Janelle DeMarzo delivers just the right shade of cynicism about romance and family life and delivers her songs masterfully.
Special mention is in order for the naughty old lady bankrollerettes of Max's shows. Denise Nolin (Hold-me, Touch-me), Janelle DeMarzo (Lick-me, Bite-me), and Tory Ross (Kiss-me, Feel-me) are all winners as well.
Reviews
"The Producers" National Tour:
"Pippin" at the Emelin Theatre - playing Catherine:
"Crazy For You" at Merry-Go-Round Playhouse - playing Polly:
(Please note that these reviews were written with Janelle's maiden name)
Stealing some of the gusto from the dance, if such a thing was possible, were Jason Gillman and Janelle DeMarzo. DeMarzo played the frontier-raised, pollyanna Polly against Gillman's energetic Bobby. DeMarzo has a lovely voice and presence and established a wonderful rapport with the audience. During her rendition of "Someone to Watch Over Me," the audience was filled with audible sighs of contentment and more than one Gershwin fan humming along with her.
Jason Gillman and Janelle DeMarzo gave their all in the leading roles. DeMarzo was a spunky Polly, managing to combine grit with girlish charm. She is an accomplished singer, and her "Someone To Watch Over Me" was winningly delivered.
by James MacKillop, Curtain Calls
by Suzanne M. Connelly, The Syracuse Papers
by Vera Carabajal, The Citizen
The Journal News
by Jack Neal's Theatre Reviews
"A Chorus Line" at Merry-Go-Round Playhouse - playing Dianna:
Janelle DeMarzo's delivery of the "Nothing" monologue sparkles, and so does "What I Did for Love."
by Neil Novelli
"What I Did For Love," was sung to perfection by Janelle DeMarzo, who played Dianna Morales. DeMarzo has a tremendous voice and wonderful presence. She gave a pleasing performance throughout the show.
by Vera Carabajal, The Citizen
"Karaoke" Boston Premier - playing Sirena D'Ville:
Everyone stands out, but Janelle DeMarzo, who sinks her fangs into back-stabbing, throat-cutting Sirena D'Ville and Sean Watters as cross-dressing Calvin C. Luther III make the most indelible impressions.
The evening's main plot follows the machinations of the beauty queen, Sirena D'Ville, to sabotage the other contestants and win the trophy for herself. Here Janelle DeMarzo plays the part with a syrupy sweetness cut with such steely ambition that she happily evokes her namesake, Cruella de Vil of "101 Dalmatians." Her numbers include a slightly demented take on the kind of routine a Miss America contestant might perform in which she mixes the cloying "I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (in Perfect Harmony)" with Donna Summer's "Bad Girls," and which includes the "signing" of the former and a "lap dance" with the latter.
by Alan W. Petrucelli
by Robert Nesti, Bay Windows
Beauty queen Sirena D'Ville (Janelle DeMarzo) belts out a musical number that resonates - a perfectly dreadful white-bread rendition of Aretha Franklin's "Respect."
by Bruce McCabe, The Boston Globe
