What critics have to say...
The Winter's Tale
"...Valerie Fenton is vulnerable and solid as the wronged Hermione." -- John Geoffrion, DC Theatre Scene
Taming of the Shrew
"Fenton was fierce right out of the gate, and when it came time for that troublesome ending monologue, she navigated it with apparent ease, nimbly switching between mocking convention and sincerely expressing her new devotion to her partner." -- Allie Press, DC Metro Theatre Arts
"Ron Heneghan as Petruchio put it all out there, plucking the nerves of Valerie Fenton’s wickedly entertaining Katharina every chance he got. Together, the chemistry between Heneghan and Fenton is spicy hot with plenty of cool humor to help keep things from boiling over." -- Barry Kramer, Maryland Theatre Guide
Leto Legend
"Depicting the dual character of Charlie/Leto, Fenton... ably shows how the mythical and modern collide in this comedy about today’s superwoman. It is amusing to watch the sensitive Fenton depict her dual characters as she struggles to achieve greatness, fails, and redefines her idea of success. Somehow, it left me feeling relieved, like I don’t have to do it all, but empowered, as if there might still be a way." -- Yvonne French, DC Metro Theater Arts
"Valerie Fenton takes on the conflicted Charlie and her creation Leto in a commanding performance. She seamlessly glides between the Titan Leto, facing untold dangers and the cries of her infant sons, and the comic book artist who can barely find time to catch her daughter’s lacrosse game. Fenton makes all of Charlie/Leto’s issues seem real, including writer’s block, fear of collaboration, and skating on the edge of a breakdown. Since the play slants towards comedy in many cases, Fenton handles herself like the brainy, comic Lucille Ball, which is a plus." -- Jeffrey Walker, DC Theatre Scene
Titus Andronicus
"The CSC ensemble delivers a first rate performance; particular crowd favorites were Tamora, Queen of the Goths (Valerie Fenton) who smoothly switches from sweet beguiling wife to iron-clad harpy as she twists the will of Saturninus whenever she pleases." - Daniel Collins, Broadwayworld.com
Dead City
"A pregnant friend Gloria (Valerie Fenton) points out that death and the internet are both opiates, and Samantha begins the day as a woman deadened to the world. Fenton... particularly shines..." - Steven McKnight, DC Theatre Scene
"It is a most amusing play with a terrific cast (Wyckham Avery, Rachel Beauregard, Tim Getman, Lee Matthews, Valerie Fenton, Grady Weatherford and Danny Gavigan...most playing many roles)..." - Bob Anthony, Review4U
King Lear
"a stunning portrayal by the lovely Valerie Fenton...
In sharp contrast, and beautifully so, is Valerie Fenton, as the fallen from favor daughter. While her line delivery is exquisite, it is her face and demeanor that tell the real truths of her character. The instant look of resignation and loss that crosses her eyes when she realizes that her father has banished her is heartbreaking, and the love in her eyes for that same father when she returns to save him is equally moving. Sadly, Ms. Fenton only appears a few times (really, Mr. Shakespeare!)."- James Howard, Broadwayworld.com
"Valerie Fenton gives a tender performance as the youngest Cordelia." - Roxeann Knight, Maryland Theatre Guide
The Imaginary Invalid
"Valerie Fenton scores a comedic triumph in a role that could easily have become a shrill one-note ingénue in lesser-hands. Her mock-opera scene...with the charming Christopher Niebling as Cleante...is a highlight among highlights and may be the seven funniest minutes of any local production in years." - James Howard, Broadwayworld.com
"Fenton really lays on the hysterics as Angelique, and garners plenty of laughs with her effort. " - T.Sclafani, The Howard County Times
"Imaginative staging, strong acting make for a robust performance of Moliere's 17th-century comedy. Director Ken Elston makes the most of Moliere's effective scenes and showy roles... In place of the traditional demure and dutiful daughter, Valerie Fenton creates a noisy, outgoing Angelique who trumpets her every emotion." - William Hyder, The Baltimore Sun
"Valerie Fenton, who plays Angelique, has larger-than-normal eyes and a larger-than-normal mouth and she uses them for marvelous comic effect..."- Geoffrey Himes, Baltimore City Paper
