Reviews
PRAISE FOR THE KIRSTEN VAN RITZEN SHOW:
WINNIPEG FREE PRESS/JULY 22, 2007 KIRSTEN Van Ritzen sings, dances, mimes, improvises and plays with puppets over the course of a side-splitting 55-minute one-woman comedy show.
A former Winnipegger who now lives in Vancouver, Van Ritzen is a confident actress and clearly a veteran of the stage (she's a Toronto Second City alumna). Aided by director Ian Ferguson, she shows a real flair for creating a variety of colourful and quirky characters, from boozy divas to marine biologists.
One-woman comedy shows are a dime a dozen at the fringe. But what Van Ritzen offers is a little bit different. She teases and toys with her audience - setting up what appears to be a conventional scene and then turning it on its head. That's what makes her stand out from the crowd. And get a few extra laughs.
* * * * - Cheryl Binning
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The Phantom Fringer - July 22 2007
Winnipeg born Kirsten Van Ritzen - now based in Vancouver, BC - has made a triumphant return to the Canadian Fringe Festival circuit with a solo sketch show that showcases her wealth of talent and the very broad scope of her performing skills. The veteran actor and comedienne pulls out all the stops with eight different characters (nine if you include herself doing a short monologue) in 55 minutes including many near-complete costume changes, never missing a beat.
Van Ritzen’s characters range from a befuddled marine biologist welcoming visitors to her island paradise, to a woman singing a song of unrequited love to xxxx , to wild party gal Louise (queen of the outrageous one-liners with a sarcastic wit to match). And Van Ritzen’s sultry French chanteuse with the exaggerated accent crooning “Is That All There Is?” is a stroke of understated brilliance.
Through her singing, dancing, wide-ranging comedic stylings and perfect sense of timing, Van Ritzen conjures up comparisons to such female comic icons as Lucille Ball and Carol Burnett... with a dash of Gilda Radner tossed in. This is one very witty lady and she’s not to be missed.
-Robin Chase, editor
* edited to remove spoiler
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The Jenny Revue/CBC Online - July 25, 2007 Kirsten Van Ritzen is a former Winnipegger who has acted in various types of theatre across Canada. She currently lives in Vancouver. She sings, she dances, performs mime and has a wonderful way of creating weird characters that are believable and that the audience can become involved with easily.
One of the highlights of the show was Van Ritzen's brilliant way of getting audience participation through improvisation...Van Ritzen's "over the top" performances included a smoky-voiced cabaret singer, a clown, and a puppet opera singer. What stood out the most about her performance though, was involving her audience by creating an intimate atmosphere and providing lots of laughs.
A must see.
- Nick Ternette
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CBC REVIEWS - ONLINE (July 22, 2007)
Evidently, Kirsten Van Ritzen is a woman of many talents. She sings! She dances! ...She can even tell a mean joke, especially when in character as a hard-partying granny. What’s even more impressive is how Van Ritzen crams all of those diverse abilities into this one-woman comedy. Zooming through an eclectic range of skits and bits, the fearless physical performer has no trouble prompting laughs... -Melissa Martin
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BEVERLY HILLS COURIER
"Kirsten Van Ritzen Reduces Her Audience to Laughter and Love"
It’s an established fact of life that laughter is medicinal. No matter what ails you, a healthy dose of yuks is always guaranteed to bring a rosy glow to your cheeks and elevate your spirits. Blues turn to sunny skies and all is just a little righter with the world.
Kirsten Van Ritzen is good medicine. Her one-woman show will leave you impressed with her robust imagination, clever concepts and out-of the-box writing. From her opening character as a novice at the open mike in a comedy club to her closer as a mime, she will keep you impressed and laughing at her off- the-wall characters living within a world of funny offbeat premises.
Her diverse array of alter egos, including Siren, Fleecy Winters, Ruby P. Maxwell, Petunia, Louise and The Actress are at once strange and endearing.
You can’t help but laugh out loud at her exaggerative movements and extraordinary comic repartee. Van Ritzen has an uncanny way of bringing the audience into her world without dragging and cajoling, but leading them effortlessly and willingly to her take on reality.
And there are many worlds here, all of them hilarious if a bit outrageous.
