 | Van Arsdel is one of Los Angeles small theater's brightest gems and she is poised to find the bigger audience she deserves..." 
Steve Hendrikson, Antelope Valley Press
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| "Mary Van Arsdel communicates with her eyes as well as her tongue, demonstrating the legerdemain of an enormously skilled artist. She is outstanding..."
Bruce Feld, Drama Logue
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| "...(VanArsdel) is delivering a smashing performance in a promising new musical. We hope this gifted performer keeps reaching for her dreams".
Les Spindle, Backstage West |
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| "Van Arsdel, a generous, rich-voiced artist...is valiant..and tosses her 11 o'clock number past the balcony"
David C. Nichols, Los Angeles Times |
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| "...a talented Mary VanArsdel"
Peter Leavy, Cabaret Scenes |
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| "Van Arsdel has her character wrapped around her little finger and never misses a beat or a nuance."
LA Times Critics Choice
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| "The marvelous Mary Van Arsdel will break your heart 25 different ways in a 30 minute scene with her sweet vulnerability and blunt openness."
Drama-logue Critics Choice
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| "Van Arsdel does wonders with the most difficult role in the show. Her spiky, self-protective comedy believably gives way to a cautioned vulnerability."
Daily News
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| "The production really belongs to Van Arsdel, who dominates the stage with an intensity that is both brittle and vulnerable."
LA Weekly
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| "Mary Van Arsdel uses a grand smile and theatrical singing voice to create a comic gem who marches not to the beat of a different drummer but to a completely different orchestra."
The Hollywood Reporter
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| "Mary Van Arsdel as the more than dingy Mary (who's always ready to "go 'round the pub") doubles as a macho company man, among others, and is a joy to watch and hear..."
T.H. McCulloh, LA Times
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| "A bright spot was provided by Seattle singer-actress Mary Van Arsdel, who put her lovely, full soprano and charming manner to excellent use in a series of musical comedy solos and duets. Looking picture-perfect in a white beaded gown, she seemed in total command and performed with joy and style."
Jon Kretzu, Journal-American Classical Music
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| "Van Arsdel is a skillful singer who can tune her trill and tremolo to comic purpose."
Joe Adcock, Seattle Post-Intelligencer
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| "One of the things that makes "Candide" so difficult to bring off is that, even as a spoof of light opera, the singers have to be able to sing serious opera. In other words, in order to break the rules they first had to master them. And it is evident from the time Mary Van Arsdel first opens her mouth that she has learned her lessons well. As Candide's ill-fated lover, Cunegonde, Van Arsdel is astonishing. The Seattle based actress has a voice that will stun you. Best of all, she can act. Her "Glitter and Be Gay," a difficult number to bring off, is one of the highlights of the production."
Michael Mulnix, The Juneau Empire
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| "Mary Van Arsdel is an open, vibrant singer with sparkling eyes; she gives fulsome, direct expression to the drama in "Sons of" and "Timid Frieda."
Freddie Brinster, Everett Herald
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| "Van Arsdel is another talented performer that keeps the evening moving at a varied and exciting pace. She handles the solo number Marieke as if it were a delicate figurine made of filigreed crystal. Then with the entire company, she attacks with an intense frenzy Carousel, as if it were an amusement ride at the gates of hell."
Ron Allen, Globe News
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