"PRESS QUOTES"
DIRECTION: DENNIS WHITEHEAD DARLING
MUSIC DIRECTION: DENNIS WHITEHEAD DARLING
BLUE VIOLA
MUSIC BY PETER HILLIARD
LIBRETTO BY MATT BORESI
Dennis Whitehead Darling's work on Blue Viola accomplished the greatest thing a director's work can do for a piece - it made the work more effective than it would have been without him. His strong hand and clear vision elevated the storytelling and clarified the message without being imposing or distracting, giving the piece a more positive audience reaction than it had ever received previously. His collaborative style is warm and open, and Peter Hilliard and I look forward to future partnerships with this bright new operatic light — Matt Boresi, Librettist
MR. RICKEY CALLS A MEETING
BY ED SCHMIDT
Hattiloo Theatre is doing one of its best productions ever with Mr. Rickey Calls A Meeting in its black box theatre...The ensemble — every actor nails it — does powerful work, and the one-act show is well directed by Dennis Whitehead Darling — Commercial Appeal
As directed by Dennis Darling, Mr. Rickey is a fantastic example of Hattiloo doing what it does best by providing Memphis theatergoers with a clear alternative — Memphis Flyer
MARCUS; OR THE SECRET OF SWEET
BY: TARELL ALVIN MCCRANEY
Director Dennis Darling has created a riveting, economical production, and the cast is uniformly excellent — BWW Review
A fine group of actors have come together for the last chapter of Tarrell Alvin McCraney's groundbreaking Brother/Sister trilogy, and with the help of director Dennis Darling, they share many fine moments — Memphis Flyer
MASTER HAROLD AND THE BOYS
BY ATHOL FUGARD
Nothing more difficult to do than drama. Walked out having seen a tremendously accomplished piece of theatre — Austin Chronicle
DREAMGIRLS
MUSIC BY HENRY KRIEGER
BOOK BY TOM EYEN
The Hattiloo is a place where the action often spills off the tiny stage and into the audience. In this case, it doesn't spill so much as it explodes — Memphis Flyer
AIN'T MISBEHAVIN'
MUSIC BY FATS WALLER
BOOK BY MURRAY HORWITZ, RICHARD MALTBY, JR.
I doubt that any audience anywhere has ever been made to feel so at home in a theater where they are invited to become a part of the show without ever being asked to get out of their seats. This easygoing inclusion is the engine that drives director Dennis Whitehead — Memphis Flyer
FOREVER PLAID
BY STUART MALTBY
[B. Iden Payne Awards]...The most honored show was Sam Bass Community Theatre's Forever Plaid, which received four awards, including nods to Dennis Whitehead for both his direction and musical direction — Austin Chronicle
ASSASSINS
MUSIC BY STEPHEN SONDHEIM
BOOK BY JOHN WEIDMAN
Dennis L. Whitehead's direction and Frank Rendon, Jr.'s choreography sparkle, and are full of crisp movements and snappy moments that are always dynamic — Austin Chronicle