She changes characters as easily as Liz Taylor changes jewelry. And it’s equally dazzling to watch.
The lights dim and within a minute another person walks up to the front of the stage and shares their views, life lessons and craziness in new and unexplored territory.
While it’s true some of her characters are familiar figures on life’s stage, she brings a new energy and way of thinking to their personas.
Van Ritzen has enjoyed success in Canada in such hits as “Totally Ridiculous,” “Sin City” and “Die Nasty.” To say she is quirky is appropriate and to say she is talented and funny is a solid truth.
The show is staged and directed by Ian Ferguson and the pacing is flawless.
So if you love creativity, humor, great comedy writing and timing all rolled into one neat package, you’ll enjoy Kirsten Van Ritzen.
- Norma Zagler, Editor
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Excerpts:
"Every current female comedienne pales next to her impeccable timing, exuberance, and uncanny ability to turn laughter into a spiritual experience...Kirsten's extraordinary talents in improv, sketch, song, dance and physical comedy are beyond belief..."
- The Tolucan Times/Canyon Crier
"The Kirsten Van Ritzen Show is a laugh-out-loud blend of comedy, improvisation and social commentary...making people laugh and providing subtle insight into human nature" - Long Beach Daily 49er
"Van Ritzen seems to have the most fun when good naturedly picking on an audience member, and we can see her sharp improv talents." - L.A. Weekly
"Siren sets the stage ablaze with her screamingly funny seduction. Van Ritzen has meticulously tailored this piece to show off her amazing talent."- No Ho L.A.
IMPROV REVIEWS
Van Ritzen’s characters range from a befuddled marine biologist welcoming visitors to her island paradise, to a woman singing a song of unrequited love to xxxx , to wild party gal Louise (queen of the outrageous one-liners with a sarcastic wit to match). And Van Ritzen’s sultry French chanteuse with the exaggerated accent crooning “Is That All There Is?” is a stroke of understated brilliance.
Through her singing, dancing, wide-ranging comedic stylings and perfect sense of timing, Van Ritzen conjures up comparisons to such female comic icons as Lucille Ball and Carol Burnett... with a dash of Gilda Radner tossed in. This is one very witty lady and she’s not to be missed.
"Kirsten Van Ritzen Reduces Her Audience to Laughter and Love"
Kirsten Van Ritzen is good medicine. Her one-woman show will leave you impressed with her robust imagination, clever concepts and out-of the-box writing. From her opening character as a novice at the open mike in a comedy club to her closer as a mime, she will keep you impressed and laughing at her off- the-wall characters living within a world of funny offbeat premises.
Her diverse array of alter egos, including Siren, Fleecy Winters, Ruby P. Maxwell, Petunia, Louise and The Actress are at once strange and endearing.
You can’t help but laugh out loud at her exaggerative movements and extraordinary comic repartee. Van Ritzen has an uncanny way of bringing the audience into her world without dragging and cajoling, but leading them effortlessly and willingly to her take on reality.
And there are many worlds here, all of them hilarious if a bit outrageous.
She changes characters as easily as Liz Taylor changes jewelry. And it’s equally dazzling to watch.
The lights dim and within a minute another person walks up to the front of the stage and shares their views, life lessons and craziness in new and unexplored territory.
While it’s true some of her characters are familiar figures on life’s stage, she brings a new energy and way of thinking to their personas.
Van Ritzen has enjoyed success in Canada in such hits as “Totally Ridiculous,” “Sin City” and “Die Nasty.” To say she is quirky is appropriate and to say she is talented and funny is a solid truth.
The show is staged and directed by Ian Ferguson and the pacing is flawless.
So if you love creativity, humor, great comedy writing and timing all rolled into one neat package, you’ll enjoy Kirsten Van Ritzen.
- The Tolucan Times/Canyon Crier
"The Kirsten Van Ritzen Show is a laugh-out-loud blend of comedy, improvisation and social commentary...making people laugh and providing subtle insight into human nature" - Long Beach Daily 49er
"Van Ritzen seems to have the most fun when good naturedly picking on an audience member, and we can see her sharp improv talents." - L.A. Weekly
"Siren sets the stage ablaze with her screamingly funny seduction. Van Ritzen has meticulously tailored this piece to show off her amazing talent."- No Ho L.A.
