GUYS & DOLLS (Milwaukee Rep)
"Adelaide is the showiest character in a cast full of them, and Faulkner seizes the opportunity. With impeccable timing and with what seem to be almost spontaneous physical and vocal embellishments, she's a show stopper among show stoppers."
--Wisconsin Gazette
"Playing these 'guys and dolls' require powerful vocal pipes and sure-footed dance moves, and this cast doesn't disappoint. It also requires a knack for the particular rhythms and attitude of the Runyonesque characters. Here, the standouts are Faulkner and Farina. Faulkner has a great time with Miss Adelaide's gangster moll stereotypes, while injecting them with both wit and humanity."
--Milwaukee Magazine
"The role of Miss Adelaide perfectly fits the multi-talented Faulkner who brings much to the show's main comedic role, giving Adelaide an added depth and dimension with alternating moments of vulnerability and toughness."
--Shepherd Express
"But this version of Guys & Dolls, in my mind, belongs to one Kelley Faulkner, who steals the show as Miss Adelaide, the sassy stage performer and long-suffering fiancé of Nathan Detroit. She was born to play this character, which she brings to life flawlessly in the numbers 'Bushel and a Peck' and 'Take Back Your Mink'.
--Showbiz Chicago
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING (Optimist Theatre)
"Paired with Kelley Faulkner's Katherine Hepburn-esque spitfire take on Beatrice, the logophilic sparring at the heart of the story is well realized."
--Shepherd Express
"Todd Denning and Kelley Faulkner clash with delicious spark and venom, even as their surroundings suggest the 'Hey...whatever' vibe of a Jimmy Buffet song..."
--Milwaukee Magazine
"Faulkner's proudly trousered Beatrice shows a keener edge, especially in her 'Oh, that I were a man' speech. When she finally embraces love, you can sense the many facets of her complex feelings. Plus, she pulls off the show's most genuine comic moment with her dismayed reaction to her friend's flaunting her private love poem."
--PlayOnMKE.org
""...some of the standouts include Kelley Faulkner (her best performance yet)..."
--GMToday.com
OF MICE & MEN (Milwaukee Rep/Arizona Theatre Company)
"The supporting actors—particularly Johnson, Pickering, and Kelley Faulkner as the woman who dreams of being in 'the pictures'—create nuanced, lived-in characters."
--Milwaukee Magazine
"In ATC's production, rather than the "tart" that all the ranch hands presume, even Curley's Wife (Kelley Faulkner) played the difficult but brilliant angle that she too was but an innocent victim of loneliness. She never felt even a little like a seductress as so many past interpretations have rendered her."
--Examiner.com
"Greer and Wainwright are backed up by a cast that made us feel the dust in our bones and the ache in our hearts. We understand the longing for some human contact by Curley’s wife (Kelley Faulkner)..."
--Tuscon Daily Star
"Kelley Faulkner scores as Curly’s meddlesome wife whose flirtations result in tragedy..."
--Matthew Perta, Showbiz Chicago
ALL NIGHT STRUT (Milwaukee Rep)
"Milwaukee favorite, Kelley Faulkner (who was seen last season in Always...Patsy Cline and Guys & Dolls) looks and sounds like she stepped out of the big band era, anyway, but her vocal, dance and even drum-playing skills are on full display in this production."
--Mary Boyle, Ozaukee Living Local
"Faulkner’s heartfelt interpretation of the World War II classic 'I’ll Be Seeing You' lingers in the heart and mind long after the last chord is struck."
--Matthew Perta, Showbiz Chicago
"The ensemble of the aforementioned Spivey and Thomas, along with Brian Russell Carey, Kelley Faulkner (also billed as the movement director), and Nygel D. Robinson are dynamos."
--Jessie Bylander, Splash Magazine
I LOVE A PIANO (Milwaukee Rep)
"Faulkner is mesmerizing as a ‘40s-era dance marathon participant with her rendition of 'Say It Isn’t So'"
--Matthew Perta, Showbiz Chicago
"And finally, there is Kelley Faulkner who is an Ethel Merman with sex appeal. This show is right in her wheelhouse, and she doesn’t let a moment go by without latching on to the pathway of song and dance."
--Dave Begel, onMilwaukee.com
THE MOUSETRAP (Milwaukee Rep)
"Lead player Kelley Faulkner does a bang-up job at playing Mollie Ralston in a way which encourages her fellow actors to embrace the Christie archetype."
--Crimespree Magazine
"Milwaukee's Kelley Faulkner creates a most charming Mollie Ralston, alongside her more pragmatic husband, Giles, played by the equally accomplished Matthew Mueller."
