BROTHERS PLAY
“Traumatic childhood memories haunt a trio of 40something male siblings on a fateful Christmas Eve in Brothers Play, Matthew Doherty’s darkly comedic walloper now getting a spectacularly acted, directed, and designed World Premiere production at Legacy LA…. Not only does Doherty’s play score comedic points for its writer and its phenomenal leads, it gives Nordling, Nagle, and Wollrab abundant dramatic meat to chew on, fine-tuned to razor-sharp perfection by director James Eckhouse, all of which adds up to three of the most original, indelible star turns you’ll see all year.” Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
"Nordling, Nagle, and Wollrab make for a profane yet poignant set of brothers in Doherty’s absurdist storyline, with shadows of Samuels — Beckett and Shepard — tinging the script. Despite minor opening night jitters, the three have a chemistry that has gelled well under Eckhouse’s fluid hands." Martίn Hernández, Stage Raw
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
"In the scene-stealing department comes Rob Nagle, who portrays the constable Dogberry in an absurd wig and mustache that’s not even the most ridiculous part of the character. Using a combination of halting speech and body language, bizarre facial gestures and, of course, the Bard’s script, Nagle creates a highly memorable and very funny character not soon to be forgotten." Alex Miller, OnStage Colorado
"For outright laughs, Rob Nagle arrives as Dogberry, the pleasingly buffoonish constable who learns of Don John’s plot." Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post
"Earning kudos as a second banana, Rob Nagle as the beleaguered Dogberry wows and fills the latter half of the show with satisfying laughs as he insists that he 'is an ass!' He and his crew of watchmen work together to lighten the devious plot against Hero by finding the villains in spite of themselves." Beki Pineda, Boulder Magazine
"Nagle especially, with the responsibility of three roles, goes above and beyond at developing three distinct characters. It is among the more impressive elements of what is already a high-bar performance." Jon Bee, Broadway World
ROE
"...This use of direct address encourages the audience to join in ... to boo when she submits to the rhetoric of born-again Christian preacher Flip Benham (an oozily charming Rob Nagle)..." Margaret Gray, Los Angeles Times
"Special thanks to Rob Nagle, who plays Flip Benham, the clever and manipulative Evangelical minister and national director of the anti-abortion organization Operation Rescue. Here is a man the audience can love to hate!" Elaine Mura, Splash Magazines
AN OCTOROON
"Rob Nagle completely demolishes his Playwright role as the drunken manifestation of Dion Boucicault himself, which comes with so much rage, frustration, and lunacy that Nagle expertly delivers. All of those emotions and chaotic energy carry over when he takes on the indigenous character of Wahnotee, complete with the racist practice of putting on redface to inhabit the role." Edward Hong, The Nerds of Color
"The bizarre double and triple casting in tandem with twists and turns in the plot achieve an apex of hilarious inanity when hero and villain, both played by Hancock in high octane mode, wrestle each other in a duel to the death (fight director Jen Albert). The other comic highlight is Nagle’s entire first scene as the inebriated (red-faced even without the makeup) Boucicault. It’s the production’s standout performance." Deborah Klugman, Stage Raw
"The ever-excellent Rob Nagle does a riotous turn as the Indian Wahnotee (in red face)" Sylvie Drake, Cultural Daily
"Mr. Nagle and Vanessa Claire Stewart ... are masters of the blend of heightened reality and comedy..." Tony Frankel, Stage and Cinema
"Hancock and Nagle's clever and quite profane mirror act is worthy of the Marx Bros., as well as a hint of the craziness yet to come... Stewart's O'Hara-esque send-up and Nagle's scenery-devouring turns as the Playwright and the exploited Native American Wahnotee make for great comic bookends." Evan Henerson, Broadway World
"LA’s stalwart theatrical hero Nagle is as usual hilarious throughout as Wahtonee and later, when the exaggerated humor gradually transforms into something meant to be far less humorous, he’s downright scary playing the slave merchant LaFouche." Travis Michael Holder, TicketHoldersLA
"Each actor takes on multiple roles and does so with talent, grace, and charm. Special congrats to Matthew Hancock and Rob Nagle, who have mastered some very special roles with skill – and pretty good hand/eye coordination and physical contortions too." Elaine Mura, LA Splash Magazines
"Rob Nagle as Boucicault from an Irish accent to a Native American and a slave auctioneer, proves to audiences a vast experience and strong acting abilities." Alejandra Enciso-Dardashti, From Another Zero
"As The Playwright Boucicault / The Red (literally) Indian: Wahnotee as well as the auctioneer, Nagle brings the characters home without skipping a beat." Michael Sheehan, On Stage Los Angeles
"An Octoroon is one of the most engrossing, confounding, and outrageous plays I have ever seen. It is extraordinary in so many ways. It challenges an audience to look at the past and squirm... It is unnerving to see Rob Nagle as an alcoholic Indian chief. The show commands an audience to look at the past through comedy and pathos. Brecht would be proud!" Paul Myrvold, Theatre Notes
"Under Judith Moreland’s endlessly imaginative direction, the entire cast soars, from Hancock’s magnificently magnetic star turn in multiple roles to the always commanding Nagle’s droll trio of characters..." Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
"Rob Nagle Brings his considerable skills to play Dion / Wahnotee / Lafouche. Rob also does a dance number that could be a show stopper." Peter Finlayson, Footlights
"...the inaugural use of the outdoor stage added a level of theatricality to the story. Nagle smartly incorporated alarms into the world. The trick was knowing when the nod to the outside amplified the story or brought us back to 2021." Steven Vargas, Ampersand
UNRAVELLED
"With equal parts tenderness, hurt feelings and exasperation (a mixture Nagle excels at conveying), Robert reminds Anne that she’s not an artist; her mediocre portraits of strawberries don’t justify the forfeiture of her income." Margaret Gray, Los Angeles Times
“Lucy Davenport and Rob Nagle play the wife and husband with finesse, gracefully luring the audience into the tragic effect of this disease on their marriage.” Irish Independent
“One of the most fascinating plays of the Zoom era… Nagle stands out among the cast, representing a kind of everyperson suddenly having to face a difficult, unexpected situation that he can’t control; he’s the character the audience can most identify with. The power of the play… lies in how it develops organically, like a work of art or, sadly, an untreatable disease.” Mark Rifkin, This Week in New York
“EXTRAORDINARY. The cast is superb, the script important, and, for this critic, the most satisfying piece of theatre he has seen in very nearly a year. Impeccably produced and performed.” Paul Myrvold, Theatre Notes
"Nagle is sympathetic and moving as Robert, who can only watch as Anne is inexorably pulled away from him. He does a strong job of showing the difficulties of being the partner responsible for the care of a loved one with a serious degenerative condition, of continuing to love someone when you can’t tell if they’re even 'there' anymore... REMARKABLE… erudite, emotional and often genuinely funny… easily one of the best and most thought-provoking plays of the past year." Terry Morgan, Arts Beat LA
“A daring and dynamic visual delight ... an invigorating piece … Davenport, Nagle and Marks deliver pitch-perfect work, allowing the viewer to shed copious amounts of tears, knowing that those who create and maintain art must be recognized as valuable human beings.” Dale Reynolds, Stage and Cinema
“Davenport and Nagle are superb as they develop their marriage relationship. Nagle’s skill at providing a believable spouse with equal amounts of frustration and compassion enhances Broder’s vision for his characters.” Melinda Schupmann, Showmag
DESERVING POWER
“As sinister, self-help guru Aleister Thomas, Rob Nagle commands the experience, intricately weaving between scripted and improvised dialogue. His Thomas is charming, convincing, and almost made me a believer; it’s clear why he’s leading the seminar.” Lacey Pawlowicz, Haunting.net
NIXON ON NIXON
"Another Tour de Force From Rob Nagle... This one-man show would work just as amazingly live and onstage as it does viewed online with the incredible, incredible Rob Nagle as Richard Nixon… Nagle simply captivates with his Nixon vocal mannerisms down pat, seamlessly limning Sean Waldron's fictionalized drunken evening… Nagle portrays Nixon as actually sympathetic and charming (almost)… Check it out to see the latest of the many diverse and varied characters Rob Nagle has inhabited and mastered." Gil Kaan, Broadway World
“…thanks to Rob Nagle’s brilliant performance as a man losing his grip on reality, the play took on a very surreal aspect to me since I vividly remember when Nixon resigned… While adopting Nixon’s trademark speech patterns to perfection during his 75-minute monologue, Nagle takes us inside Nixon’s psyche… Nagle brings heart and sensitivity to a man that always appeared cold and narcissistic, revealing his dependence on alcohol and pills as depression invades his soul, taking Nixon to the brink of suicide with a hand gun.” Shari Barrett, Culver City News
"I don't like watching anything on my computer. How could a streaming show replace the magic of anything I see in a theater - actors having one shot to get it right and craft performances that will leave me talking in the car on the way home. No special effects, clever edits or manipulative music. How could anything on my computer be theater? I was wrong. Last night, I was spellbound watching Rob Nagle’s brilliant performance as Richard Nixon in The Blank Theater's incredible production of Nixon on Nixon… I found myself moved to tears a few times. The performance, the script and the intimacy of it were all things I expect to find in a theater… Can't recommend enough. Especially if you need an example of how to do theater online..." Vanessa Stewart
"Theatre artists everywhere are hard hit by this Pandemic. Many are forging ahead, finding new ways to bring art to people using new technologies and techniques. I am so freakin' bowled over by Rob Nagle’s performance as Nixon… I'm so glad I watched this, not really knowing what to expect. Congratulations to everyone who worked on this. Bravo." Alisa Tangredi
“Traumatic childhood memories haunt a trio of 40something male siblings on a fateful Christmas Eve in Brothers Play, Matthew Doherty’s darkly comedic walloper now getting a spectacularly acted, directed, and designed World Premiere production at Legacy LA…. Not only does Doherty’s play score comedic points for its writer and its phenomenal leads, it gives Nordling, Nagle, and Wollrab abundant dramatic meat to chew on, fine-tuned to razor-sharp perfection by director James Eckhouse, all of which adds up to three of the most original, indelible star turns you’ll see all year.” Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
"Nordling, Nagle, and Wollrab make for a profane yet poignant set of brothers in Doherty’s absurdist storyline, with shadows of Samuels — Beckett and Shepard — tinging the script. Despite minor opening night jitters, the three have a chemistry that has gelled well under Eckhouse’s fluid hands." Martίn Hernández, Stage Raw
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
"In the scene-stealing department comes Rob Nagle, who portrays the constable Dogberry in an absurd wig and mustache that’s not even the most ridiculous part of the character. Using a combination of halting speech and body language, bizarre facial gestures and, of course, the Bard’s script, Nagle creates a highly memorable and very funny character not soon to be forgotten." Alex Miller, OnStage Colorado
"For outright laughs, Rob Nagle arrives as Dogberry, the pleasingly buffoonish constable who learns of Don John’s plot." Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post
