"Lawrence Edelson directed fluidly and often created striking stage pictures, none more potent than the sight of Orpheus, after his tragic glance back at Eurydice on their way out of the Underworld, hanging on a ladder, as physically devastated as the rose he crushed in his hand, the petals falling with the Act II curtain. There also was some effective whimsy here and there, including wonderfully animated choreography for the Orpheus-Eurydice wedding party..."

- Opera News

"...a classy affair, with more than enough imagination and skill to turn the only recently unearthed Telemann work into a hot property."

- The Baltimore Sun

"An Orpheus with spirit...it's a delight to have it back...Designer Martin T. Lopez's sets were creative and highly evocative for so small a space."

- The Washington Times

"Wolf Trap Opera offered an entertaining and energized production, not only updated in costumes and sets, but in the acting and the perpetual motion of the singers... Director Lawrence Edelson did a splendid job of making the work relevant and understandable..."

- Opera Now

"... a stunningly touching and entertaining production...beautifully balanced... sets are simple but evocative, the lighting is outstanding, and the costumes mix the fanciful and the contemporary with intentional ambiguity."

- The Washington Post

“For lovers of rare French opera, and fans of  Gabriel Fauré last night's premiere of Pénélope at the Manhattan School of Music was a nuit divine…Lawrence Edelson left not a nook or cranny uncovered in his direction, helping make these characters come to vivid life.  Visually there were so many wonderful moments in this staging it would be impossible to recall them all here, but several were just too beautiful not to mention.  The serving maids entrance, with their Greek masks and beautifully uniform choreographed gestures and the human "wall" they make to prevent the suitors from attacking the palace. Pénélope's despair as she sits weaving at her loom, the metallic silver threads and its frame weaving her into a sort of visual tapestry.  The entire second act with the shepherds on the hill, the despondent Pénélope thinking of hurling herself off the cliff into the sea, and the final image of the reunited king and queen on their thrones, with an enormous shower of rose petals being tossed from the shepherds on the second level.  All of this - and so much more, were just beautiful to behold…For so rarely performed an opera, this performance set a standard.  In a perfect world, this run would be extended, the performance captured for DVD release, but, helas, such is not the world in which we live.”

- Opera-L


“Director Lawrence Edelson's adroit handling of the tale kept the opera moving forward…All in all, a welcome tribute to a marginal work.”

- Musical America


“Fauré’s “Pénélope” is a critics’ favorite of longstanding…The production, by Lawrence Edelson, was simple and attractive.”

- New York Times

“Figaro on a Segway? It may sound crazy, but it had a kind of dramatic logic in Hawaii Opera Theatre's production of Rossini's Barber of Seville. Director Lawrence Edelson built his concept around Europe's "commedia dell'arte" tradition…within that general framework, Edelson and the performers borrowed pages from American comic traditions as well, their antics recalling Charlie Chaplin, Keystone Cops, Marx Brothers, and, literally, slapstick. Characters performed in commedia's fantastical masks and costumes… creating an impact that was simultaneously old and new, European and American… Staging was lively — everyone was clearly having fun… Throughout, visual gags abounded: giant hammers, dog dishes, trick ladders, harnesses, and, of course, the Segway… Primed for comedy, the audience laughed easily and often; the production was a perfect introduction for opera first-timers of all ages.”

- The Honolulu Advertiser

"The Toledo Opera's new production of Carmen, which opened Saturday night in the Valentine Theatre, is the largest and most complex production the company has tackled... It's also one of, if not the, best productions in the long history of this company... powerful acting and director Lawrence Edelson's savvy staging heighten the drama of this tempestuous story... the overall effect of (the production) is as powerful and memorable as the namesake character."

- The Toledo Blade

“An intricate and beautiful story… under the direction of Lawrence Edelson, the two plots are woven seamlessly together, preserving boundaries for clarity’s sake and at times intersecting to hit the audience with emotion poignancy and relevance.”

- Backstage (Critics Pick)


“The past and present stories parallel one another, and it is only towards the end of the second act when all the pieces fall into place that you understand how everything so beautifully connects. It is a complicated and extremely long emotional journey.  But worth it.  The production is wonderful.  The director, Lawrence Edelson, has chosen to portray many of the scenes using his actors as life sized marionettes.  It is visually striking…The New York Musical Festival must be applauded for giving the opportunity for serious musicals like this to be seen.”

- Oscar Moore


There are some gorgeous moment in The ToyMaker. Putnam’s music is often lovely, and best of all is (Edelson’s) wonderful theatrical use of jerky human marionettes.”

- Curtain Up