The Beard of Avon
"Fenton makes for a vivacious Anne...Director Jessica Burgess and a well-drilled cast... tackle their assignments with the ravenous pleasure of hyenas feasting on a leg of gnu." - Peter Marks, Washington Post
"As Shakspere's wife Anne, the engaging Valerie Fenton starts off appropriately shrill, and transforms into a saucy and seductive foil for her husband as the show continues." - Jason Linkins, DCist
"Valerie Fenton stands out as Shakespeare's wife, Anne..." - Fiona Zublin, Wahington Theater Review
"The entire cast provided wonderfully exhilarating performances.... Valerie Fenton is warmly endearing as Anne Hathaway." - Walter Ruff, dctheatrereviews.com
"Valerie Fenton plays Anne Hathaway and she is a theatric gem throughout as the demanding housewife and the floozy "mistaken identity" so common in Shakespearean plays." - Bob Anthony, Review4U
Dog in the Manger
"Fenton's quirky but savvy portrayal of Marcela nearly steals the show... the combination of outstanding words and excellent performances makes this a production you will be thinking about long after you've left the theater." - Anna Ditkoff, Baltimore City Paper
"The most notable performance is that of Valerie Fenton, whose wronged lady in waiting is an endearingly comic portrait of misery." - J. Wynn Rousuck, Baltimore Sun
"Fresh and energetic performances... The text works particularly well as delivered by this cast who enunciate with such clarity but without pretension. Two particularly enjoyable performances come from...and Valerie Fenton as the lady in waiting who unwittingly becomes her lady's rival." - Potomac Stages
"The play demands the kind of split-second comic timing you'd see in a Marx Brothers movie... the actors rarely missed a cue and kept the audience in constant laughter as they wrung the last bit of silliness out of every scene." - T.Sclafani, Columbia Flier/Howard County Times
Much Ado About Nothing
"Valerie Fenton walks off with the whole production with her impressively multilayered performance as Beatrice. Fenton changes her inflection with every line, completely avoiding the singsonginess that sometimes afflicts iambic pentameter. And she is as strong in the dramatic scenes as in the comedic ones, giving her character real depth.
The reason [Much Ado] is such a masterpiece is the wonderful wordplay between Beatrice and Benedick, and the CSC has cast two actors capable of carrying the play on the strength of their witty repartee." - Anna Ditkoff, Baltimore City Paper
"Fenton's agile acting makes Beatrice's transition from fighter to lover believable." - T.Sclafani, The Howard County Times
Turcaret
"Amid all the heavy-handedness onstage and off, it would be easy to miss the relative nuance of Valerie Fenton's performance. Fenton is Lisette, the confederate Frontin plants in the baroness's household when the first chambermaid's lip gets her fired, and the sweetheart at whose feet he lays the end product of all his scheming. Fenton makes the character quick, canny, and downright…what was the word Terrill used? Oh, right: charming." - Trey Graham, Washington City Paper
Troilus and Cressida
"the best performance is Valerie Fenton as Cressida, who negotiates her character's sudden psychological shifts--from besotted lover to wanton slut and back again--with a seductive and sassy intelligence." - Gadi Dechter, Baltimore City Paper
"...it was the biting performances of Tara Garwood as foul-mouthed Thersites and Valerie Fenton as besotted slut Cressida that raised the bar for area Bard stagings." - Baltimore City Paper, The Year on Stage
Time of Your Life
"Certain players are top rate in reaching the bittersweet and romantic quality demanded in Saroyan's writing especially... and Valerie Fenton as the searcher of a romantic interlude..." - Bob Anthony, Review4U
Henry V
"Fenton is best when she gives her humor free rein. She is delightful as The Dauphin, who prefers his horse to his mistress, and as Katherine, who mangles words attempting to learn English." - Brian Trompeter, Sun Gazette
A Midsummer Night's Dream
"the sensual staging is complemented by robust performances, particularly by the cast's women...