"Earning kudos as a second banana, Rob Nagle as the beleaguered Dogberry wows and fills the latter half of the show with satisfying laughs as he insists that he 'is an ass!' He and his crew of watchmen work together to lighten the devious plot against Hero by finding the villains in spite of themselves." Beki Pineda, Boulder Magazine
"Nagle especially, with the responsibility of three roles, goes above and beyond at developing three distinct characters. It is among the more impressive elements of what is already a high-bar performance." Jon Bee, Broadway World
ROE
"...This use of direct address encourages the audience to join in ... to boo when she submits to the rhetoric of born-again Christian preacher Flip Benham (an oozily charming Rob Nagle)..." Margaret Gray, Los Angeles Times
"Special thanks to Rob Nagle, who plays Flip Benham, the clever and manipulative Evangelical minister and national director of the anti-abortion organization Operation Rescue. Here is a man the audience can love to hate!" Elaine Mura, Splash Magazines
AN OCTOROON
"Rob Nagle completely demolishes his Playwright role as the drunken manifestation of Dion Boucicault himself, which comes with so much rage, frustration, and lunacy that Nagle expertly delivers. All of those emotions and chaotic energy carry over when he takes on the indigenous character of Wahnotee, complete with the racist practice of putting on redface to inhabit the role." Edward Hong, The Nerds of Color
"The bizarre double and triple casting in tandem with twists and turns in the plot achieve an apex of hilarious inanity when hero and villain, both played by Hancock in high octane mode, wrestle each other in a duel to the death (fight director Jen Albert). The other comic highlight is Nagle’s entire first scene as the inebriated (red-faced even without the makeup) Boucicault. It’s the production’s standout performance." Deborah Klugman, Stage Raw
"The ever-excellent Rob Nagle does a riotous turn as the Indian Wahnotee (in red face)" Sylvie Drake, Cultural Daily
"Mr. Nagle and Vanessa Claire Stewart ... are masters of the blend of heightened reality and comedy..." Tony Frankel, Stage and Cinema
"Hancock and Nagle's clever and quite profane mirror act is worthy of the Marx Bros., as well as a hint of the craziness yet to come... Stewart's O'Hara-esque send-up and Nagle's scenery-devouring turns as the Playwright and the exploited Native American Wahnotee make for great comic bookends." Evan Henerson, Broadway World
"LA’s stalwart theatrical hero Nagle is as usual hilarious throughout as Wahtonee and later, when the exaggerated humor gradually transforms into something meant to be far less humorous, he’s downright scary playing the slave merchant LaFouche." Travis Michael Holder, TicketHoldersLA
"Each actor takes on multiple roles and does so with talent, grace, and charm. Special congrats to Matthew Hancock and Rob Nagle, who have mastered some very special roles with skill – and pretty good hand/eye coordination and physical contortions too." Elaine Mura, LA Splash Magazines
"Rob Nagle as Boucicault from an Irish accent to a Native American and a slave auctioneer, proves to audiences a vast experience and strong acting abilities." Alejandra Enciso-Dardashti, From Another Zero
"As The Playwright Boucicault / The Red (literally) Indian: Wahnotee as well as the auctioneer, Nagle brings the characters home without skipping a beat." Michael Sheehan, On Stage Los Angeles
"An Octoroon is one of the most engrossing, confounding, and outrageous plays I have ever seen. It is extraordinary in so many ways. It challenges an audience to look at the past and squirm... It is unnerving to see Rob Nagle as an alcoholic Indian chief. The show commands an audience to look at the past through comedy and pathos. Brecht would be proud!" Paul Myrvold, Theatre Notes
"Under Judith Moreland’s endlessly imaginative direction, the entire cast soars, from Hancock’s magnificently magnetic star turn in multiple roles to the always commanding Nagle’s droll trio of characters..." Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
"Rob Nagle Brings his considerable skills to play Dion / Wahnotee / Lafouche. Rob also does a dance number that could be a show stopper." Peter Finlayson, Footlights
"...the inaugural use of the outdoor stage added a level of theatricality to the story. Nagle smartly incorporated alarms into the world. The trick was knowing when the nod to the outside amplified the story or brought us back to 2021." Steven Vargas, Ampersand
UNRAVELLED
"With equal parts tenderness, hurt feelings and exasperation (a mixture Nagle excels at conveying), Robert reminds Anne that she’s not an artist; her mediocre portraits of strawberries don’t justify the forfeiture of her income." Margaret Gray, Los Angeles Times
“Lucy Davenport and Rob Nagle play the wife and husband with finesse, gracefully luring the audience into the tragic effect of this disease on their marriage.” Irish Independent
“One of the most fascinating plays of the Zoom era… Nagle stands out among the cast, representing a kind of everyperson suddenly having to face a difficult, unexpected situation that he can’t control; he’s the character the audience can most identify with. The power of the play… lies in how it develops organically, like a work of art or, sadly, an untreatable disease.” Mark Rifkin, This Week in New York
“EXTRAORDINARY. The cast is superb, the script important, and, for this critic, the most satisfying piece of theatre he has seen in very nearly a year. Impeccably produced and performed.” Paul Myrvold, Theatre Notes
"Nagle is sympathetic and moving as Robert, who can only watch as Anne is inexorably pulled away from him. He does a strong job of showing the difficulties of being the partner responsible for the care of a loved one with a serious degenerative condition, of continuing to love someone when you can’t tell if they’re even 'there' anymore... REMARKABLE… erudite, emotional and often genuinely funny… easily one of the best and most thought-provoking plays of the past year." Terry Morgan, Arts Beat LA
“A daring and dynamic visual delight ... an invigorating piece … Davenport, Nagle and Marks deliver pitch-perfect work, allowing the viewer to shed copious amounts of tears, knowing that those who create and maintain art must be recognized as valuable human beings.” Dale Reynolds, Stage and Cinema
“Davenport and Nagle are superb as they develop their marriage relationship. Nagle’s skill at providing a believable spouse with equal amounts of frustration and compassion enhances Broder’s vision for his characters.” Melinda Schupmann, Showmag
DESERVING POWER
“As sinister, self-help guru Aleister Thomas, Rob Nagle commands the experience, intricately weaving between scripted and improvised dialogue. His Thomas is charming, convincing, and almost made me a believer; it’s clear why he’s leading the seminar.” Lacey Pawlowicz, Haunting.net
NIXON ON NIXON
"Another Tour de Force From Rob Nagle... This one-man show would work just as amazingly live and onstage as it does viewed online with the incredible, incredible Rob Nagle as Richard Nixon… Nagle simply captivates with his Nixon vocal mannerisms down pat, seamlessly limning Sean Waldron's fictionalized drunken evening… Nagle portrays Nixon as actually sympathetic and charming (almost)… Check it out to see the latest of the many diverse and varied characters Rob Nagle has inhabited and mastered." Gil Kaan, Broadway World
“…thanks to Rob Nagle’s brilliant performance as a man losing his grip on reality, the play took on a very surreal aspect to me since I vividly remember when Nixon resigned… While adopting Nixon’s trademark speech patterns to perfection during his 75-minute monologue, Nagle takes us inside Nixon’s psyche… Nagle brings heart and sensitivity to a man that always appeared cold and narcissistic, revealing his dependence on alcohol and pills as depression invades his soul, taking Nixon to the brink of suicide with a hand gun.” Shari Barrett, Culver City News
"I don't like watching anything on my computer. How could a streaming show replace the magic of anything I see in a theater - actors having one shot to get it right and craft performances that will leave me talking in the car on the way home. No special effects, clever edits or manipulative music. How could anything on my computer be theater? I was wrong. Last night, I was spellbound watching Rob Nagle’s brilliant performance as Richard Nixon in The Blank Theater's incredible production of Nixon on Nixon… I found myself moved to tears a few times. The performance, the script and the intimacy of it were all things I expect to find in a theater… Can't recommend enough. Especially if you need an example of how to do theater online..." Vanessa Stewart
"Theatre artists everywhere are hard hit by this Pandemic. Many are forging ahead, finding new ways to bring art to people using new technologies and techniques. I am so freakin' bowled over by Rob Nagle’s performance as Nixon… I'm so glad I watched this, not really knowing what to expect. Congratulations to everyone who worked on this. Bravo." Alisa Tangredi
HUMAN INTEREST STORY
"...But it is Rob Nagle as the intrepid, if rather morally corrupt reporter Andy Kramer... who commands the stage from start to finish, assisted by his height and distinctive voice as well as his remarkable ability to completely infuse his being into the heart and soul of his character." Shari Barrett, Broadway World
"Nagle, one of the most consistently great actors in L.A. theatre..." Terry Morgan, Stage Raw
"The always brilliant Nagle is honest and touching as Andy but, if there’s a big catharsis in the confrontation of his character’s 'truths,' it isn’t quite there yet—in the writing, that is, not in how thoroughly the actor has mined what he can with what the script offers him." Travis Michael Holder, TicketHoldersLA
"...the popular columnist Andy Kramer, forcefully portrayed by Rob Nagle..." Cynthia Citron, Santa Monica Daily Press
"Andy is played by Rob Nagle, who delivers solid work in a different new play just about every three months, or so it seems." Don Shirley, LA Observed
"...the wonderful actor Rob Nagle... is obliged to convey a variety of competing motives and traits from scene to scene." Margaret Gray, Los Angeles Times
“Rob Nagle... gives a truly powerful performance that is layered and nuanced which in my mind eclipses other performances I have seen of his.“ Ellyn Stern
APPLE SEASON
"...the sparse explosive scenes really make their mark with the experienced acting chops of Rob Nagle... Nagle totally inhabits Billy, the neighboring farmer to the Fogerty's apple orchard... As he's done with the wide range of roles I've seen, Nagle packs this role of Billy with all the contrasting emotions of a three-dimensional person - this time, a thinking, doubting, insecure, moral citizen of the farmland." Gil Kaan, BroadwayWorld
"As always — and I defy any Los Angeles reviewer ever start a critique of this particular actor without beginning the first sentence with “as always” — Rob Nagle is exceptional in what could be a completely servile role, infusing his sheepish nebbish in an omnipresent John Deere ballcap with more raw emotion between his lines than when Billy gracelessly blurts out his feelings and the conflicted memories he shares with Lissie." Travis Michael Holder, TicketHoldersLA
"Darin Anthony directs three superb actors, beginning with the always extraordinary Nagle, following The Little Fox’s despicably despotic Oscar Hubbard, The Judas Kiss’s hearbreakingly broken Oscar Wilde, and Sucker Punch’s feisty South London boxing trainer Charlie Maggs, with yet another hundred-eighty-degree turn as salt-of-the-earth-personified Billy." Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
"...director Darin Anthony helms a three-person cast that features the redoubtable Rob Nagle as Billy Rizz, a former basketball star, now a reclusive farmer who comes to make an offer on the Apple Orchard next door after the patriarch passes on." Leigh Kennicott, Showmag
"...director Darin Anthony’s carefully-calibrated actors turn in solid performances, all three being gifted at their craft. The heat between Nagle and Fernandez is palpable and Huen is properly off-the-rails." Dale Reynolds, Hollywood Revealed
SUCKER PUNCH
