PRESS
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MARY POPPINS
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“Stephens and Herring have the acting chops to back up their beautiful singing voices’”
~ Alec Harvey, AL.com 7/11/15
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KISS ME KATE
“This is a vocally impressive show. Emily Herring (Lilli/Kate) was outstanding vocally, especially in her rendition of ‘So In Love.’”
~ Kathleen Kirby, Flint Journal, Detroit, MI, 9/9/03
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“Dexter James Brigham and Emily Herring are the kind of leads that make a director’s job easy. Energetic, enthused, emotionally attached to their characters, they also have voices that can boom like cannons or draw teardrops from a statue.”
~ Daniel Skora, The Monitor, Detroit, MI, 9/11/03
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“Lead actress, Emily Herring, put on a stunning performance. She carried herself with grace even while being thrown about the stage. Her voice and sense of comic timing were impeccable.”
~ Meredith Hahn, Indiana Daily Student, Bloomington, IN, 9/29/03
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“Emily Herring, an Alabama actress, manages to be likable despite her roles as Katherine the shrew and Fred’s off stage ex-wife. Her lilting soprano voice was strong enough to carry throughout the auditorium, even when a technical problem left her without a microphone for a part of one song.”
~ Cynthia Vinarsky, The Vindicator, Youngstown, OH, 9/30/03
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“Brigham and Herring are well-matched both in spirit and voice, demonstrating plenty of musical-theatre pizzazz while handling the more classical demands of the book and score not just credibly, but sometimes magnificently.”
~ Julie York Coppens, South Bend Tribune, South Bend, IN, 10/11/03
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“The lead actors, Dexter James Brigham and Emily Herring, had strong, clear voices, precise comic timing, and a fiery chemistry. Herring especially had a singing voice equal in quality and range to an opera singer.”
~ Nicole Arias, The Exponent, W. Lafayette, IN, 10/20/03
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Herring commands the stage when she’s playing either Lilli or Kate, and she brings clarity to the words and strength to the music when she sings… Herring’s, ‘I Hate Men’ number is nearly worth the price of admission.”
~ Richard LeComte, Reno Gazette-Journal, Reno, NV, 11/30/03
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“The show features the talents of two dynamic performers in the lead roles: Dexter James Brigham and Emily Herring. Most memorable is Ms. Herring’s rendition of ‘So In Love.’”
~ Joseph F. Caputo, Scranton Times, Scranton, PA, 1/24/04
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“Herring is every bit Brigham’s (Fred) match, an outstanding singer and comedienne, she plays the perfect foil for Vanessi’s womanizing ex-husband and the brutish boor Petruchio.”
~ Classical Voice North Carolina, Durham, NC, 2/19/04
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“The two leads in the tour production are excellent.” Emily Herring provides a fiery and riveting Kate.”
~ Dag Ryen, Herald Leader, Lexington, KY, 2/21/04
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RAGTIME
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“Leading lady Rachel York as Mother was out, but understudy Emily Herring has the role all tied up…her ‘Mother’ was splendidly mature and moving.”
~ Broadwayworld.com
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“…but the sounds that will ring in patron’s ears for the weeks to come are the voices of actors such as Emily Herring as Mother. Though she’s in her 20’s, Herring brings the same wisdom to Mother that she brought to Mother Abbess in a touring version of The Sound of Music that stopped in Cincinnati last year.”
~ Rich Copley, Lexington Review, 2/19/02
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“Another standout is Emily Herring as Mother, whose smooth, blond surface conceals restlessness, and deep resentment of her domestic shackles. Herring’s voice is sweet and true, and she gives a canny performance as a woman confused by her sudden personal awakening.”
~ Camille Hayes, Reno Gazette-Journal, 12/9/01
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“Emily Herring, as Mother, also wins over the audience with her clear, sweet singing. Her performance of “Back to Before” voiced what many Americans are feeling at this hour…”
~ Jan Biles, Lawrence Journal, 10/14/01
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“Some of the most affecting performances were those of Emily Herring as Mother, whose humanity takes her beyond race and class propriety to take in a foundling black baby and his mother and to help them reunite with the boy’s father…”
~ Roger McBain, Evansville Courier
Her solo “Back to Before” ended with a note that not only illustrated the growing sense of empowerment within the character, but the power of the actress’s own voice, as well. Her appearance during the curtain call nearly caused a riot, as audience members strained to clap even louder and harder than they had already done for the other players.”
