Reviews
Selected reviews of shows that I've mixed or designed
Based on a Persian Fairy Tale, The Moonlit Princess Works its Magic on a Houston Stage
by Chris Vognar, Houston Chronicle
Sound Design - Gage Baker
The puppetry is clever; the puppets, designed by Sasha Blaschka, are a delight to look at; and there's enough snark in the script to satisfy the crankiest of adults. Stefan Azizi's wispy set design is a series of hanging sheers that resemble the ragged entrance to a most magical circus. Alexander Schumann's lighting is fairy tale bright, and Gage Baker's sound design is fragrantly atmospheric from wind, rushing river, to a frog's ribbiting. Best of all, perhaps, is Hessam Dianpour's original score that leaps from Iranian flute – two played at once, amazing – to Bollywood to Hollywood in the easiest of transitions. The constant underscoring is a great equalizer, giving us all a taste of the fantastic.
Review: INNOMINATE at Catastrophic Theatre
by Brett Cullum, BroadwayWorld
Sound Design - Gage Baker
"I have been struggling with how to approach INNOMINATE as a reviewer ever since I saw the show on its opening night. It's difficult to describe, because this theatrical piece relies more on senses and feelings than words or narratives. Describing it is like trying to recall a fever dream, or relate one of those nonsensical stream of conscious episodes in the night that are driven by memories and emotional scars."
Houston Chronicle: "Best Houston Theatre 2019"
by Wei-Haun Chen, Houston Chronicle
Sound Design - Gage Baker
"I loved this play. It was a terrific drama about three characters wrestling with age and health. It was also a timely moral examination on our relationship with our environment — and how we should take responsibility if we mess things up. Playing three former nuclear scientists tasked with a difficult decision, Susan Koozin, John Feltch and Sally Burtenshaw showed off terrific chemistry with one another."
‘Innominate’ a thrilling showcase for Houston director Afsaneh Aayani
by Chris Vognar, Houston Chronicle
Sound Design - Gage Baker
"The play feels urgently personal; it has the immediacy of lived life. But it’s also bracingly abstract, in a way that marks it as pure art.
When human voices (or, rarer still, faces) do enter the picture, the effect is jarring, as if waking from a dream. When The Girl goes to the wrong airport line upon entering the States, a man’s voice barks over the sound system, telling her to join the rest of the “Middle Easterners.” “Innominate” has a touch of Kafka to it, a sensation of being pushed and pulled by unnamed forces (or, in this case, eyeballs). Except the eyeballs themselves often seem to be under the sway as well. At one point they all shrug, as if to say, 'What, you think we know what’s going on?'"
Review: INNOMINATE at Catastrophic Theatre
by Brett Cullum, BroadwayWorld
Sound Design - Gage Baker
"I have been struggling with how to approach INNOMINATE as a reviewer ever since I saw the show on its opening night. It's difficult to describe, because this theatrical piece relies more on senses and feelings than words or narratives. Describing it is like trying to recall a fever dream, or relate one of those nonsensical stream of conscious episodes in the night that are driven by memories and emotional scars."
Houston Chronicle: "Best Houston Theatre 2019"
by Wei-Haun Chen, Houston Chronicle
Sound Design - Gage Baker
"I loved this play. It was a terrific drama about three characters wrestling with age and health. It was also a timely moral examination on our relationship with our environment — and how we should take responsibility if we mess things up. Playing three former nuclear scientists tasked with a difficult decision, Susan Koozin, John Feltch and Sally Burtenshaw showed off terrific chemistry with one another."
Review: "A Lonely Beauty"
by Tarra Gaines, Arts and Culture Texas
Sound Design - Gage Baker
"While Kirkwood poses many questions about the debts each generation owes to the last, next and the world, this Rec Room production of The Children offers a quiet answer that on one small stage at least, they can create a bit of lonely beauty together."
'The Fantastics' Allow Stages' New Venue to shine
by Wei-Haun Chen, Houston Chronicle
A1 - Gage Baker
"The balance is there, with unseen engineers always making sure the singers, pianist, harpist, bassist and drummer never feel the need to strain...Here at the Gordy, the Stages’ staff and crew have pinpointed what it takes to achieve a near flawless musical theater sound. Bravo."
Delightful Fantasticks opens Gordy, Stages' New Home
by Natalie De La Garza, Houston Press
A1 - Gage Baker
"The magic that propels The Fantasticks forward can be found in its music, brought to life by musicians from local ensemble Aperio flanking both sides of the stage...it mixes beautifully with the actors’ voices, and every note and noise within the show seems to go right thanks to sound designer Richard Ingraham."