Nimrod Reviews

Broadway World- Highly Recommended

"...At times, the play invokes seriousness in ways that derails the potential for comedy. Amidst nonsensical silliness, at one point a gun is drawn by a fanatic chanting "build the wall". These few spurts of reality in a heightened universe are jarring and it noticeably takes the audience a moment to acclimate to the world of the show again. Perhaps these moments serve as a reminder that, although a lot happened that makes us laugh about this presidency, the underside of the absurdity has lasting consequences that disadvantaged many, but the text seems to have enough profundity without needing to recreate specific acts of hatred."

Stage and Cinema- Highly Recommended

"...The cast is incredible. Vangsness, the titular star, and producer, is absolutely hilarious in her portrayal of Donald Trump. Her hyperbolic performance captures his likeness in such bewildering ways that it is simply a work of art on its own. The most astounding part is when she delivers ludicrous gibberish prose while expressing believable emotional turmoil on stage. Elms is a force of nature on the stage. Her commanding presence helps clarify the storyline and gives the narrative much-needed grounding. Her portrayal of a contrasting and dynamic character is perfectly executed and shows a mature range of craft."

LA Splash- Recommended

"...Theatre of NOTE presents the world premiere of NIMROD. Penned by Phinneas Kiyomura and directed by Alina Phelan, Starring Kirsten Vangsness (of Criminal Minds" fame), NIMROD does a funny take on the modern political age, a time marked by fake news, alternate facts, and - always - lies, lies, and more lies. By the way, if you think that the characters might reflect some recent political heavies, you might be right."

Stage Scene LA- Somewhat Recommended

"...I enjoyed Nimrod (the play) and went wild for Nimrod (the character, as portrayed with abundant glee by Vangsness). I just wish I'd had a better idea of what and who I was supposed to be watching."

Stage Raw- Somewhat Recommended

"...Director Alina Phelan keeps things moving with energetic pacing, and her staging is a marvel of efficiency, keeping 15 actors in frequent motion on the tiny NOTE stage. Kiyomura has added to the challenge of the piece by writing it in Shakespearian verse, but although this is ambitious it doesn't entirely work or make the show stronger. Nimrod succeeds more as a clever goof than as a meaningful play, and gags such as removing prepositions in much of Nimrod's dialogue ("Go bed!") or scenes such as Nimrod and a Putin-substitute communicating via ridiculous sign language are genuinely funny. So there may not be new political insights or serious moral lessons to learn here, but Nimrod is certainly an entertaining sendup of the not-missed Trump years."

Ticket Holders LA- Recommended

"...The dialogue is wonderfully silly and delightfully off-color, brought to life by a game and all-too willing ensemble cast that, although individually somewhat uneven in their expertise to handle such over-the-top comedy, proves it matters not-in fact, the wildly divergent playing styles of the performers make the goings-on somehow more endearing, something director Alina Phelan has shrewdly embraced with a wink and a sly smile."