Reviews
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SEVEN: A documentary play by Carol Mack
"Actress Nikki Zook as Irish activist Inez McCormack stands out with her pitch-perfect accent and the stage presence of a seasoned thespian confidently executing another knockout performance with ease. If Inez's riveting story ever gains traction as its own play or adaptation (let's get this going!), I vote Zook for the lead."
-Madelyn Geyer
"In sharing the tales of these women from far away, each actor here appears to use some emotional touchstone within the woman she plays with which she grounds herself in the woman's life. [...] For Nikki Zook, it's the Irish's unique mix of cynicism and optimism, resignation and resolution – "I can't go on, I'll go on" – that powers her animated union organizer Inez McCormack. Whether browbeaten by bosses or just beaten by cops, Zook's Inez always picks herself up and stands up for the poorest and most poorly treated, especially the women – typically with a cutting bit of wit and a chuckle."
-Robert Faires
"The Member of the Wedding" by Carson McCullers
"Director Karen Jambon has recruited a cast of such qualified actors that it seemed almost a shame to put some of them onstage for such short scenes. I had particular jolts of recognition for Nate Dunaway as the amiable but inattentive brother Jarvis and Regan Goins as his fiancée. Jeremy Rashad Brown as T.T. and Paul Bowie as Honey Camden Brown lent depth to the story in their brief appearances. Nikki Zook’s considerable ability was barely glimpsed in her walk-on as John Henry’s mother."
-Michael Meigs
"Sing Muse" devised piece led by Rudy Ramirez
"Touted as an a cappella musical, the show’s original musical arrangements by Chelsea Manasseri (also, aptly, performing the role of Euterpe, Muse of Music) are lovely, particularly "In Between the Echoes" (with lyrics by Ramirez), sung by Nikki Zook as Polyhymnia, the Muse of Hymns and Religious Poetry. The unaccompanied singing of the nine women certainly lends the show a vitality and energy that we don't often come across. Their harmonizing is not only beautiful, but also inspiring and occasionally apt to induce goose-bumps."
-Cate Blouke
"Much Ado About Nothing" by William Shakespeare
"Zook is... strong as the witty and somewhat aloof Beatrice. She plays Beatrice as a confident, smart, independent young woman who can go toe to toe with the men around her. Whether or not Zook intends for Beatrice to be an early feminist is anyone's guess, but it's a fascinating idea that pays off."
-Jeff Davis
"Elizabeth: Heart of a King" by Lorella Loftus
"Nikki Zook is fantastic as the calloused and cold Mary Tudor and as the apparition of Mary Queen of Scots. It's a pity she only gets three scenes... to showcase her immense talents."
-Jeff Davis
BroadwayWorld.comNikki Zook is fantastic as the calloused and cold Mary Tudor and as the apparition of Mary Queen of Scots. It's a pity she only gets three scenes out of the aforementioned 36 to showcase her immense talents.
"The Children's Hour" by Lillian Hellman
"As the ingenuous schoolmistress Karen Wright, Nikki Zook’s performance brings the vital emotional gravitas to the final act. Zook’s Karen is graceful and straightforward, shouldering the burden of defeat with heartrending strength."
-Cate Blouke
"The leading ladies form a strong force. Nikki Zook as "Karen Wright" and Bridget Farias as "Martha Dobie" - the two school teachers at the center of the story - are sure to receive award nominations for their work in this show. Zook has a range of emotions that are rarely seen demonstrated in one play, and they all come across as genuine."
-Olin Meadows
"Nikki Zook and Bridget Farias take on the roles of teachers Karen and Martha. [...]Both of these roles are intense and carry a great deal of the emotional weight of the play, and both ladies build believable characters who stayed afloat even in the most turbulent waves of melodrama unleashed at the play's end."
-Dawn Youngs
"Zook brings to our senses the agony of harassment, unfounded and unrepentant. [...] Zook’s character is strong and compelling."
-Catherine Dribb
"Spider's Web" by Agatha Christie
"With Zook as Clarissa, the play comes together at its best. She strikes an engaging balance between comedy and dismay (at the murder or at the state of the sitting room, depending on the moment). Her carefully coiffed hairdo and the full skirts of her costume (designed by Emily Cavasar) add to the warm yet refined appeal of the character and the play."
-Elizabeth Cobbe
The Austin Chronicle
"Christie wrote this 1954 piece as a commission to feature popular cinema actress Margaret Lockwood, remembered today chiefly for her leading role in Alfred Hitchcock's 1938 film The Lady Vanishes. Nikki Zook as Clarissa shows us how Lockwood must have enjoyed the role, for she's bubbly, earnest, loyal and endlessly imaginative."
-Michael Meigs
Austin Live Theatre
"Five Women Wearing the Same Dress" by Alan Ball
" All five of the Five Women are fun to watch and well-suited to their roles. Particularly strong are Nikki Zook's Trisha, Julianna Elizabeth Wright's Georgeanne, and Aleta Garcia's Mindy. Zook carries the powerful quality of being unhurried onstage. Her character has seen a lot and knows she will see more. "
-Hannah Kenah
The Austin Chronicle
"The Playboy of the Western World" by J.M.Synge
"As Pegeen Mike, daughter of the village publican, Nikki Zook matched Tesh's seemingly unfading stamina. Zook and Tesh's scenes together provided some exciting exchanges."
-Tommy O'Malley
The Austin American Statesman
"Strong ensemble performances are made more difficult when the players are not part of an ongoing troupe. Yet the Different Stages actors who performed John Millington Synge’s “The Playboy of the Western World” at Austin Playhouse’s second stage could be mistaken for a tightly organized group of longtime colleagues. The short, very funny jab at Irish village life enjoys flinty performances from leads Nikki Zook and Scott Tesh as Pegeen Mike and Christy Mahon..."
-Michael Barnes
Arts Editor of The Austin American Statesman (Out and About blog)
"Appointment with Death" by Agatha Christie
"...Nikki Zook could pass as a rosy English movie star from the 1930s as the British psychiatrist."
-Michael Barnes
The Austin American Statesman
"Mrs. Bob Cratchit's Wild Christmas Binge" by Christopher Durang
"Nikki Zook (as an uproariously pathetic Tiny Tim) notably maintained her character's integrity while pandering to an enthusiastic audience."
-Tommy O'Malley
The Austin American Statesman
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