Fiddler on the Roof, Pheonix Festival Theater
“Cathy Koncurat is strongly voiced, strongly opinionated, and fully embodies the grumpy, albeit lovable, character that is Golde, Tevye’s wife. You won’t be able to take your eyes off of her during the wedding, once the ‘dancing’ begins. Her facial expressions are hilarious as she begrudgingly gets dragged along into the merriment. She’s bristly and obstreperous, holding her own against Tevye, showing the edge of her patience-break when it comes to Yente, and mouths quick-wittedly at her daughters all in good time. But the really remarkable thing to note about Koncurat’s performance as Golde is the moment of raw discovery. Her voice is beautiful, no question, and it services “Do You Love Me?” with real emotional sincerity. But it’s that moment deep in that song where the sudden realization that this man that she’s been married to for 25 years— that she actually, earnestly loves him? When that moment hits her, it’s breathtaking and the smile that crosses her lips and stays there through the end of the number is wondrous too.”
Footloose (Vi Moore) Phoenix Festival Theater: “In the seemingly secondary roles of the mothers, LaShelle Bray as Ren’s mom Ethel McCormick and Cathy Koncurat as preacher’s wife Vi Moore provide strong emotional and spiritual support. Their former duet, “Learning to Be Silent”, a whiney throwaway in the original version, becomes an emotional moment with the wise addition of Ariel, which brings a deeper vocal richness to the piece and makes it a trio feminist anthem of women who are stifled by the men in their lives: a husband, a father, and a brother-in-law/landlord. Bray shines as she stands by her son no matter how the town looks down on both of them, and Koncurat is lovely in her featured moment, the heartfelt “Can You Find It In Your Heart?”, a plea to her husband to recapture the feelings they’ve lost.”
