"Peter Riopelle leads the charge with an impressive tour-de-force in the title role...The visiting New York actor fills out the demands of the part with immense energy, depth, and insight...Speaking every line as if it were the product of his own brain, Riopelle communicates the Prince’s dilemma so naturally and clearly that one feels it is the first time these words have been spoken, this story told...In short, it is a dynamic, resourceful performance in the role, not to be missed..."
-- American Theatre Web
"Whole Art Theater has found the secret to creating a stunning production of Hamlet: get an energetic actor for the lead who is alive and intense every moment he is on stage...Peter Riopelle played a sensitive and passionate Hamlet who invited the audience to walk his path and think his thoughts--to question such basic motivations as whether life itself was worth the struggle. His soulful Dane also brought out the best in his fellow actors, as he was as intense of a listener as he was a purveyor of words..."
--Lansing State Journal
1776, THE AMERICAN MUSICAL
"Heading the spectacular cast, Peter Riopelle shines as the fiery, pushy, and usually overbearing John Adams. History often overlooks the role Adams played in pulling the fractured Congress together, but Riopelle's dynamic performance leaves the audience with a newfound respect for the man..."
--Intelligencer Journal
"Peter Riopelle as firebrand agitator John Adams is the driving force of this production...Powerful, funny and moving, (Riopelle) adds new dimensions to this complex man who would be our second president..."
--Lancaster Sunday News
LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS
"Peter Riopelle is perfectly cast as the clumsy, genius nerd Seymour Krelborn, who has discovered a strange and exotic new plant. He also has a secret crush on his coworker, Audrey (nicely played by Tina Stafford)..."
--Salt Lake City Deseret News
"And the cast members have the voices to belt the Howard Ashman/Alan Menken score to the back row...Peter Riopelle has nerdy Seymour pegged, right down to the loser's body language of defeat. Pathetic though he is, he's sweet and likeable, making it easy to identify with his desperate choices..."
--The Salt Lake Tribune
THE BROTHERS BOOTH
“The Brothers Booth is a semi-fictional but satisfying account of the rivalry between actor-brothers Edwin and John Wilkes Booth in mid-19th Century America. Though the former was the Olivier of his day, his lesser-hailed brother ultimately became far more famous (or rather, infamous) for the assassination of President Lincoln.
Written and capably directed by Roger Kristian Jones, the play is performed with passionate gusto by its two lead actors...Peter Riopelle brings a dangerous realism to his portrayal of John Wilkes, revealing sympathetic motives for his mounting vitriol, including a frustrated desire for paternal approval, and a genuine love for his adopted South…The result is a compelling study of life-long competition, as the brothers vie for a father’s love, a woman’s heart, and the name Booth in American history.
Step aside, Jeffrey Archer!”
--Time Out New York Magazine
GUYS AND DOLLS
*Winner: Pennsylvania FOOTLIGHT Award: Best Actor in a Musical
*Winner: Pacific Northwest SPOKIE Award: Best Actor in a Musical
GUYS AND DOLLS HAS PLENTY OF HEART, HUMOR
"'Guys and Dolls' focuses on the humorously shifty Nathan Detroit (Peter RIopelle) and his dim-witted sweetheart Adelaide (Rachel Fischer) who has been engaged to Nathan for 14 years...Everyone gives a fine performance but it is Riopelle who truly shines...Not only does he mine plenty of laughs from Nathan, but he gives the character a wonderfully sweet charm, which lifts the whole show...Thanks to Riopelle's wonderful Nathan Detroit, this 'Guys and Dolls' has plenty of heart and humor..."
--Lancaster New Era
BIG APPLE GUYS AND DOLLS ROMP AT DUTCH APPLE
"...It also boasts two terrific performances, guaranteeing audience satisfaction...Director Jack A. Matter squanders some precious potential, but he gets the job done, overshadowing all else with the inspired casting of Peter Riopelle and Rachel Fischer as the show's supposedly second-banana-duo, crap game hustler Nathan Detroit and his long-suffering financee, Miss Adelaide, star of the Hot Box revue...Riopelle is one of the best Nathans ever, an irresistibly cuddly, totally redeemable lug, rather than the grating conniver most commonly portrayed..."
--Lancaster Sunday News
"Producer Peter Holloway, moving up to the director’s chair, assembles a smart team of actors and designers from the top down, and Peter Riopelle and Julie Evins are spot-on together at the top as Nathan and Adelaide. Their one scene together in last year’s 1776 barely hinted at their impeccable chemistry here. In that show, you may recall, he gave a fiery performance as John Adams, a heroic figure who was easier to admire than to like, and now he’s back as a scoundrel we can’t help but love; with slight frame and seemingly endless range of expression, he shuffles around in desperation like a benevolent version of Al Pacino’s Big Boy Caprice, but with the everyman appeal of Harold Hill and J. Pierpont Finch (funny how the Golden Age musicals had that knack of making us root for the guys we really shouldn’t). And who wouldn’t put up with Adelaide’s bundle of tics when Ms. Evins’ warmth and offbeat wit are behind them? Together, between her loony malapropisms and his double takes, they make a very cute, slightly mismatched couple and we hope they do have their happy ending, so long as it comes at the end and doesn’t compromise the humorous tension between them..."
---Cory Vaughn, TheatreLouisville.com
"...Riopelle returns to MTL after a very different star turn as the future President John Adams in last summer's 1776. The success of Guys and Dolls relies heavily on the characterization of Nathan Detroit and Mr. Riopelle throws nothing but sevens and elevens..."
--Scott Dowd, ArtsLouisville.com
"Peter Riopelle plays the street smart Nathan Detroit with consumate savvy. Riopelle looks the part of the shifty gambler while enticing the audience to root for him all the way. He carries the production on his shoulders, receiving able support from two other central characters. His slick delivery reminds me of a shrewd door-to-door peddler who once tried to sell me a satellite dish. The difference is, he didn't and Riopelle as Nathan Detroit probably could have...Jasperson (as Adelaide) and Riopelle are well-paired, playing off each other capably...The show never lags when these two are onstage..."
--The Fort Myers Review
ME AND MY GIRL
ME AND MY GIRL STAR OUTSHINES SHOW
"'Me and My Girl' is totally dependent on the performance of it's leading man. He has to mug, mime, take pratfalls with the elan of a silent movie comic, and bring inanimate objects to life--including the script.
Peter Riopelle as Bill Snibson delivers the goods by Federal Express. The dynamo is irresistibly impish and his antics are a panic...Lady Jacqueline (deliciously amoral Lauren Loercher) immediately sets her garter for Bill, cornering Riopelle on a couch that the gifted comic virtually turns inside out to prevent it from becoming a love seat...Every time Riopelle turns his body loose, it's the comic-equivalent of an out-of-body experience: turning an oversized "vermin" trimmed robe into a comic playground a la Mumienshantz and donning a bear rug to face down an enraged Maria..."
--Lancaster Sunday News
"Riopelle is hilarious as the fast-talking cockney, Bill Snibson. His comic timing and delivery are perfect, and his antics caused audience members to double-over laughing..."
