- Eric Marchese, special to the Orange County Register

"The female leads in this production are pitch-perfect. Amato, Lanzarone and
Ceporius capture the particular drives of their characters. Amato yearns for
respect and honesty…the women surrounding this Guido are complicated and
believable. …This show features some great female performances…and that's a
win by any measure."

- Joel Beers, Orange County Weekly

"Space prevents a full listing of all Nine's treasures. But I must note that
the voices were fantastic [and] the acting showed depth… Among my favorites:
Amato, strong and at the same time vulnerable… For all the talent, singing,
sex, lies and vino bianco - I have just one question: With a cast packed with
perfect 10's, why do they still insist on calling the show Nine?"

- Chris Creson, Fullerton News Tribune

Awards

Feb 21, 2003
THE NOMINEES ARE...
INTRODUCING THE 7TH ANNUAL OC WEEKLY THEATER AWARDS

The 7th annual Orange County Weekly Theater Awards - or the OCIE's, as we've grown so fond of calling them, because it mimics the OBIE's and because it pays obeisance to Orange County's Midwestern roots - will be announced Feb 24 in South Coast Repertory's jewel of a jewel-box theater, the Julianna Argyros Stage...

Best Performance in a Musical
Erika Amato, Nine, The Chance Theater
Misty Cotton, The Spitfire Grill, Laguna Playhouse
Frank Tyron, The King, The Maverick Theater
Frederica Von Stade, Dead Man Walking, Opera Pacific

Best Musical Production
History of the American Film, The Chance Theater
The King, The Maverick Theater
Nine, The Chance Theater
The Spitfire Grill, Laguna Playhouse



Sunday, December 29, 2002
Quality Rises with Local Curtains
By ERIC MARCHESE
Special to the Register.

For Orange County theater this year, it was a case of getting older and getting better. Time was when strong outings by north county troupes Stages, Vanguard and Fullerton Civic Light and occasional good work by various small troupes were all you could expect. Now, a cadre of independent storefront theater troupes leads the charge with a muscular command of theater. They're well-schooled in the art form's demands and aren't afraid to take chances...

BEST PERFORMANCES

Erika Amato ("Nine"); Michael Carr, Nicole Ann Mohr ("Smash"); Richard Comeau ("Jake's Women," "Trail of Tears"); Mark Coyan, Kimberly Fisher ("Cockfighters," "Hamlet"); Abbie de Vera ("All's Well That Ends Well"); Eric Eisenbrey ("David's Mother"); Ramlah Frediani, Erika Ceporius ("As You Like It"); T. Eric Hart ("The Scarlet Pimpernel"); Joseph Horn ("Three Days of Rain," "As You Like It"); Donald Kindle ("Last Night of Ballyhoo"); Jill Cary Martin, Tom Turnley ("Molly Sweeney"); Jack Messenger ("The Young Man from Atlanta"); Eddie Nickerson ("Dealer's Choice").