Fenton is a delight as Helena, at first shamelessly eager in her fawning over Demetrius, then enraged by his changing affections." - D.L. Hintz, Richmond.com
"...Valerie Fenton is vulnerable and solid as the wronged Hermione." -- John Geoffrion, DC Theatre Scene
Taming of the Shrew
"Fenton was fierce right out of the gate, and when it came time for that troublesome ending monologue, she navigated it with apparent ease, nimbly switching between mocking convention and sincerely expressing her new devotion to her partner." -- Allie Press, DC Metro Theatre Arts
"Ron Heneghan as Petruchio put it all out there, plucking the nerves of Valerie Fenton’s wickedly entertaining Katharina every chance he got. Together, the chemistry between Heneghan and Fenton is spicy hot with plenty of cool humor to help keep things from boiling over." -- Barry Kramer, Maryland Theatre Guide
Leto Legend
"Depicting the dual character of Charlie/Leto, Fenton... ably shows how the mythical and modern collide in this comedy about today’s superwoman. It is amusing to watch the sensitive Fenton depict her dual characters as she struggles to achieve greatness, fails, and redefines her idea of success. Somehow, it left me feeling relieved, like I don’t have to do it all, but empowered, as if there might still be a way." -- Yvonne French, DC Metro Theater Arts
"Valerie Fenton takes on the conflicted Charlie and her creation Leto in a commanding performance. She seamlessly glides between the Titan Leto, facing untold dangers and the cries of her infant sons, and the comic book artist who can barely find time to catch her daughter’s lacrosse game. Fenton makes all of Charlie/Leto’s issues seem real, including writer’s block, fear of collaboration, and skating on the edge of a breakdown. Since the play slants towards comedy in many cases, Fenton handles herself like the brainy, comic Lucille Ball, which is a plus." -- Jeffrey Walker, DC Theatre Scene
Titus Andronicus
"The CSC ensemble delivers a first rate performance; particular crowd favorites were Tamora, Queen of the Goths (Valerie Fenton) who smoothly switches from sweet beguiling wife to iron-clad harpy as she twists the will of Saturninus whenever she pleases." - Daniel Collins, Broadwayworld.com
Dead City
"A pregnant friend Gloria (Valerie Fenton) points out that death and the internet are both opiates, and Samantha begins the day as a woman deadened to the world. Fenton... particularly shines..." - Steven McKnight, DC Theatre Scene
"It is a most amusing play with a terrific cast (Wyckham Avery, Rachel Beauregard, Tim Getman, Lee Matthews, Valerie Fenton, Grady Weatherford and Danny Gavigan...most playing many roles)..." - Bob Anthony, Review4U
King Lear
"a stunning portrayal by the lovely Valerie Fenton...
In sharp contrast, and beautifully so, is Valerie Fenton, as the fallen from favor daughter. While her line delivery is exquisite, it is her face and demeanor that tell the real truths of her character. The instant look of resignation and loss that crosses her eyes when she realizes that her father has banished her is heartbreaking, and the love in her eyes for that same father when she returns to save him is equally moving. Sadly, Ms. Fenton only appears a few times (really, Mr. Shakespeare!)."- James Howard, Broadwayworld.com
"Valerie Fenton gives a tender performance as the youngest Cordelia." - Roxeann Knight, Maryland Theatre Guide
The Imaginary Invalid
"Valerie Fenton scores a comedic triumph in a role that could easily have become a shrill one-note ingénue in lesser-hands. Her mock-opera scene...with the charming Christopher Niebling as Cleante...is a highlight among highlights and may be the seven funniest minutes of any local production in years." - James Howard, Broadwayworld.com
"Fenton really lays on the hysterics as Angelique, and garners plenty of laughs with her effort. " - T.Sclafani, The Howard County Times
"Imaginative staging, strong acting make for a robust performance of Moliere's 17th-century comedy. Director Ken Elston makes the most of Moliere's effective scenes and showy roles... In place of the traditional demure and dutiful daughter, Valerie Fenton creates a noisy, outgoing Angelique who trumpets her every emotion." - William Hyder, The Baltimore Sun
"Valerie Fenton, who plays Angelique, has larger-than-normal eyes and a larger-than-normal mouth and she uses them for marvelous comic effect..."- Geoffrey Himes, Baltimore City Paper