--Broadwayworld.com
ALWAYS PATSY CLINE (Milwaukee Rep 2017)
"Faulkner’s job here is more an impersonation of Cline than a full-fledged
characterization, and she does it exquisitely. Even so, she does have a few very nice moments, most notably her entrance to the honky tonk, sitting alone listening to the jukebox, thoughts whirling through her head and across her face about her current situation, so far away from her baby and all by herself."
--Karen Topham, Chicago Onstage
"For Cline fans, hearing many of the 27 hits in this two-hour performance (with 15-minute intermission) is a nostalgic thrill given the multi-talented Kelley Faulkner who plays the influential country music pioneer. Faulkner’s performance is sheer perfection. Her vocals reach the highs and lows, literally and emotionally, in classics like “She’s Got You” and “I Fall to Pieces.” Yet, Cline was one of the first to cross over to pop with songs like “Stupid Cupid” (written by Neil Sedaka) as well as gospel (“How Great Thou Art”). And Faulkner hits every note and step each and every time. What a performance!"
--Harry Cherkinian, Shepherd Express
Ms. Faulkner captures everything that was great about Ms. Cline.
Ms. Faulkner has all of the physical simplicity of Ms. Cline and, with the direction of Mr. Kazemi, shows the sophistication of not trying to imitate
Ms. Cline. Instead she uses her marvelous voice to take us up to the edge of the voice. She has that catch in her voice that gave so much emotional punch to everything Ms. Cline did. She stands quietly while singing. Watching the people watching her. It was that simplicity that endeared Ms. Cline to her fans and Ms. Faulkner captures it perfectly.
--Dave Begel
"Kelley Faulkner, a New York native now residing in Milwaukee, reprises the role of Cline which she first played at The Rep back in 2012. I’ve seen Faulkner before, just recently as Adelaide in The Rep’s Guys and Dolls, but as Patsy Cline is astonishing. Faulkner perfectly captures Cline’s warmth, and her expressive, one-of-a-kind singing style and smooth as silk voice. All eyes in the house were transfixed on Faulkner as she brought to life Cline’s wide-ranging repertoire of tunes including “I Fall to Pieces,” “Sweet Dreams” and “Crazy,” along with Cole Porter’s “True Love” and many more."
--Matthew Perta, Showbiz Chicago
"Throughout the show, Faulkner’s beautiful and understated Cline is presented in a spotlight, on stage at the Grand Old Opry and a dozen other venues, singing soulfully into a vintage microphone on a stand. With a faraway look in her eyes, she sells the heartbreak of each song with a soft twang. [Faulkner] delivers gorgeous renditions of Cline’s work that sound strikingly faithful to the original recordings."
--Gwen Rice, onmilwaukee.com
"Faulkner delivers the goods with her precise rendition of Cline’s famous tunes. This show is a definite must-see for fans of early country music. Along with a few lesser-known tunes, Faulkner charms the crowd with 'Walkin’ After Midnight,' 'Crazy' (which was written by a then-unknown Willie Nelson), 'Your Cheatin’ Heart,' and 'Shake, Rattle and Roll.'"
--Anne Siegel, TotalTheater.com
ALWAYS...PATSY CLINE (Milwaukee Rep 2012)
“Faulkner hits every note while singing a selection of more than two dozen songs doing justice to Cline's wide-ranging repertoire: honky-tonk and western swing; rockabilly and rock 'n' roll; two emotionally charged spirituals and Cole Porter's "True Love," which Faulkner renders with simple beauty.”
--Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“As Faulkner made her way through 25 Cline numbers Sunday evening, she showed command and understanding of the great singer’s expressive nuances.
Faulkner also dug into the intangibles: Cline’s enormous vocal energy and her emotional commitment to the songs, be they about the joys or honky tonk life or the pain of love. The depth of Cline’s and Faulkner’s breath support reads as emotion rising from somewhere beneath the solar plexus. Faulkner’s precise impersonation did not feel like a copy; perhaps the act of immersing herself in Cline’s style instructed Faulkner in the nature of Cline’s sentiment. Whatever the means, Faulkner wasn’t faking the despair of Crazy, the giddy fun of Stupid Cupid, or for that matter the country-girl, matter-of-fact resignation of my favorite number of the night, Lovesick Blues.”
--ThirdCoast Digest
“...a chance to hear two dozen country classics sung by the incomparable Kelley Faulkner...”
--InsideMilwaukee.com
“Kelley Faulkner, like Patsy Cline herself, is a little girl with a big voice--a voice she uses to belt out more than 20 memorable Cline tunes.
Country music is often sad, and Faulkner milks many of these tunes for all the sentiment in them. Her voice is strong and resilient and she is a poised and accomplished performer.”