"Rob Nagle effortlessly inhabits his role of the seemingly in-command Charlie. Nagle's Charlie doesn't just bust his fighters' balls, Nagle wears Charlie's desperateness on his sleeve, not always successfully hiding it as he thinks." Gil Kaan, Broadway World
“Nagle’s performance is so piercingly right-on, and his accent so meticulous, and his drunk scene so convincing, that at times I swore the play is about Charlie (in some ways I think it is, as he represents the old world trying to keep up with the new)." Tony Frankel, Stage and Cinema
"...Rob Nagle, superb... is once again brilliant as all get-out..." Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
"Rob Nagle is fantastic as Charlie, a man who only wants the best for himself and his daughter. But, Charlie has issues... His performance is terrific." Joe Straw, Joe Straw #9
"Nagle’s performance is the most solid... an unsurprising fact considering the theater veteran’s long list of credits... However, even his steady cadence and sympathetic portrayal of a man about to lose his last chance at making a name for himself within the sport isn’t able to balance the shakier performances in the play." Lara J. Altunian, Stage Raw
JULIUS WEEZER
"Troubie favorites Matt Walker, Beth Kennedy, Rick Batalla and Rob Nagle can make anything funny. They might also convince you that a pun isn’t just a pun when it comes to comparative literature..." Margaret Gray, Los Angeles Times
"The production is greatly enriched by the appearance of LA’s resident intimate theatre god Rob Nagle as a Brutus who, in his too-short toga and Prince Valiant wig, might just be the long-sought secret lovechild of Moe and Curly of The Three Stooges... It was amazing to hear some of the original play’s more infamous 420-year-old speeches, especially when delivered by actors such as Nagle, who is uncannily able to switch between comedic and dramatic delivery on a dime..." Travis Michael Holder, TicketHoldersLA
"...But the play, as written, belongs to Brutus (splendid Rob Nagle), the noblest Roman of them all." Paul Myrvold, Theatre Notes
“Rob Nagle's excellent Brutus... It's inspiring to watch Nagle move through the serious role while dressed in an above-the-knee tunic and mop top wig, purposely plopped on top of his head like the fifth Beatle, without batting an eye.“ Ellen Dostal, Broadway World
"Nagle is great as the dignified Brutus, in a balanced performance that juxtaposes deep dramatic acting with the abrupt humping of a fellow actor’s head (which seems like a consummate Troubie combo)." Terry Morgan, Stage Raw
"Rob Nagle hews to Shakespearean high standards as Brutus." Leigh Kennicott, ShowMag
THE JUDAS KISS
"...breathtakingly brilliant… the incredible Nagle is at his best as Wilde… As the crushed man desperately tries to appear brave and dispassionate, the actor playing him must still successfully land a continuous barrage of thrown-away Wildean bon mots, which Nagle utters with a dry comic timing so perfect it would amaze Chaplin himself… The character pontificates throughout the play about life, love, honor, courage, trust—and the courage to trust—with the entire audience privy to the tragic facts about his impending doom. Only an actor as smooth and honest as Nagle could possibly pull this off; in lesser hands, the entire production would fall flat… Nagle’s uncanny ability to assay both stoicism and despair at the same time… an actor as gifted, as magical, as absolutely perfect and heartbreaking as LA treasure Rob Nagle… I was mesmerized by his golden, gossamer portrayal of poor Oscar… His is a performance I will never forget.” Travis Michael Holder, TicketHoldersLA
"Expect too to be talking about the prodigiously gifted Nagle’s career-redefining Oscar… A half-dozen recent lead roles may have scored Nagle a pair of L.A. Stage Star Of The Year Scenies, but no previous performance will prepare admirers for his remarkable transformation, both physical and emotional, into Oscar Wilde in all his grandeur, his vulnerability, his recklessness, his compassion, and his heart." Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
"As Wilde, Nagle is superb, in a performance filled with subtlety, dry wit and emotion that cannot quite be restrained. He’s great at portraying small, human details (how Wilde is more moved to tip the hotel staff than to think about self-preservation), and equally strong in big, passionate speeches, as when he defends his right to make what seems a disastrously bad decision. I’ve enjoyed Nagle’s work for years now, and was amazed to realize that, at some point in this production, I was no longer seeing this actor at all but only seeing Wilde. It’s a terrific portrayal, and one of Nagle’s best." Terry Morgan, Stage Raw
"There is remarkable beauty in the writing of their scenes and in the playing of them by Nagle and Bates... Nagle is a revelation as Wilde, perhaps giving a career-defining performance even though he still has a long career ahead of him. His Wilde easily spits out the witticisms but it is in his quieter moments that the tragedy of his life becomes shatteringly real. It’s a marvelous portrait of a genius ruined by his baser appetites and his love of beauty." Rob Stevens, Haines His Way
"...when Wilde speaks it’s eloquent, thought-provoking, (and) riveting..." Carol Edger Germain, ColoradoBoulevard.net
"Director Michael Michetti knows this world and guides his talented cast in the kind of elegantly detailed work which would, no doubt, please Wilde himself. Michetti is also well aware of the script’s major challenge, a main character who seems indifferent to any kind of progression. That is where the skill and dexterity of a performer like Rob Nagle makes all the difference in the world. He inhabits Oscar with the kind of conviction that makes every moment telling. Whether showing the hero or the coward, the lover or the artist, Nagle is effortlessly convincing. He spends 90% of the second act in a chair, but his bon mot crackle, his arguments nearly pierce Bosie’s self-absorption, and his performance is so dynamic that the character’s physical and mental immobility is immaterial." Michael Van Duzer, Showmag.com
"Chameleon Rob Nagle has once again transformed himself into another fully-fleshed out characterization (CHURCH & STATE's Charlie Whitmore, IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE's Freddie Filmore, THE LITTLE FOXES' Oscar Hubbard, to name a few past roles). Nagle's Oscar Wilde, as expected, spouts endless bon mots of wisdom and insight. What's pleasantly surprising (besides Nagle's nimble command of the word-heavy monologues / dialogues of Oscar) is Nagle's fresh interpretation of Oscar as a person with much warmth, deep humanity and internal strength. Nagle COMMANDS the stage every second he's on it. Bravo, Mr. Nagle!" Gil Kaan, BroadwayWorld
"...director Michael Michetti, whose most valuable asset is Rob Nagle, the splendid actor chosen to play the tragic central role. Nagle, in every respect and in every scene, is a taut and anguished, intelligent yet flawed and ultimately self-destructing Oscar Wilde." Sylvie Drake, Cultural Weekly
"...the one thing truly bold about Michael Michetti’s... direction is the casting of Rob Nagle as Wilde, considering Nagle was not born to play Wilde. Comedy was his forte many years ago, but recent turns with drama (and boy oh boy is Wilde ever dramatic in this play) have shown that Nagle is consistently growing. This is his magnum opus. More than ever, Nagle is performing de profundis, offering breathtaking emotionality." Tony Frankel, Stage and Cinema
"...in a fabulous, performance... Nagle’s highly nuanced, immersive, tour de force performance including gestures, pacing, and his modulated vocal delivery, are gems in their own right and worth the price of admission alone... as talented as this cast is, the evening belongs to Rob Nagle as Oscar Wilde. His astonishing performance is a true star turn worthy and of the great Noel Coward’s comment about talent. One has to have “star quality” to make it in this business. Nagle’s stamina is stunning in its execution... delivering an actor master class on how to hold an audience in his thrall." Jack Lyons, Desert Local News
"The problem of this production — if it can be said to be a problem — is that Nagle gives such a towering performance that he threatens to dwarf all those in his orbit. A fixture on local stages, Nagle is known for thoughtful portrayals — but seems like the role he was born to play. Full of bluster, bravado and pathos, his Wilde is nature’s gentleman and fortune’s fool, putting his authentic self on display in defiance of his time. In a performance not to be missed, Nagle shows us the internalized anguish behind Wilde’s deceptive passivity — the thwarted brilliance and loss behind his valiant savoir-faire." F. Kathleen Foley, Los Angeles Times
"At the center of the play is the larger than life raconteur, lecturer, playwright and poet Oscar Wilde, embodied in the often astonishing performance by Rob Nagle... the Lord Alfred “Bosie” Douglas of Colin Bates... manages to stay right in step with the grandiosity of Nagle’s accomplishment..." Bill Reese, Table to Stage
"With Nagle in the role of Wilde, praise reaches its pinnacle. One of the thorniest challenges an actor can face is in taking on the role of a historical figure who has undergone a multitude of interpretations at the hands of others is to succeed in making it their own. Nagle surmounts this apparent Everest of difficulties, and does so seemingly in a single bound." Ernest Kearney, TheTVolution
"Rob Nagle‘s uncanny portrayal of the iconoclastic Irish playwright is definitive." Barlo Perry, PARISLA
"... a powerhouse performance. Rob Nagle shines... Nagle’s performance as the larger-than-life poet and playwright is riveting. In portraying the depths of this romantic individualist and tragic victim, Nagle navigates a dizzying symphony of emotions and decisions, never losing his scintillating wit. Hare’s text is full of lines that make you snort with laughter or laugh outright, yet Nagle never lets you forget the heartbreaking drama that simmers beneath his ripostes... The breadth and depth of Nagle’s towering and sensitive performance is astonishing." Pauline Adamek, ArtsBeatLA
“...But it was the sincerity and depth of humanity which Rob Nagle brought to the role of Wilde that served as the most memorable feature of a rather forgettable show.” Ernest Kearney, Tvolution (Best Theatre of the Year)
“You invite and allow the audience to see you (and thus Wilde) from every angle. Rather than wrapping the character around you, you strip yourself and show us Wilde inside of you. It is a profound lesson in the simplicity of great acting.” Justin Okin, actor & producer
"Rob Nagle is giving one of the best performances I have ever seen on stage - don't miss it." John Perrin Flynn, producer & artistic director
"...bearing witness to the sort of portrayal of Oscar Wilde that embodies an honesty so stunning it's as if i met the man himself." Betsy Zajko, actor, producer & director
“I have enjoyed Rob Nagle in pretty much every play I’ve seen him in, but this time he has outdone himself. His performance in The Judas Kiss at the Boston Court theatre in Pasadena is a revelation. As Oscar Wilde, he has turned himself into a master of nuance and irony, you simply hang onto his every word. His voice (and excellent ‘Oxbridge’ accent) is mellifluous and resonant, yet he doesn’t flaunt it; or play it like an instrument; he lives in it. David Hare’s excellent script paves the way for Rob to give us a character who is witty, wounded, blazingly intelligent, truculent, vulnerable, deeply in love and yet achingly aware of impending betrayal. You simply cannot take your eyes off of him. Los Angeles doesn’t know how lucky it is to have an actor of his caliber on the theatrical scene. Bravo, Rob!” Catherine Butterfield, playwright & actor
"When will the rest of the country discover the national treasure that is Rob Nagle? One of the finest actors it has even been my honor to work with." Dakin Matthews, actor & dramaturg
"As I sat there in the dark a thought occurred to me. This IS Oscar Wilde. This is not acting, this is something else, something magical. An alchemy of two souls separated by more than a century.I began to experience being in the presents of Oscar Wilde himself. It was thrilling. To be in a room with this Titan of humanity and I understood why the world could not get enough of him until they could... You lived him.... and he lived you. An astonishing achievement. One I will never forget." Freddy Douglas, actor
IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE
"Still, the most amazing turn of the evening is LA treasure Rob Nagle, narrating the tale and also playing the mean-assed Mr. Potter and every dang one of Bedford Falls wildly eclectic townspeople, switching with lightning speed from one persona to another in conversations that could be taped and studied as perfect examples of Dissociative Personality Disorder... Nagle admitted after the show he’s never done voiceover work professionally although he’s tried to break into that field for years. Note to all LA voiceover casting directors: get your asses down to Pasadena Playhouse before the 23rd, ‘cuzz Nagle makes an auspicious debut in your field that’ll have you whipping out contracts on the spot." Travis Michael Holder, TicketHoldersLA
"The cast is wonderful and is the main reason to see the show. The phenomenally talented group includes Rob Nagle as Freddie Filmore, host of radio station WBFR in Manhattan, and playing a myriad of roles within the story including Uncle Billy Bailey and notorious Mr. Potter." Don Grigward, BroadwayWorld
"Rob Nagle anchors the show not only as the radio announcer but a myriad of characters, including the irascible Mr. Potter." Alisa Hayashida, South Pasadenan
"Haneefah Wood... is exquisite in all of the other female roles while Rob Nagle (Co-Artistic Director of the Antaeus Theatre Company) does narrator, the wretched Mr. Potter and daft Uncle Billy with equal aplomb and bring giggles as the Bailey’s younger boy." E.M. Fredric, The Hollywood Times
"Rob Nagle and Ryun Yu voice all the male roles—I repeat all—(outside of Simon’s “George,”) with gusto and definition. And in addition, Rob masterfully plays the host of the fictional radio program that’s presenting this production." Karen Salkin, It's Not About Me
"...it is Nagle as both the main narrator and the tyrannical Potter who runs away with the show; this actor uses his sonorous voice to excellent effect, whether he’s simply recounting the story or, as the mean banker, growling at underlings with ill-tempered panache." Terry Morgan, Stage Raw
THE LITTLE FOXES
“Nagle and McShane are delightfully conniving as the wicked brothers.” Erin Conley, On Stage & Screen
“Another scene of comic gold involved the conspiratory double-talking of the commanding Rob Nagle as the ambitious Oscar Hubbard…” Gil Kaan, BroadwayWorld
"Since the war, the Hubbards have made enough money — unethically — to act like aristocrats, but as McShane and Nagle vibrantly convey, they’re thugs... Nagle’s Oscar is both crueler than Ben and worse at hiding it. Judging by the ham-handed con jobs he works up with his silly, spoiled son, Leo... he’s also not nearly as smart." Margaret Gray, Los Angeles Times
“Mike McShane and Rob Nagle are wonderfully subtle playing Ben and Oscar. As with the acknowledgment of Regina’s charm, director and actors recognize that to have successfully done as well as they have, neither character could be disagreeable all the time. The vestige of the Oscar that made Birdie believe he loved her is there.” Samuel Garza Bernstein , Stage & Cinema
“Nagle hits just the right note as Oscar, skillfully transmitting the man’s greed, crudeness, cruelty and deep- seated sense of inferiority. His multi-layered performance suggests a concealed cowardice that’s masked by his bullying whoever might be a convenient target.” Iris Mann, Stage Raw
"LA theatrical royalty Deborah Puette leads the Hubbard pack as Regina (and) brings... a less concealed coldness and nastiness that makes the character even more frightening than ever. As her equally ruthless brother Oscar, Rob Nagle, who is quickly becoming the go-to resident Simon Lagree for any play produced in LA over the last few years, is once again so delightfully creepy he could almost twirl a handlebar moustache and get away with it, while Mike McShane holds his own splendidly working against the formidable Puette and Nagle as the third Hubbard sibling Ben. As this horrific triumvirate, each of whom would bury anybody in their path while careening forward on their breakneck quest for wealth, these three powerful actors should win one special collective award for performance, bouncing off one another with a palpable electricity and a creative bravery seldom seen even when assaying the senior members of the Hubbard clan." Travis Michael Holder, TicketHoldersLA
"...Nagle excels as the manipulative Oscar." Terry Morgan, Talkin' Broadway
"Cameron Watson has directed the piece as if it were a malevolent concert, with each actor getting at least one solo spot to shine, and these actors don’t misplay a moment in the spotlight... Nagle is blustering, peevish and violent." Rob Stevens, Haines His Way
"Impressive performances throughout by the entire cast most notably by Rob Nagle as Oscar Hubbard and Jocelyn Towne as wife Birdie Hubbard, whose fermented hatred and cynicism for one another foam as each respectively triumphs and falls." Tracey Paleo, Gia On The Move
“Rob Nagle as, Oscar, the middle brother of the Hubbard Clan, often short-changed with his share (and with life) can show both childish manipulation and boyish charm within one look. We can see how he got Birdie (played with beautiful elegance and hopeful sorrow by Jocelyn Towne) to marry him in the first place.“ Jeanette Farr-Harkins
"The performance is true and on point. Especially effective are the scheming brothers Oscar (Rob Nagle) and Ben Hubbard (Mike McShane)..." People's World, Eric A. Gordon
FOREVER BOUND
“Nagle, a staple of the L.A. theater scene who seems constitutionally incapable of ever rendering a bad performance, is mesmerizing as the villain.“ Deborah Klugman, LA Weekly
“Nagle is powerful and memorable as Thomas, and steals the limelight with the intensity and skill of his acting.” Terry Morgan, Stage Raw
"Nagle as the villain, takes over the entire stage with such power and absolute stillness that the psyche of the character is perceptually normalized to a frightening degree." Tracey Paleo, Gia On The Move
“Nagle is terrific in his scenes with Goss. He brings humor and humanity to a role that could be played as a cartoon in the wrong hands.” Samuel Garza Bernstein, Stage and Cinema
"Nagle commands the stage in the perfect follow-up role to last year’s fearless and formidable Unclemike in Sharr White’s Stupid Kid." Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
“…played with much gravitas… Nagle's most convincing in his explanations for his actions and in his declarations of love.” Gil Kaan, Broadway World
"Thomas, played by Rob Nagle rounds out the cast with a coolly controlled energy that enhances the piece." Terry Kate, Discover Hollywood Magazine
"As Thomas, well… without giving too much away, let me just say that Nagle even surpasses his several previous turns playing some of the creepiest Hannibal Lector-clone villains to ever step before an audience. In one scene and with his character at a considerable physical disadvantage, Nagle’s subtle eyerolls and quietly amused facial expressions as the Laurel and Hardy of criminals try to solidify their plans, are perfection." Travis Michael Holder, TicketHoldersLA
"Nagle chills as a pedophilic pedant skilled in the art of self-justification." F. Kathleen Foley, Los Angeles Times
"...precise and sonorous Rob Nagle..." Michael Sheehan, On Stage Los Angeles
"...knockout performances by fantastic actors... Rob Nagle, as that tweedy professor type, pushes right up to the edge of stereotype without descending into it." Anthony Byrnes, Opening the Curtain
THE HOTHOUSE
"The insinuating Lush, as played to perfection by Mr. Nagle, stands in contrast to the others with a louche sloppiness as he liquors himself up." Paul Myrvold, Theatre Notes
"Indeed, Pinter serves up so much food for thought that even without two extraordinary casts (completed by Adrian LaTourelle and Rob Nagle as the insubordination-prone Lush), to pick from, The Hothouse is worth, indeed almost demands, a repeat visit." Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
"Lush (Rob Nagle), a man who enjoys listening to himself speak almost as much as he enjoys his whiskey, uses amiable charm to wheedle his way into Roote's graces." Sharon Perlmutter, Talkin' Broadway
"...Rob Nagle wins some of the best laughs in the show as the not-quite-exemplary employee, Lush." Michael Van Duzer, Showmag
"...horrifyingly so with Rob Nagle (Lush) and Paul Eiding (Tubb) rounding some of the most hilarious whatabouts in the play." Tracey Paleo, Gia On The Move
"The main occupation of Lush (a finely tuned comic performance by Rob Nagle) seems to be imbibing Roote’s liquor as the two get sloshingly drunk." Rob Stevens, Haines His Way
STUPID KID
"...and while every player was superb I give a special nod to Rob Nagle as Unclemike, the kind of man you will love to hate." Ron Irwin, Los Angeles Post-Examiner
"...a DESPICABLY DELICIOUS Rob Nagle..." Pat Taylor, Tolucan Times
"To this already potent mix, White adds a menacing uncle (Rob Nagle)... All good-ol’-boy friendliness on the outside, he is chillingly sadistic just underneath." Daryl H. Miller, Los Angeles Times
"Special mentions go out to Rob Nagle who played Unclemike with delicious villainy..." Javier Ronceros, NoHoArtsDistrict.com
"Nagle steals the show with his ferocious performance as Unclemike — one of the most evil characters I’ve ever seen on stage. It’s said that villains are more enjoyable to play than heroes, and Nagle is having a ball here, as he commands the proscenium with funny and frightening brilliance." Terry Morgan, Stage Raw
"As usual, Nagle is one of those actors it’s hard to take one’s eyes off of, if you’ll excuse the intentionally bad but emphatic grammar. He steals the show in his every scene, his monstrous, oily, physically imposing Unclemike so goddam creepy I asked the actor after the show if he was having any trouble sleeping while playing this role. The fact that he said no with a wide Unclemike grin, relating that he’s been sleeping like a baby these days, may make me a little more apprehensive when greeting the guy at any future point in time, even if he is madly in love with a beloved ancient pug named Roosevelt." Travis Michael Holder, TicketHoldersLA
"Last but definitely not least, a sensational Nagle is both fearless and formidable as a good ol’ boy hulk with whom you do not under any circumstance wish to tangle." Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
"They say the body knows when danger is near. That if you pay attention, you will know when evil is closeby. I paid attention. I knew. The evil at large tonight was in the persona of... Rob Nagle! Never have I seen a more chilling villain. But all the smiles, the charm, the good deeds could not conceal the black soul that ... I spent this evening with. He made Richard III seem like Mr. Rogers. If you can take it, see his portrayal of Unclemike. It’s hard to watch but a must see, once in a decade, performance by an actor of enormous gifts." Millee Taggart Ratcliffe, writer
"Nagle was riveting and absolutely amazing... I was sitting near the back of the theater and his power and menace made the rails vibrate. Every second on stage, (he) radiated threat, power, control and dominance… It was a really phenomenal performance and definitely one of the best I have seen in 2017." Ladd R. Sullivan, playwright
"Nagle is a big man, and his Unclemike moves and speaks with the assurance of a guy who is accustomed to successfully gaming the system. As charismatic as this actor can be, his character is utterly repulsive, something of a dramatic straw man in a play that underlines its socially conscious agenda." Evan Henerson, CurtainUp
CHURCH & STATE
"Seventy-eight minutes isn’t a lot of time to build three characters and one big idea. Williams manages that with a disarming trick. He writes an unlikely hero, then someone casts a remarkable actor, Rob Nagle, who makes him breathe. Nagle (the senator) is unerringly genuine. He has a gift for the seemingly interrupted aside, for the pregnant pause, and for the endearing peek at the boy-in-the-man he offers up. The play is built around the Paul-on-the-ol’-Damascus-road epiphany, but it would only have consequence with a consequential actor in the part. It’s Nagle’s play." Kathleen Campion, The Front Row Center