The Beard of Avon
"Fenton makes for a vivacious Anne...Director Jessica Burgess and a well-drilled cast... tackle their assignments with the ravenous pleasure of hyenas feasting on a leg of gnu." - Peter Marks, Washington Post
"As Shakspere's wife Anne, the engaging Valerie Fenton starts off appropriately shrill, and transforms into a saucy and seductive foil for her husband as the show continues." - Jason Linkins, DCist
"Valerie Fenton stands out as Shakespeare's wife, Anne..." - Fiona Zublin, Wahington Theater Review
"The entire cast provided wonderfully exhilarating performances.... Valerie Fenton is warmly endearing as Anne Hathaway." - Walter Ruff, dctheatrereviews.com
"Valerie Fenton plays Anne Hathaway and she is a theatric gem throughout as the demanding housewife and the floozy "mistaken identity" so common in Shakespearean plays." - Bob Anthony, Review4U
Dog in the Manger
"Fenton's quirky but savvy portrayal of Marcela nearly steals the show... the combination of outstanding words and excellent performances makes this a production you will be thinking about long after you've left the theater." - Anna Ditkoff, Baltimore City Paper
"The most notable performance is that of Valerie Fenton, whose wronged lady in waiting is an endearingly comic portrait of misery." - J. Wynn Rousuck, Baltimore Sun
"Fresh and energetic performances... The text works particularly well as delivered by this cast who enunciate with such clarity but without pretension. Two particularly enjoyable performances come from...and Valerie Fenton as the lady in waiting who unwittingly becomes her lady's rival." - Potomac Stages
"The play demands the kind of split-second comic timing you'd see in a Marx Brothers movie... the actors rarely missed a cue and kept the audience in constant laughter as they wrung the last bit of silliness out of every scene." - T.Sclafani, Columbia Flier/Howard County Times
Much Ado About Nothing
"Valerie Fenton walks off with the whole production with her impressively multilayered performance as Beatrice. Fenton changes her inflection with every line, completely avoiding the singsonginess that sometimes afflicts iambic pentameter. And she is as strong in the dramatic scenes as in the comedic ones, giving her character real depth.
The reason [Much Ado] is such a masterpiece is the wonderful wordplay between Beatrice and Benedick, and the CSC has cast two actors capable of carrying the play on the strength of their witty repartee." - Anna Ditkoff, Baltimore City Paper
"Fenton's agile acting makes Beatrice's transition from fighter to lover believable." - T.Sclafani, The Howard County Times
Turcaret
"Amid all the heavy-handedness onstage and off, it would be easy to miss the relative nuance of Valerie Fenton's performance. Fenton is Lisette, the confederate Frontin plants in the baroness's household when the first chambermaid's lip gets her fired, and the sweetheart at whose feet he lays the end product of all his scheming. Fenton makes the character quick, canny, and downright…what was the word Terrill used? Oh, right: charming." - Trey Graham, Washington City Paper
Troilus and Cressida
"the best performance is Valerie Fenton as Cressida, who negotiates her character's sudden psychological shifts--from besotted lover to wanton slut and back again--with a seductive and sassy intelligence." - Gadi Dechter, Baltimore City Paper
"...it was the biting performances of Tara Garwood as foul-mouthed Thersites and Valerie Fenton as besotted slut Cressida that raised the bar for area Bard stagings." - Baltimore City Paper, The Year on Stage
Time of Your Life
"Certain players are top rate in reaching the bittersweet and romantic quality demanded in Saroyan's writing especially... and Valerie Fenton as the searcher of a romantic interlude..." - Bob Anthony, Review4U
Henry V
"Fenton is best when she gives her humor free rein. She is delightful as The Dauphin, who prefers his horse to his mistress, and as Katherine, who mangles words attempting to learn English." - Brian Trompeter, Sun Gazette
A Midsummer Night's Dream
"the sensual staging is complemented by robust performances, particularly by the cast's women...
Fenton is a delight as Helena, at first shamelessly eager in her fawning over Demetrius, then enraged by his changing affections." - D.L. Hintz, Richmond.com