--Examiner.com
“Kelley Faulkner brings Cline to ladylike life in the intimate setting, representing this pioneering woman who brought a country singer’s feminine voice to the forefront of the recording industry. Her petite frame demurely captures Cline’s on stage persona, acclaimed by audiences and critics alike. A demure that dissolves when Faulkner croons in a duet with Iannone 'Come on In and Sit Right Down and Make Yourself at Home'.
Golden moments in the musical appear when Faulkner’s Cline takes the vocals down a notch to reveal the rich, velvety voice Cline was remembered for.
Faulkner torched the cabaret with the legendary Cline’s presence...”
--Postscript Performing Arts
NOISES OFF (Milwakee Rep)
"Kelley Faulkner plays Brooke Ashton, the cast bimbo. She’s incredibly sexy, running around in her "smalls" which is the phrase Dotty uses for underwear. She has an incredible range, from scorned playmate to coy seductress. But her continual loss of a contact lens, spawning continual searches, brings laughter that begins as a twitter and soon climbs into the raucous range."
--Dave Begel, OnMilwaukee.com
HARVEY (Milwaukee Rep)
"Kelley Faulkner, quickly becoming a prominent presence in Milwaukee, is effective in her role as Ruth Kelly, the nurse with an agenda."
--Julie McHale, TimeOut
"...the terrific ensemble cast she has assembled for this production (standouts include Kelley Faulkner…"
--Paul Kosidowski, Milwaukee Magazine
CABARET (Milwaukee Rep)
“Milwaukee newcomer Kelley Faulkner is a particularly crisp and confident Sally Bowles when we first meet her. That sets up Sally's slide into desperation and Faulkner's harrowing second act rendition of the show's title song.
Beginning with Faulkner, the entire cast shows itself to be Broadway caliber in the song and dance elements of ‘Cabaret’."
--OnMilwaukee.com
“As Sally, Kelley Faulkner is a powerhouse, with a big voice and just a hint of the lost little girl she can't fully deny, particularly in her terrific rendition of the title number, in which she sells her soul while she sings her song.”
--Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“(Hemingway and Faulkner) play their intimate scenes together in a lovely natural way, even when the action and conversation carry them into song or into little couples’ dances. Their chemistry and beautifully matched scale and style give the show moral weight because the characters feel like real people.
Clements’ production clearly puts Sally’s soul in the balance. During a gripping rendition of the title song late in the show, Faulkner makes Sally tilt toward hell. The moment is devastating.”
--ThirdCoast Digest
“Kelley Faulkner has the pipes to sell the show's signature and climactic song.”
--Milwaukee Magazine
“Kelley Faulkner draws a sharp contrast as the British Bowles, sure of herself onstage while straining to mask her offstage vulnerability. With her powerhouse voice, Faulkner is in full command, moving effortlessly from the comic pitter-patter of “Don’t Tell Mama” to the title song’s range of emotions. She works well with and against the American, writer Clifford Bradshaw (Geoffrey Hemingway).”
--Wisconsin Gazette
“Faulkner’s voice is solid and she punches out an emotional arc – especially in her rendition of the iconic “Cabaret” that ultimately gives the show its impact.”
--Quest Magazine
“[This production] introduces the stunning talents of Kelley Faulkner. She is Sally in all her glory: hard-as-nails one minute, young and vulnerable the next.
Faulkner has a voice powerful enough to bring down the house [with] her poignant rendition of the title song in Act II.”
--TotalTheater.com
RAGTIME (Milwaukee Rep)
"I won't go down the long list and comment on each one, but I would like to point out Kelley Faulkner's dead-on portrayal of Evelyn Nesbit as something of a human cartoon character. Modern celebrity was already in full swing in 1906..."
--Tom Strini, Strini Writes
"Other standouts include Kelley Faulkner’s spirited Evelyn Nesbit..."
--ChicagoTheatreReview.com
"Yet, there are so many other wonderful performances that make this Ragtime a joy to watch: ...Kelley Faulkner’s ditzy beauty, Evelyn Nesbit..."
--Harry Cherkinian, Chicago Theatre Beat
PROOF (TheatreFest)
“Kelley Faulkner is deft in the way she asks Tom a question, fully expecting that the answer will prove Catherine unbalanced. Faulkner seems like "Romper Room's" Miss Jean when she deals with a toddler...
Alumni Reisman and Faulkner's self-assured performances suggest that Montclair has given its acting majors quite an education.”
--Peter Filichia, The Star Ledger
“The dialogue shared over breakfast by Tom and the adept Faulkner was quite entertaining...
Faulkner was appropriately absurd...
The show was most enjoyable when there were at least three of the actors on stage, whether in a flashback...or present day with Faulkner in the mix.”
--The Montclarion