagne ... It’ll have folks talking for a long, long time.”