"Rob Nagle is the candidate you wish existed, but is also realistic as the man whose crisis of morality is haunting him... We see the ethical dilemma etched all over Nagle’s face and then see his strength to stand up and speak from the heart." Suzanna Bowling, Times Square Chronicles
"...from the moment he enters the play... There was something – an alertness, a mischievous eye gleam, the totally reassuring ease of a natural stage animal – which made me pay attention." David Noh, Gay City News
"Rob Nagle is excellent as the conflicted senator. He’s sincere and convincing (I was ready to give him my vote)." Elyse Trevers, Long Island Herald
"It is a mid-life crisis on steroids and Rob Nagle portrays the Senator’s dilemma with extraordinary authenticity and strength. Mr. Nagle’s bravura performance is the fulcrum of Jason Odell Williams’s engaging play. Although the themes of Mr. Williams’s play are not unfamiliar, recognizing the sanctity of truth over conventional wisdom is given renewed importance by this actor’s craft." David Roberts, Theatre Reviews Limited
"Nagle, as Senator Whitmore, inhabits his role like a second skin. He has his Southern accent down pat and portrays his political character with convincing psychological angst." Deirdre Donovan, CurtainUp
"Rob Nagle turns in a fine performance as the conflicted Senator, drawn with humor, psychological insight, and emotional depth, and delivered with three-dimensional range and nuance. He is both funny and sensitive as the development of his character demands, transitioning from flagrant evasions and silly trivialities... (to) sincere realization..." Deb Miller, DC Metro Theater Arts
"Nagle gives the play ballast by making Whitmore believably sincere and emotionally vulnerable; his big, emotional speech about guns is especially well handled." Samuel L. Leiter, The Broadway Blog
"As Whitmore, Rob Nagle suggests a more affable, thoughtful Mike Huckabee; he is slyly amusing when cowering, ever so slightly, in front of Sara and Alex, and later is genuinely rousing when delivering the great give-'em-hell speech of his career." David Barbour, Lighting and Sound America
"The four cast members are stellar. Rob Nagle is ideal as the somewhat bewildered and virtuous politician, as he questions his faith and tries to do the right thing." Miles Marter, ZEALnyc
"Nagle has Whitmore down to a tee, both the annoying grandstanding of the Mitch McConnells of the world and the deeper introspection of this unique individual." Marc Miller, TheaterScene.com
"...the husband and wife political team are expertly played by Rob Nagle as Senator Charles Whitmore and Nadia Bowers as his very southern sassy wife, Sara. They debate and fight their way through the belief systems that have helped form their marriage and create the foundations of their political successes. Lovingly connected, these two really pay attention to the other even when they can’t believe what is coming out of their partner’s mouth. They listen to each other’s different opinions in a way that really draws us into the Senator’s dilemma because it is as authentic as it can get." Steven Ross, Front Mezz Junkies
"...Nagle has the suavity of the long term politician and the naiveté of the downhome local boy who has made good. His interaction with his women as he reveals small pieces of the situation he has gotten himself into is very amusing." Victor Gluck, TheaterScene.net
"The cast is superb, especially the outstanding Rob Nagle as the conflicted senator who changes his position on gun control after a shooting in his children’s school." Cheryl Benton, The Three Tomatoes
"Taking on the pivotal role of Senator Whitmore, Rob Nagle took the exuberance of the character and managed to bring out honesty and sincerity when it mattered. He stood firmly to his beliefs and helped to prove that anybody with a heart can change." Michael Black, Theatre in the Now
PLEASE DON'T ASK ABOUT BECKET
"...LA theater royalty Deborah Puette and Rob Nagle... appear as the twins’ parents... Graf’s characters... are tenderly conjured and arrestingly brought to life by these incredibly gifted actors led by the vision of a truly innovative director." Travis Michael Holder, Arts in LA
"...the performers are gripping, particularly Nagle as a self-made man whose own past regrets mire him in inaction." F. Kathleen Foley, Los Angeles Times
"The parents Rob and Grace are perfectly portrayed by Rob Nagle and Deborah Puette... Their emotional descent as Becket's world falls apart will tear at your heartstrings." Shari Barrett, Broadway World
"In his fourth major role in just the past ten months, Nagle once again proves himself one of our best and most versatile acting chameleons as a Hollywood power-broker at his wits’ end where family is concerned." Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
"Nagle and Puette are professionals to the core and their two characters are never overplayed in their need for sympathy. Nor are they so emotionally strung out that they are paralyzed in their parenting." Dale Reynolds, Edge Los Angeles
"...Nagle, as Rob, shows powerful vulnerability as a father desperately trying to do the right thing by his son..." Kelly Hartog, Westside Today
"Nagle and Puette offer fine support by avoiding the clichés of the over-protective parent." Rob Stevens, Haines His Way
"Nagle shines as their dad, a Hollywood exec, particularly in a scene where he bonds with Emily over his inability to help his son." Terry Morgan, Stage Raw
"Their father (the always excellent Rob Nagle) is the head of a movie studio or something..." Cynthia Citron, Santa Monica Daily Press
"Rob Nagle plays the studio executive father with heart-breaking reality." Patricia Foster Rye, Larchmont Chronicle
"Actor Rob Nagle is exceptional. Nagle has developed a very subtle and highly nuanced character in Rob." Tracey Paleo, Gia On The Move
"Nagle was a standout as their father, blinded by his own pride and need to keep up appearances to the point where he will stop at nothing to make things 'right.'" Erin Conley, On Stage And Screen
CHURCH & STATE
"At his splendid best... Nagle’s portrait of a good ol’ southern boy, including his nuanced relationship with his wife, truly is flawless, and sweeps us to a stirring catharsis." Deborah Klugman, Stage Raw
"The performers, particularly the regularly excellent Nagle, are simply superb..." F. Kathleen Foley, Los Angeles Times
"Rob Nagle gives a stellar turn as Charlie Whitmore, a first-term Republican senator from North Carolina of the pro-gun, tax-cutting and Bible-thumping mold..." Bill Raden, LA Weekly
"Nagle takes our breath way as Charlie... As his emotional state darkens his demeanor and, later, in the delivery of the senator’s impassioned speech about his dilemma and plea for assistance from his constituents to help him get the feet under him again, Nagle is dazzling." Travis Michael Holder, Arts in LA
"Nagle gives yet another career-best performance, convincing us every step of the way in Charlie’s Southern charm, his politician’s charisma, his life-changing crisis of faith, and his absolute sincerity in all of the above." Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
"...a career-enhancing performance by Rob Nagle as Whitmore. Looking nebbishy, with that shit-eating grin Southerners get by with, his about-face is remarkable, realistic as can be, and lively." Dale Reynolds, Edge Los Angeles
"Rob Nagle... held me the entire show. He's funny, he's relatable, he's a true talent on stage." Patrick Chavis, LA Theatre Bites
"...a sensitive and bravura performance by lead actor Rob Nagle..." Morna Murphy Martell, Theatre Spoken Here
"...it is the actors who make this production exquisite. They are the most effective ensemble I’ve seen in quite a while. Especially Rob Nagle, as Senator Whitmore, whose emotionally charged speeches and angry tirades are the very heart of this production." Cynthia Citron, Santa Monica Daily Press
"Rob Nagle, who plays senator Charlie Whitmore, has the southern drawl and confident gait so down pat it feels like he could be Frank Underwood’s nicer, non-homicidal twin. His stage presence is captivating; you’ll find yourself leaning in closer to catch every word he whispers and cringe back in your seat when his impassioned bellow makes an appearance. Nagle’s emotional range is superb and earnest and he makes Whitmore an easy candidate to get behind." Taylor Gates, Starry Constellation Magazine
POCATELLO
"Under John Perrin Flynn’s incisive direction... Nagle’s desperate-to-split Nick, Peterson’s sexy, shaggy bad boy Max, and Paladino’s hard-edged but gentle-hearted Isabelle are all three terrific." Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
"Hunter's play is compelling... with his writing, he has allowed director John Perrin Flynn the ability to make it all alive via casting... His entire cast, especially Elkins, Nagle, Byrd and Taylor make the play easy on the ears and the eyes." Dale Reynolds, Stage Happenings
"Rob Nagle as Eddie’s brother matches this largeness with boiling-over emotions, Pocatello and all it encompasses being a 'hot stove' memory he’d rather keep at a distance." Marc Wheeler, Gia On The Move
THE KILL-OR-DIES
"...the always impressive Nagle, adding professional hit man to his lengthy list of credits and investing the role with unexpected depths." Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
"When Maggie’s irate boyfriend Billy shows up, backed by his large and terrifying henchman Lawrence (Rob Nagle), each of the women has to do some fast-talking to get out of trouble... Nagle negotiates the nuances of his menacing hit man with aplomb." Pauline Adamek, Stage Raw
OF GOOD STOCK
"Nagle’s Fred is the true star of this play by contrasting his flabby, coach-potato physicality with his subtle insight and wisdom, compassion and dry humor... He was a nice supporting player in last year’s 'Rest' and he shows his chops as an excellent lead in 'Stock.'" Peter A. Balaskas, LA Splash Magazine
"Lora understands that Jess desperately needs to cling to her caretaker role as a way to go on; her scenes with Nagle are beautifully layered and filled with unspoken tension... And Nagle brings wisdom and rumpled affability to Fred, a food writer whose years of experience with the warring sisters has taught him how to ride out the rough spots." Paul Hodgins, Orange County Registrar
"Lora and Nagle are two of our most treasured regulars on both regional and 99-seat SoCal stages, and though In Good Stock has them performing opposite each other for the first time, their work here has the truthful ring of a couple with a twenty-five year history. Nagle could not be more delightful in Fred’s irascible moments, nor more powerful when digging deep into the heart of a man facing the possible if not probable loss of a beloved spouse." Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
"Rob Nagle in a winning portrayal..." Ben Miles, StageMag
"Among the men, Rob Nagle as Fred is the most fully developed — an oversized teddy bear whose bulk dwarfs the slender Lora but who manages to convey the deepness of his love." Tom Titus, Daily Pilot
"Melanie Lora and Rob Nagle (as the eldest sister Jess and her husband, Fred) deliver wonderfully nuanced performances that most actors could only envy." Jordan Young, Examiner
"Jess, obviously, hit the jackpot landing a guy like Fred---and the audience is completely on board thanks to some great acting work by Nagle, who does a great job selling his character as the likable EveryMan. At times sweet, at times protective, and at other times a court jester, Nagle's Fred is almost the fantasy version of what someone like Jess needs to survive the day-to-day ailments of life with cancer and, above all, to feel truly loved and supported in every which way." Michael L. Quintos, Broadway World
"The story’s emotional payoff, therefore, hinges on Rob Nagle, an engaging if hammy actor who, especially in the first act, overdoes it a bit. But his fierce commitment to the role, like Fred’s to Jess, ultimately wins us over." Margaret Gray, Los Angeles Times Margaret clearly hadn’t seen much of Rob’s work if she thought THIS performance was hammy.