"Soap veteran Kirsten Van Ritzen was the glue that held the show together. Van Ritzen can improvise a compelling scene with nothing but a broomstick."
MARCH OF DAMES - The Globe and Mail
"Lucille's Ball Better Than TV - hostess Louise is played with great aplomb by Van Ritzen, who steers the show"
LUCILLE'S BALL - YesAnd Toronto
" - capacity crowd was in stitches. The cast are so slick its scary - The sultry Kirsten Van Ritzen establishes the tone."
SIN CITY: RADIOLAND - Toronto Star
"Kirsten Van Ritzen milks every swagger from her Barbara Stanwyck-like divorcee - all (are) experienced improvisers, and their timing is jaw-droppingly precise."
SIN CITY: RADIOLAND - NOW Magazine
"Petunia Kneebody (Kirsten Van Ritzen) sits on the submarine ride at the West Edmonton Mall and chats with Otto - a lime-green ottoman - people in the audience are laughing so hard that the theatre seems a heart-attack risk."
DIE-NASTY SOAPATHON -The Globe and Mail
THEATRE REVIEWS
"Kirsten Van Ritzen is one gal who's got it all. She can sing, she can dance (really dance), she can act, she can write and, more important, she can make you laugh out loud - Think Carol Burnett with sex appeal - Give this woman a television show."
TOTALLY RIDICULOUS -The Toronto Star
"Nobody does period like Kirsten Van Ritzen Expect lots of laughter."
TOTALLY RIDICULOUS - NOW Magazine
"Kirsten Van Ritzen portrays Steffy perfectly."
I OUGHTA BE IN PICTURES - Orillia Packet & Times
" - the supporting cast- including Kirsten Van Ritzen as Lydie - is wonderful."
QUIET IN THE LAND- The Record
"There are two wild moments where the play breaks out to provide some solid belly-laughs. One is a show-stopping feminist hissy fit delivered with comic force by fire-breathing actress Alison Downey (Kirsten Van Ritzen.)"
EXIT OTHELLO - Edmonton Sun
"Kirsten Van Ritzen is superb in this one-woman comedy - five stars out of five."
A CLOSETFUL OF NAVY BLUES - Winnipeg Free Press
"charming honesty , good vocal training - Van Ritzen's compelling character study makes it work."
A CLOSETFUL OF NAVY BLUES -Edmonton Journal
"Van Ritzen's Linda, touchy and troubled strikes some real comic sparks."
THE DAUGHTERS OF JUDY LA MARSH -Edmonton Journal
MUSICAL THEATRE REVIEWS
"Van Ritzen makes a pretty fair torch singer, belting out big numbers with a voice that would have sent Ethel Merman considering a career change -an effervescent performance."
MAD DOG MUSIC - Edmonton Sun
"Kirsten Van Ritzen dances and sings up a storm with polished energy and enthusiasm."
LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS - The Visitor
"Van Ritzen knows how to work a crowd -the singer show(s) off her comic prowess. Van Ritzen vamps with the best of them singing Kurt Weill as though Marlene Dietrich had come back to life."
TORCH SONGS & TOILET PLUNGERS - Edmonton Sun
"Kirsten Van Ritzen showed herself to be a very entertaining singer/actor, genuinely having fun...her personality is honest and unaffected, and she worked the audience well."
TORCH SONGS & TOILET PLUNGERS - Edmonton Journal
"It is a wonderfully zany, exhilarating, colourful, old Broadway style musical...how could anyone forget the delightful, doddering pair of maternal elderly ladies Estelle and Eunice (Kirsten van Ritzen and Patti Allan). ALLEYCATS THE MUSICAL - Review Vancouver
"Two particular performances that tended to grow on the audience emanated from Patti Allen (Eunice) and Kirsten Van Ritzen (Estelle). Their unique interpretations of these supporting players evoked slight glimmers of Elaine Stritch and Georgia Engel." ALLEYCATS THE MUSICAL - Vancouver Star
"Kirsten Van Ritzen(Lola)is superb for a second consecutive show - an outstanding performance."
CELLBLOCK ROCK - Regina Leader Post