“Rachel Izen walks a fine line between comic relief and downtrodden-but-irrepressible as Grandma – her memories and inhibitions starting to slip. She belts out her solo number, Grandma’s Song, with startling, unexpected ferocity – letting out the accumulated anger of an unhappy life, but still clinging to a few, brief moments of happiness.”
“Rachel Izen as Grandma takes to the stage for Grandma’s song – a powerful, funny highly emotional performance that really hits the heart strings.”
“Comic relief is provided by Rachel Izen as Billy’s grandmother who delivers a stunning turn in ‘Grandma’s Song’.”
“Rachel Izen excels as Billy’s regret-filled grandma.”
“There’s a memorable cameo from Rachel Izen as the canny old Rachel who delivers some witty one-liners, such as: “When there’s no-one to love you, it all turns to fat.””
“The exception is the witty real-estate seduction “Three Sunny Rooms”, in which Rachel Izen’s droll widow entices Avram.”
“There’s a very enjoyable crackle in the slow-burn romance between widower Avram (Dave Willetts) and pragmatic widow Rachel (Rachel Izen).”
“Rachel Izen’s Rachel is a genius delivery that masterfully displays understated humour finely contrasted with the wry and wise experience of a long life, fully lived. The duet of Three Sunny Rooms is a highlight.”
“Rachel Izen’s Scrooge is played straight – there’s no messing about with the fact she is a woman – and Scrooge’s transformation scene is strikingly moving”
“Holding the reins is the magnificent Rachel Izen playing Ebenezer. Scrooge is a hard character to play. Various other productions and Christmas movies have boiled him down to a lifeless stereotype, but Guy’s script and Rachel’s talents humanises him. Rachel draws on the depth of character that the script creates- by showing Scrooge as deprived of love and when Scrooge’s transformation is complete you will be grinning from ear to ear. To be up close to this West End star allows the audience to see every flicker of pain and joy on Rachel’s face, it’s impossible not to be charmed.”
“Best of all, the central role of Scrooge is played by Rachel Izen, by some reports the first female to play the role, and it is the originality and force of her performance that keeps the venture from ever looking like coming off the rails. Playing him as a more contemporary, bullish capitalist rather than the shrivelled old fun-sponge usually depicted lifts this familiar yarn and steers it away from the gothic spookiness that’s often wasted on modern audiences anyway.”
“Rachel Izen plays a matriarchal Mrs Brice, with her impressively energetic rendition of Who Taught Her Everything She Knows”
“Adding to the laughs with a nice line in New York humour, Rachel Izen as Fanny’s battle-axe mother is a stern yet caring creation.”
“Rachel Izen (Mrs Brice) played the Jewish matriarch with both tenderness and a firm hand. Izen reminded me of Meryl Streep.”
“You understand every last word from Rachel Izen’s droll Mrs. Brill”
“Rachel Izen makes a vivid Mrs. Brill, the Banks’ housekeeper
Rachel Izen was outstanding as the loyal and cantankerous family maid
– Indianapolis Examiner
Rachel Izen as the housekeeper Mrs. Brill and Dennis Moench as her sidekick Robertson Ay provide even more comic relief.
Standouts in a uniformly fine cast include Rachel Izen and Dennis Moench, who bring a touch of Laurel and Hardy to their comic turns as servants Mrs. Brill and Robertson Ay
The performance of Rachel Izen as ‘Felicia Gabriel’ brings an operatic quality to the show as her powerful voice reaches the deepest recesses and she is the perfect foil for the darker, sensual Van Horne
Rachel Izen is perfect as battleaxe Felicia
“The disapproving and overbearing matriarch of the town, Felicia Gabriel, is brilliantly played by Rachel Izen. Strutting about the stage like a sergeant major she is a real trouper, especially the near-operatic heroic diatribe at her husband – a key moment in the musical, not least because he kills her, then kills himself!
Rachel Izen was brilliant in Act Two’s ‘Evil,’ letting rip with a great voice before expiring…
superb cast, typified by Rachel Izen, as town busybody Felicia Gabriel, whose exasperated rendition of Evil provided a spine-tingling moment.
Rachel Izen is superb as Felicia Gabriel, Van Horne’s nemesis and plays the character with humour and gusto. She leads the cast in a rip roaring ‘Dirty Laundry’ and her chemistry with husband Clyde (James Graeme) balanced humour and tragedy, as they were trapped in a doomed marriage
The hilarious Rachel Izen plays Jessica
Special praise goes to Rachel Izen playing the part of Jessica whose ‘Clothes Horse Lament’ made me almost cry with laughter.
Rachel Izen makes a notably strong impression with her vibrant Hattie, who, as a wonderful touch, lets her handbag fall to the floor at the climax of her rendition of ‘Broadway Baby.’
Rachel Izen turns up the throttle with a storming version of ‘Broadway Baby’
– Pink Paper
Rachel Izen made ‘Broadway Baby’ sparkle