APPOGGIATURA
"Nagle captures Aunt Chuck's hurt. He's nearly a pill — to even himself — but for such true reasons." Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post
"As Aunt Chuck, Rob Nagle does something even more remarkable – he makes the complexities of grief – the anger, the laughter, the sadness, the bittersweet nature of memory – come vividly to life. Grief is a messy business and intrinsic to its nature are moments of humor – whether it is gallows humor as a coping mechanism or the actual hilarity of past memories with a loved one. Nagle brings a great deal of comedy and pathos to the production with his nuanced depiction of a grieving partner – especially in the second act, you find yourself laughing and crying along with him because the struggle he portrays is both intensely personal and exceedingly relatable. He packs a wallop with his performance and the poignance of his character’s emotional journey had me overcome in the final moments of the play." Maureen Lee Lenker, NeonTommy
"As Aunt Chuck, Rob Nagle portrays the suffering of the recent loss of his partner of nearly 25 years with refreshing underpinnings of well-timed caustic wit." Gregory Thorsen, Boulder Weekly
"...the production plays with the hearts of its audience. The greatest comedy comes at the sake of Aunt Chuck’s (Rob Nagle) frustration -- and poor attempts at speaking Italian..." Jared Quaglieri, The Advocate
COMPLETENESS
"...the ensemble so crisp and so charming... Nagle nails Don’s edgy, guileful essence." Deborah Klugman, Stage Raw
"...Elliot and Molly are both so cerebral that their story would feel a little dry if it weren't tor their assorted other love interests, played with humor and poignancy by Nicole Erb and Rob Nagle... Nagle is especially amusing as Don, Molly’s professor and former lover, whose academic advice is infected by sexual jealousy." Margaret Gray, Los Angeles Times
"Each of these four principal actors... is absolutely pluperfect." Cynthia Citron, Santa Monica Daily Press
"...this mounting is blessed with a quartet of exquisitely multilayered, bittersweet performances that honor and match its author’s tech-swollen dialogue..." Travis Michael Holder, Arts in LA
"Antaeus Company members Erb and Nagle... could not be better as said exes, Erb as the passive-aggressive Lauren... and Nagle as the almost equally complex Don -- both actors doing terrific double duty as well, she as Elliot’s undergraduate student Nell and he as Molly’s fellow grad student Franklin..." Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
ABBAMEMNON
"Perhaps more than any other Troubies spoof, the darker-than-usual ABBAMEMNON offers its cast members the chance to strut their dramatic stuff, and with actors the caliber of Nagle and Walker... classical theater lovers are in for a treat." Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
"This is one of the strongest productions to date with terrific performances... Rob Nagle’s touching dramatic work... it all adds up to a winning production." Ellen Dostal, Broadway World
"Capitalizing... on the troupe’s ability to handle dramatic intensity as nimbly as it does the satirical side of things... (with) Rob Nagle’s acerbically dry Greek Chorus Leader..." Dink O'Neal, Arts in LA
"Maintaining a tightrope balance between grand neoclassicism, sunny '70s kitsch and the company’s inbred topical spontaneity... Walker’s titular King of Malibu... Schneider’s marvelously arch Clytemnestra... Donahoe’s resonant Cassandra and Rob Nagle’s wry Chorus Leader, merge straight-faced declamation to the company’s trademark satirical mayhem." David C. Nichols, Los Angeles Times
REST
"A snow storm approaches a northern Idaho retirement home, a center which has been sold and is soon to be closed down... The skeleton crew staff includes an angsty supervisor Jeremy, a hilariously hyper Rob Nagle..." Peter A. Balaskas, LA Splash Magazine
"Standout work from Cremin, West and Nagle further flesh out the play's preoccupation with what the poet Adrienne Rich once described as 'the rush of purpose to make a life / worth living past abandonment.'" Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times
"The actors... easily take the measure of their roles, with Rob Nagle as a hapless supervisor hilariously 180 degrees removed from his recent Macbeth at Antaeus." Myron Meisel, Hollywood Reporter
"As the painfully inept manager of the rest home, Rob Nagle skillfully underscores his character's inefficiency as he attempts to assert his flagging authority and unveils his more feminine side." Tom Titus, Huntington Beach Independent / Daily Pilot
"Rob Nagle provides comic relief as well as a rounded and humane characterization." Ben Miles, Showmag
"L.A. theater treasures Nagle and West are as splendid as ever, the former vanishing to perfection inside Jeremy’s awkward, uncomfortable skin..." Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
"Nagle also provides much-needed comic relief in a play that, in lesser hands, could have been a major downer." Joel Beers, OC Weekly
"...Nagle finds a way to make a shallow, self-absorbed man the object of our sympathy." Paul Hodgins, Orange County Register
"...the wonderfully nebbishy Rob Nagle... displays impeccable comic timing and nails every awkward pause and exasperated heave to hilarious results (I found myself laughing out loud every single time he cursed for some reason)." Michael L. Quintos, Broadway World
"Jeremy (a very funny Rob Nagle) is the alternately hapless and clueless administrator..." Tom Shelton, Newport Independent
"Nagle, a born scene-stealer, provides comic relief with every line and facial expression." Ingrid Wilmot, WillCall
JAMES JOYCE'S THE DEAD
"Rob Nagle masterfully spearheads the ensemble as narrator-protagonist Gabriel, whose complacency is about to be painfully punctured." F. Kathleen Foley, Los Angeles Times
"A gifted mainstay of the wacky, irreverent, improvisational Troubadour Theater Company plays it straight, and beautifully, in this revival of one of our finest chamber musicals. Gabriel serves as narrator, host, conscience, and ultimately victim in the original Joyce novella, and Rob Nagle embraces each of those roles with conviction and emotional truth." Bob Verini, Critics Pick
"Rob Nagle masterfully dominates the stage and the ensemble... revealing the deepest of his inner thoughts and fears." Gil Kaan, CultureSpotLA
"You also want to sit close to fully appreciate Rob Nagle’s magnificent narration. He has a gift for making you feel like you’re the only person in the room when he speaks to the audience, and his soul-searching honesty reveals a poignant self-awareness of his character’s shortcomings, perplexed by a world that, to him, lacks the respect of days gone by..." Ellen Dostal, Broadway World
"Best of all is Rob Nagle, whose tenures as a staple of Antaeus and Troubadour theater companies didn’t prepare me for the simplicity and sheer rightness of his Gabriel Conroy, who must function as narrator, emcee, party host, and emotional victim before the 90-minute drama is through. Nagle brings nuance and weight to a character that in other hands might be a bland Everyman." Bob Verini, Arts In LA
"Rob Nagle does an excellent job of expressing the hopelessness woven into every word of the story... When he speaks, you want to listen, when he sings you are captivated, and when he hurts you want to comfort him. Bravo to Nagle for breathing life into this character." Michelle Sandoval, Edge Los Angeles
"The journey of the piece belongs to Gabriel... and Nagle charts it with grace and quiet devastation. The final scene in Joyce’s short story offers some of the most gorgeous imagery in 20th-century literature... As Nagle so tenderly delivers them... one feels the weight of time, the ache of love, the chill of the snow and, yes, the pull of the dead." Christopher Cappiello, Frontiers LA
THE LIAR
"A gem... perfect pitch... rhymes and pacing never flag... Cliton (Brilliant Rob Nagle)" Michael Sheehan, On Stage Los Angeles
"The ensemble are all at the highest level of expertise. Standouts include: the ever hilarious Nagle as Cliton..." Don Grigware, Grigware Reviews
COYOTE ON A FENCE
"...the actors – beginning with Rob Nagle as usual – ...exhibiting such high standards, make these characters far more than just theatrical symbols." Dale Reynolds, Stage Happenings
"College-educated John Brennan (Nagle, in a contemplative and wise performance) edits the prison newspaper and writes eloquent obituaries for the men being executed in their penitentiary with alarming frequency and considerable public outcry... (But) Brennan reads us letters he's already written. Even an actor as fine as Nagle can't give that device credence." Steven Leigh Morris, LA Weekly
"Rob Nagle plays John as highly intelligent but not annoyingly so, deeply pained but not weepily so. This character has secrets; and, though Nagle seems to know all of them, he’s not sharing." Dany Margolies, Arts In LA
A MIDSUMMER SATURDAY NIGHT'S FEVER DREAM
"Thisbe is Rob Nagle – much 'More Than a Woman' – who has stolen Miss Piggy’s voice and wrapped it delicately in a shy little milk maid’s basketball-sized bosom. Oh, the things that happen to this poor couple destined to meet at the chink of a wall. Oh, the comedy that ensues when a comedian and a straight man know how to work a scene just right." Ellen Dostal, BroadwayWorld/Musicals in LA
"Two wonderful cross-dressing performances occur in this production — the tall Rob Nagle (also one of the artistic directors of Antaeus Company) as Thisbe and the short Lisa Valenzuela as Starveling. Nagle not only gets some of the funniest sound-effects-aided screams I’ve heard in a Troubie show, but he has also brought his pug dog Roosevelt into the action, as he did last year in Two Gentlemen of Chicago." Don Shirley, LA Stage Times
"Suzanne Jolie Narbonne is wonderful as Hippolyta... as is Rob Nagle in an uproarious turn as Flute." Hoyt Hilsman, Huff Post
"Rob Nagle a dumbfaced Flute so deliciously funny in drag..." Don Grigware, Grigware Reviews
"Without revealing too much, Rob Nagle’s Flute-as-Thisbe is terrifying, archetypal, and may as well be the theater’s answer to the question What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" Ella Martin, Stage and Cinema
"Contributing mightily to the merriment are scene stealing (in a good way) Rick Batalla as Nick Bottom/Pyramus, Beth Kennedy as besotted and beleaguered Helena and Rob Nagle as Flute/Thisbe (priceless as the latter)." Candyce Columbus, Examiner
I LOVE TO EAT
"...actor Rob Nagle fits the gregarious Beard personality to a well-cooked T... that oddball stitching-together of wry New York sophisticate and down-to-earth Westerner, as if he were part Cole Porter and part Zane Grey: Nagle makes Beard as likable and gossipy an evening’s companion as you can imagine... Nagle shows off some impressive chops, sometimes literally: He’s got real knife skills dicing an onion... Nagle has a natural easy charm, and he can play a crowd." Bob Hicks, Oregon Arts Watch
"...Rob Nagle gives an impressive performance, laudable not just for its endurance but for its perfect pitch. Nagle’s delivery of his comedic dialogue, for instance, is spot-on, employing pregnant pauses and arched-eyebrow looks as visual drum stings... when Nagle prepares canapés live, he appears just as in his element as Beard would have been—producing, in addition to delicious-looking hors d’oeuvres, the play’s finest moment... Nagle’s acting is outstanding..." Jonathan Frochtzwajg, Portland Monthly
"...the script, although good, could easily sink, if the Beard role was not in capable hands. In PSC’s case, Mr. Nagle is not only capable but exceeds all expectations! He truly inhabits the role. He has the physical look, the mannerisms and voice and, most of all, portrays the heart and soul of Mr. Beard. He literally has the audience in the palm of his hand, to mold whatever feast he chooses. He plays the quiet moments with as much passion and meaning as the more bombastic ones. I couldn’t imagine this journey without Mr. Nagle at the helm. Or, perhaps to summarize it in Mr. Beard’s own words: 'Goody, Goody!'" Dennis Sparks, Dennis Sparks Reviews
"Nagle brilliantly portrays the larger-than-life iconic figure who elevated cooking to an art form (while keeping it completely accessible) in this one-man show about the legendary chef from Portland... peppered with generous dashes of warmth, honesty, tenderness, passion and beauty, which all come together to fill you up and leave you truly satiated, as if you'd just consumed a wonderful meal presented by the perfect host." Tamara S. Belgard, Sip With Me!