~ Meredith Hahn, Indiana Daily Student, 2/01/02
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“Emily Herring, a marvelous singer, as showcased in her Act 2 solo Back to Before…”
~ Terry Morris, Dayton Daily News, 1/17/02
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“Emily Herring beautifully captures Mother’s human adventure outside the frontiers of wifely conventionality.”
~ Liz Nicholls, Edmonton Journal, 1/2002
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ALWAYS... PATSY CLINE
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“27 plus or minus sings in one evening —— Are you kidding me? We were all impressed (astounded) at the amount of good singing”
~ Greg Berry
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“Lessie is so funny, and Patsy could flat out sing!”
~ Kim
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“Emily-Just got home from seeing you in Patsy Cline tonight. You were fabulous! So enjoyed it. Couldn’t believe how much you looked and sounded like her. You became her.”
~ Andrea
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“I attended the 7:30 show last night with three friends. I have attended many Broadway Series shows and have never seen one better than the locally produced Patsy Cline Always. I am not a Patsy Cline fan, per se, but I very much enjoyed the unbelievably fabulous voice of Emily Herring and the endearing and extraordinary acting of Celeste Burnum. The band was also good enough to stand on its own. I do not know how a show gets to tour nationally, but if one ever deserved (needed) to, Patsy Cline Always certainly does. Thank you for providing such great theatre in Birmingham!”
~ Ray Lindsey
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“My husband and I attended Friday night’s performance of Always Patsy Cline. We think it surpasses even New York’s Broadway shows. We were sad to see the performance end because we found the characters and music to be so thoroughly entertaining. We would attend it again just to experience the quality work done by every individual involved with this excellent ‘theatre’ piece. Let us know WHEN it goes national…. If it has been video taped, we would love to buy a copy to watch again and again.”
~ Al and Cala Payton
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THE SOUND OF MUSIC
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“Emily Herring, who sings the show-stopping “Climb Every Mountain” at the end of Act I, has a voice as majestic as the mountains she sings about. The audience was applauding her even after the curtain had fallen and the lights were turned on.”
~Nancy Stetson, Naples Daily News, 10/30/2000
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“The Mother Abbess (Emily Herring) had a very strong voice and hit the high notes
with an operatic quality.”
~Denise L. Scott, The New-Press (Ft. Myers, FL), 10/2000
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“The other standout was Emily Herring as Mother Abbess. She gives one of the few full-bodied vocal turns when she sings “Climb Every Mountain” before intermission.”
~Rich Copley, Lexington Herald-Leader, 12/1/2000
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“Troika’s cast gets plenty of points for talent. Among the nuns, Emily Herring’s powerful voice stands out as the Mother Abbess, especially during the emotional “Climb Every Mountain.”
~Kerry Clawson, Beacon Journal, (Cleveland), 12/2000
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“Emily Herring was a believable Mother Abbess, stern when it was needed and managing to look
radiant in the wedding scene. Her singing throughout was fine and “Climb Every Mountain”
did the predictable grab at the heartstrings.”
~George R. Hubbard, The Courier-Journal, 12/2000
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“This production has several strengths. First, Emily Herring (Mother Abbess) who sings “Climb Every Mountain,” has the best voice of anyone I’ve heard sing this role, including Peggy Wood from the movie. Her voice doesn’t crack at the high notes, choke the volume or croak at the sustaining of the notes. Herring earned her well-deserved applause at the end of the song and at the curtain call.”
~David Ritchey, West Side Leader (Akron, OH), 12/2000
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“The one song that sums up the inspiration behind this musical is “Climb Every Mountain,” and when sung well, as it is in this production by Emily Herring as the Mother Abbess, it usually gives goosebumps.”
~Patricia McAlpine, The Sun Chronicle, 1/2001
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“Emily Herring lends her gorgeous voice to the role of Mother Abbess. Her solo, “Climb Every Mountain,” sounds powerful and beautiful.”
~Phyllis Wolfe, Des Moines Register, 1/2001
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“And Emily Herring strikes the right balance between strength and tenderness as the Mother Abbess.”
~Deborah Martin, Express-News (San Antonio), 2/2001
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“Emily Herring lends a stirring touch to the role of the Mother Abbess,
whether leading a small choir of nuns or soloing in “Climb Every Mountain.”
~J. Wynn Rousuck, The Sun(Baltimore), 3/2001
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