The Csardas Princess at Stage 773

Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended

"...The fine singers under Gerald Frantzen's direction include Katherine Petersen as Sylva, Jonathan Zeng as Edwin, Emma Sorenson as Stasi, and William Roberts in the comic role of Sylva's womanizing manager Boni. The offstage 25-piece orchestra under conductor Mark A. Taylor's baton is splendid, and deserves to be more visible."

Windy City Times - Recommended

"...It's rare nowadays to hear his music well-played, which is why this Folks Operetta production is such a particular delight: a large-cast show with a full traditional orchestra of 25 in a theater seating only 150! Very few Broadway shows these days have orchestras as large, let alone a show staged so intimately."

Chicagoland Musical Theatre - Highly Recommended

"...Director Gerald Frantzen presents a glamorous (if melodramatic) window into early 20th century Viennese high society, with a crew whose craftsmanship cannot be denied. Their rich talents coalesce to tell the complicated love affair between provincial nightingale Silva Varescu and lovelorn scion Edwin Weylersheim."

Picture This Post - Recommended

"...It may come as a surprise to read in the program notes that Emmerich Kálmán tried his hand at Hollywood film scores but never could make it work. This easy-to-digest music sure sounds like a Hollywood fit! If anything, the colorful costumes and wigs might trigger a feeling similar to the nagging dissonance lovers of oldie movies experience when they see such films colorized."