"Rob Nagle absolutely nails his portrayal of Oregon-born icon James Beard... Nagle is not only able to pierce the membrane of a man who popularized the 'American' style of cooking... but he exposes the somewhat lonely soul of a man who not only loved to eat, but laugh, love and LIVE... I could have spent the whole night listening to Nagle channel James Beard and his stories. And isn't that what a good dinner host is supposed to do?" Byron Beck, byronbeck.com
"As Beard, actor Rob Nagle radiates the grace, confidence, wit, and joie de vivre... and director Jessica Kubzansky has helmed a production that feels like an intimate conversation with the gregarious chef." Julie Cortez, PQ Monthly
"...a truly fun, and fabulous, evening with the bombastic James Beard. He is portrayed lovingly by Rob Nagle... The piece is like listening to your flamboyant great-uncle regale you with stories of fantastic experiences, while feverishly multitasking and constantly being interrupted. The pace never lags and Mr. Nagle's warm presence sort of makes you wish the evening didn't have to end." Amanda Valley, Artslandia Magazine
"Ably leading us through with (ahem) relish, is Rob Nagle as Beard, fully embodying these very large shoes, not just in girth, but in Beard’s very wide and full embrace of life. Nagle triumphantly gives voice and body to the vigorous display that was Beard... He delightfully reveals to us, like so many surprise courses in a dinner party, Beard’s many life stories and quirks... There’s even some fun puppetry involved with his TV show sponsor’s iconic trademark character. He also performs a neat trick in the latter part of the performance of continuing to deliver the stories from the script while actually cooking one of Beard’s recipes on stage, for real. Talk about pulling off a culinary hat trick." Faddah Wolf, Portland Stage Reviews
THE BELLFLOWER SESSIONS
"Under Bryan Rasmussen’s direction, the exchanges between ticking time bomb Jack Calvin (the valiant Rob Nagle) and Dr. Wendy Bellflower (an assured Stephanie Erb) carry wild, satiric thrust..." David C. Nichols, Los Angeles Times
"Rob Nagle is fantastic as Jack, and brings us to the pinnacle of total anguish, showing us the torment of loss, and the inability to bring himself out of the darkness." Cathy Wayne, NOHO Arts District
"Under Bryan Rasmussen’s direction, the fabulous Rob Nagle heads the cast as the unemployed, downtrodden Jack, a grown-up, caustic Charlie Brown who sees everyone as the girl who’s about to snatch away the football... Erb’s oh-so-unconventional psychiatrist is a hoot; she and Nagle are a joy to watch navigating some outrageous material." Jennie Webb, Backstage
"...a powerfully focused Rob Nagle..." Pat Taylor, Tolucan Times
"Rob Nagle, the actor who plays lead character Jack, whose rage has taken over his unemployed daily existence, is astounding, perfect, sublime, superb, amazeballs, terrific and awesome." Andrea Kittelson, Examiner
"...an outstanding performance by Rob Nagle... a Shakespearean trained actor who creates such a realistic character that Jack appears to literally snap right in front of our eyes." Annemarie Donkin, Topanga Messenger
"...Nagle’s convincing performance as a troubled man..." George Alexander, Culture Vulture
"...a cast that is mostly exemplary, makes for a fine evening out. Starting with the ever-qualified Rob Nagle..." Dale Reynolds, Stage Happenings
"Rob Nagle is a wonderful actor and he really sinks his teeth into the character of Jack Calvin. Nagle manages to travel the path of his character's total unhinging without once hitting a false note. The character has to go through lots of stages and Nagle is able to capture them all." Robert Machray, StageMage
"The normally funny and intelligent Rob Nagle plays the lackluster lead, John Calvin. It’s unfortunate that director Rasmussen didn’t know what to do with Nagle’s abilities, as the performance remained one-note far too long." Jesse David Corti, Stage and Cinema Hey, wait a minute! That doesn't sound good...
MACBETH
"...Rob Nagle and Tessa Auberjonois heading the cast as the bloody couple. From that heartbreaking opening funeral... the couple’s intensity and depth of feeling for each other is riveting. Mr. Nagle gives the lord a humanity that is by turns appealing and appalling. Ms Auberjonois’ descent into madness is truly effective." Steve Peterson, BroadwayWorld
"Having enjoyed Nagle (one of Antaeus’ new artistic directors) in his camp work with the Troubadour Theater Company, I half-expected him to put on a powdered wig and dance, but eventually his tragic persona convinced me." Margaret Gray, Los Angeles Times
"As Macbeth, the contemporary-feeling Nagle visually recalls Orson Welles, finding black humor within an expanded dynamic range, although this reveals technique as much as character. He works well with Auberjonois, whose double-edged, specific choices as Lady Macbeth exude an affecting humanity within her feverish machinations." David C. Nichols, Backstage
"In the opening scene, both Nagle and Auberjonois brought tears to my eyes with their heart-wrenching, agonizing funeral for their newborn baby. Throughout the rest of the play their range of emotions along their paths to utter destruction and turmoil are brilliantly played." Mickala Jauregui, A Little Night Musing
"Rob Nagle’s full-command of the language and his carefully-used subtlety of humor made his an over-powering performance, full of sound-and-fury, signifying much." Dale Reynolds, Stage Happenings
"In Nagle we see the slow destruction of 'a good man,' much too full of the 'milk of human kindness,' and in Auberjonois a queen torn apart as she watches her husband fall." Robert Machray, StageMage
"Nagle and Noble may not have shared a stage since weeks before, but you’d hardly haveknown it from their impeccably matched work, beginning with that devastating prologue inwhich each expressed the Macbeths’ grief in distinct but equally gut-wrenching ways, thenwent on to paint indelible portraits of power lust gone mad." Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
"Rob Nagle’s brilliant, understated and giving turn as the Thane of Cawdor... compassionately emphasizes every ounce of emotion and feeling. You do not sense an ego as much as a human being at the end of his rope." Radomir Luza, North Hollywood Patch
"...explosive and unstable... in Rob Nagle's hands Macbeth is a promethean, Faustean story about needing to explore unknown potential at the expense of everything else. At the same time... keeping his emotional transitions terrifyingly specific... If new actors stoke their experience with unrelenting stamina and care, then in three or four decades they MIGHT one day be capable of performances like the one I saw last night from Rob Nagle." Tennyson Stead, 8 Sided Forum
TWO GENTLEMEN OF CHICAGO
"Nagle, a born farceur and then some, deftly corsets his natural bravado, building Valentine from droll whitefaced fop to a swain of heroic cupidity." David C. Nichols, Backstage
"What I’ll remember the most from this Troubie production is the participation of Rob Nagle, who doubles as one of the artistic directors of the Antaeus classical company. Not only is it fun to see the classical guy treating Shakespeare with such inspired irreverence, but it’s even more fun to see him in the evening’s most ridiculous costume, designed by Sharon McGunigle." Don Shirley, LA Stage Times
"Nagle is terrific as Valentine in and out of white face and powdered wig, never letting the campy appearance and style make light of his strength and conviction." Don Grigware, BroadwayWorld
"It’s cute, sweet at times, really dumb at other moments, but delivers what it needs to, and byanchoring the material with actors such as Walker and Nagle who have lived the styles, it comesoff as goofy and loopy and a great deal of fun." Dale Reynolds, Latin Heat
"Is it the befuddling grandiosity of one gent, or the true caddish behavior of the other? Valentine (Rob Nagle) makes the case for the former in his candy pink finery, red sweetheart lips, and white powdered wig... It’s worth the price of admission just to see him in his Act II cupid outfit with wings and Roman sandals…and playing the pan pipes." Ellen Dostal, Musicals In LA
"Rob Nagle’s dog Roosevelt, who is sufficiently charming to partly erase the memory of Nagle’s vicious Nazi at Antaeus last year. No soldier of the Third Reich would have a dog so cool." Jason Rohrer, Stage and Cinema
"Nagle gets to play Valentine’s soliloquy 'What joy is joy, if Silvia be not by' straight, and it’s a humdinger of a performance."Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
"A new addition to the company is Rob Nagle, one of the artistic directors of Antaeus, who is comfortable in comedy, the classics, but whose dog Roosevelt the Pug steals the show as Crab. The funniest Crab I have ever seen." Robert Machray, StageMage
"Rob Nagle (Valentine) shines as the emotional, sensitive and somewhat foppish lover. Nagle’s self-effacing humor and comic timing are top-notch." Radomir Luza, North Hollywood Patch
"Rob Nagle’s hulking Valentine in long curly wig is astudy in pink knee breeches, lacy waistcoat and coat, and painted eyebrows, beauty patches andcupid’s-bow mouth on powder-white makeup... Amid all the hilarity and slapstick, that familiarity with text and form can add occasional notes of unexpected emotional resonance. When Nagle’s Valentine, chastened by loss and betrayal, slowly wipes off his foppish makeup while the band plays 'Colour My World,' it is a moment of genuine pathos." Lynne Heffley, Burbank Leader
PEACE IN OUR TIME
"The cast I saw, featuring Nagle and his fellow 'Stubbs' team, seemed just about perfect..." Don Shirley, LA Stage Times
"As lethally amiable Nazi Albrecht Richter... bravura Rob Nagle (has) unsettling presence." David C. Nichols, Backstage
"Rob Nagle simply triumphs as the SS Man who patrols the neighborhood: this is an actor to watch, for his every glance and movement is positively organic." Tony Frankel, Stage and Cinema
