PRESS
Speech & Debate, The Kitchen Theatre Company
Paul Hansom, The Ithaca Times
“As Diwata, Alison Scaramella steals the show, as you’d expect, since she’s both a wannabe actress and local diva… Scaramella finds the exact, believable balance between self-interest and camaraderie, her eye firmly on her own prize. Warmth with just the right amount of calculation.”
Aaron Edwards, The Ithacan
“The three young actors, along with adult Renée Petrofes as a teacher and reporter, hail from New York City and bring powerful energy with them… But the clear star of the production is Scaramella, who sustains caffeine—or cocaine—induced energy through the entire one-hour-45-minute show…. Her Diwata bears striking resemblance to Molly Shannon in “Superstar” combined with Rachel Berry from “Glee.”... Moreso, she’s a girl with more issues than her oddball video blog personality conveys.”
James Mackillop, The Syracuse New Times
“Diwata, the most compelling, is over the top, even as Scaramella must make instant segues into affecting and damaging admissions.”
Ross Haarstad, Tompkins Weekly
“Director Sam Buggeln brings a caffeinated pace suitable to the Starbucks generation, while enticing passionate, full-bodied performances from his actors… Much of the humor comes from Diwata’s mega-histrionics… Scaramella has the tour-de-force role as a performer without shame… Beneath the façade is a scared if feisty girl who’s dealing with some huge sexual issues of her own.”
Barbara Adams, The Ithaca Journal
“Superb in their roles, these three young actors will leave you gasping for air - the comedy is that constant and genuine. Whether in sweats, a body stocking or her ugly brown and orange waitress uniform, Scaramella's Diwata is a force of nature, endlessly emoting on her own stage.”
boom, The Kitchen Theatre Company
Luke Z. Fenchel, The Ithaca Times
“King and Scaramella prove themselves to be almost preternaturally talented at bringing Nachtrieb's characters to life… Scaramella keeps Jo vulnerable and explosive, subtly neutralizes a lot of bigotry, and deserves some sort of award just for finding so many ways to say the word "motherf#$ker."
Brandon Ho, The Cornell Daily Sun
“Kudos to Alison Scaramella for her nifty body work and, more importantly, her multi-faceted portrayal of Jo. There was a certain vulnerability beneath Jo’s savage exterior and f-bomb rhetoric, which was manifested in several of the poignant recounts of her teenage years.”
Lucy Walker, The Ithacan
“The snappy back-and-forth dialogue and hilarious, modern one-liners help maintain a light air as Jo and James face their grim reality: living for years underground on their ruined planet… Alternately displaying her cynical youth and troubled adulthood, Scaramella proves herself an actress of both comedic and dramatic worth.”
James MacKillop, The Syracuse New Times
“His respondent is hard-driving, dark brunette Jo (Alison Scaramella), who is also a journalism student… The verbal jousting between Jules and Jo provides most of the laughs in this breathless, never-flagging comedy. There’s never been a male-female comedy team quite like them, and not just because their dynamics keep changing with the continuing revelations and admissions.”
Dan Veaner, The Lansing Star
“Director Samuel Buggeln cast the show brilliantly. Jimmy King brings a goofy, sandy-haired boyishness to Jules; Alison Scaramella a raccoon-eyed ferocity to Jo.”
Invader? I Hardly Know Her!, FringeNYC/SoHo Playhouse
Diane Snyder, Theatermania.com
“Jack actually takes a backseat for much of the first act to some kick-ass female characters, including a secret agent (Alison Scaramella).”
Broadwayabridged.com
“Also a standout is Alison Scaramella as a secret agent who has been tracking the alien bride.”
Circle Mirror Transformation, The Kitchen Theatre Company
Lucy Walker, The Ithacan
“Despite its underdevelopment in the script, Scaramella is excellent in her role as Lauren. As an opinionated high school student, she provides the audience with a base from which to judge the other characters.”
Luke Z. Fenchel, The Ithaca Times
“The class is rounded out by Lauren, played by Alison Scaramella... Here, Scaramella is virtually unrecognizable as an introverted high-school loner: she spends the majority of the play fiddling with the zipper of her hoodie, and barely gets a word in edgewise, instead mostly reacting to the other characters... It’s only at the end of the work that this shy young girl is transformed by the theater class, and her transformation feels like the heart of Baker’s work.”
OPUS, The Kitchen Theatre Company
Ross Haarstad, Tompkins Weekly
“New to the group is wunderkind Grace, fresh out of school, a generation or two younger. Alison Scaramella is superb in this role, lighting up the stage with her delight at the newness of it all while pushing forward with utter self-confidence and dynamism.”
Barbara Adams, The Ithaca Journal
“And teamwork is the watchword for this superb acting ensemble... Scaramella negotiates all the subtle shifts of Grace’s reactions and self-assertion.”
Bill Chaisson, The Ithaca Times
“There are no stand-out performances here, which is a compliment to the control that each actor has over his or her craft... Scaramella gives Grace’s ambition an authentic tone; you never think of her as selfish or callous.”