"...how to present a Nazi character that was neither kitsch, schlock, nor comic relief, intended or otherwise... The problem is solved brilliantly in Rob Nagle's rendering of Albrecht Richter, the Gestapo bureaucrat who oversees the pub. Richter's embrace of the Fuhrer's vision is fervent and true, never expedient -- he is a man born to Nazism." Thomas Waldman, NOHO Arts District
FLEETWOOD MACBETH
"Duncan (Rob Nagle) is a gargantuanly bare-and-barrel-chested Sean Connery wannabe." Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
"King Duncan of Scotland (Rob Nagle in white beard and false beer belly) speaks about how old he is which leads to a series of 'You are so old that...' Lynne Bronstein, Review Plays
"Returning company members are delightful... Rob Nagle as Duncan with a spot-on Sean Connery Scots accent." Candyce Columbus, Examiner
"...Rob Nagle, channeling Sean Connery as the murdered King Duncan, and Jason Turner... sweeten this pool of talent." Dink O'Neal, Burbank Leader
"Rob Nagle channels Sean Connery as King Duncan and keeps the show from getting derailed by too many ad-libs and pop culture references from the jokey cast." Pauline Adamek, LA Weekly
"I especially enjoyed Rob Nagle’s blustery Duncan..." Tom Waldman, MyDailyFind
"Rob Nagle galumphs with precision as King Duncan—you've heard of his doughnuts." David C. Nichols, Backstage
THE NORMAL CHILD
"Rob Nagle is exceptionally good as the Louisiana exile who returns to the unhappy homestead of his youth to save his sister from her family and herself. In a good and just world, this production would continue to live on somewhere even after its three remaining weekend matinee performances in the current Fringe." Lyle Zimskind, LAist
PLAY DATES / 3 one-acts by Sam Wolfson
Boy Meets Girl - Dr. Love - Honeymoon Period (remount)
"Nagle, one of the brightest lights of L.A.’s stage scene, proves once again... that Versatility should be his middle name. It seems barely possible that the actor... should be the same thesp whose intense performances in Sidhe and London’s Scars were honored with 2009-2010 StageSceneLA Awards for Drama. In Play Dates, Nagle reveals a mastery of comic timing, full body acting, and improv... As an added bonus, his brief, priceless bit as a gay waiter manages to be spot-on without a hint of hetero-actor condescension." Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
"Her cast, doubling in supporting roles, is spot-on: Nagle and Bond's gonzo dance d'amour and Monahan and Marshall's gymnastic evening ablutions easily worth admission." David C. Nichols, Los Angeles Times
"Rob Nagle steals the show with his deadpan portrayal of a wounded child and intense, over the top talk show host." Mary Mallory, Tolucan Times
"If I have to single one of them out, RobNagle, LA Theatre semi-celeb actor-extraordinaire, is not to be missed." the Networker
THE 39 STEPS
"...two great clowns (Rob Nagle and Larry Paulsen)... who have fully tapped their inner Tim Conway. They execute an endless array of perfectly timed physical gags, quick costume changes and gymnastics of both the verbal and physical variety... the evening really belongs to the comedy team of Nagle and Paulsen, who pull off nearly 50 roles between them — many at the same time. They easily distinguish their many characters with the switch of a hat or a quick dash under a counter. These are clowns both Beckett and Burnett would hail." John Moore, Denver Post
"The burly Rob Nagle is hilarious as a dizzying array of characters ranging from a Scotland Yard detective to a frumpy female hotel clerk to an annoyingly high-voiced newspaper boy." Todd Wallinger, Colorado Springs Gazette
"The hard-working Larry Paulsen and Rob Nagle are the shows chameleons, switching hats, costumes, accents and even genders to play all the other parts... The two stretch their comic muscles to the snapping point, as well as hefting much of the furniture that coalesces so unexpectedly into all sorts of landscapes. They never appear to sweat it." Noah Jordan, 303 Magazine
"Mr. Paulsen and Mr. Nagle portray a few dozen characters, some that will have you rolling in the aisles." Greg Rice, BroadwayWorld
"...supported by some of the most gifted comedic actors to grace Denver stages... wonderfully cast and incredibly funny, Paulsen and Nagle truly brought out all the stops and tirelessly bring each and every moment to life. It's exhausting just to watch, but when the two of them carry on a conversation between four people, it's a sight to behold." Deb Flomberg, Denver Examiner
"Paulsen and Nagle were fantastic and, in my opinion, found a greater variety in each of their characters than the performers I saw on Broadway, especially with their range of effortless dialects." He Said/She Said Critiques, Mile High Critics
"The 39 Steps is the best show in Denver... this is one that you've got to see if you can swing it. Hilarious." Greg Moody, CBS Television, Channel 4, Denver
"Nagle's ultra quick character, costume, and dialect transitions between inspector, straight man, and paper boy are flabbergasting." Bob Bows, Colorardo Drama
"The 39 Steps is a quite simply the funniest show to have ever been staged by the Denver Center Theatre Company... the cast of four is impeccable in the transmogrification of dark suspenseful celluloid into high voltage theatrical farce that's sidesplitting." David Marlowe, Colorado Theatre Guild
"Larry Paulsen and Rob Nagle play everyone else... their timing is impeccable — it has to be — and their antics a hoot." Juliet Wittman, Westword
"It is by far, the boffo ballet of Rob Nagle and Larry Paulsen that brings this roller-coaster to its vaudevillian knees. My jaw was on my chest in simultaneous awe and laughter." Tracy Shaffer, Telluride Inside
LIFE AS WE KNOW IT
"A clever ensemble of improv players (Will Sasso, Melissa McCarthy, Andrew Daly, Rob Nagle) score sly laughs as Holly and Messer’s newfound, nosy neighbors..." Dennis King, Projections
PLAY DATES / 3 one-acts by Sam Wolfson
Boy Meets Girl - Dr. Love - Honeymoon Period
"BOY MEETS GIRL: The best scene is a ballet... In the hands of most actors this would be funny, but when Rob Nagle gets hold of it, the laugh meter shoots beyond the strata. Nagle is a master of comic timing, and he brings an arsenal of expressions and faces that convince the skeptics that this is an overgrown five year old dunked in a wading pool far beyond his comprehension. / In DR. LOVE... Again, Nagle stretches easily to create a devastating caricature of all the 'Doctors' on the air. Dr. Phil and Dr. Laura, watch out!" Jose Ruiz, Review Plays
"Rob Nagle and Elizabeth Bond are delightful as the pre-pubescent couple." Joel Elkins, LA Theatre Review
"Nagle’s transition from kindergarten playground Casanova Sam, a me-me-me, adorable to embittered and then chastened Dr. Love was exquisitely gawky. Bond’s formidable four-year-old Stacey, coltishly-chomping for playground, pre-adolescent romance, contrasted nicely with Nagle’s D-Day landing tentativeness." James Scarborough, What the Butler Saw
LONDON'S SCARS
"Nagle is brilliant (what else?) in a pair of roles, the wily aforementioned investigator and (in adeliciously comic turn) a horny bar patron who succumbs to Mary’s allure." Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
"Rob Nagle gives his character—the investigating British-intelligence agent—a variety of rich, unexpected details. Instead of 'bad acting' shivers and arm-rubbing to show the cold weather, Nagle makes Wiggins sweat itchily through his heavy winter suit." Dany Margolies, Backstage
"The solid cast is punctuated by standouts Nagle, notable for his chameleonic shifts in playing two other minor characters as well, and Bishop, whose tortured intensity is palpable." Mayank Keshaviah, LA Weekly
"...crisp performances all around drive this literate script... Nagle finds unexpected nooks and crannies in his G-man." Charlotte Stoudt, Los Angeles Times
"...blessed by a wonderful cast, especially in Rob Nagle who chameleon-like switches roles a few times, and also by a very talented director fairly new on the scene, Darin Anthony..." Robert Machray, Stage Happenings
"Superb acting from a highly committed, natural cast. The rumors are true: Kenneth Branagh was there, and gave a standing ovation! My thoughts are therefore irrelevant. Just take that information to the bank and go see this show." ty.foster8, Goldstar Member
SIDHE
"Louise's steadiest customer is her alcoholic brother in law, Vernon (the standout Rob Nagle), who remains inconsolable over the shooting death of his philandering wife Amy, whom he'd worshiped unrequitedly." Deborah Klugman, LA Weekly
"Rob Nagle (Vernon) once again proves himself versatility personified, his nasal Chicago accent, working class demeanor, and sad eyes revealing a Midwesterner tormented by guilt and loss." Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
"Rob Nagle’s Vernon churns with rage..." Laura Hitchcock, CurtainUp
"Rob Nagle creates a cuddly cop in Vernon, a sturdy Midwesterner trying to do right. Vernon downs glass after glass of Jameson, and Nagle accurately shows the effects." Dany Margolies, Backstage
"Rob Nagle... is perfect for Vernon. Not only because he has an immense capacity for earnestness but he has a great command of the stage and has the remarkable ability to dance between comedy and tragedy with the dexterity of Mercury." Ann Noble
BACH AT LEIPZIG
"Nagle is superb, a subtle comic with sad truths in his eyes and full dramatic command of the stage." Dany Margolies, Backstage
"Rob Nagle, in the lead as J.F. Fasch, brings a wealth of reality to his farcical role (as everyone must) and is believable throughout." Dale Reynolds, Stage Happenings
"The best moments... come from Rob Nagle’s powerhouse performance as the only thoughtful character." Tom Provenzano, LA Weekly
"...Rob Nagle as the forgotten Johann Friedrich Fasch, the play’s most complex character, was good enough to start me hunting through old Baroque recordings for some of his music." Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times
"The marvelously subtle Nagle starts getting laughs with the play’s very first line..." Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
"The ensemble is a director’s dream cast with Nagle at the helm." MR Hunter, Stage Happenings
"The opening monologue by Johann Friedrich Fasch, played with elegance and eloquence by Rob Nagle, lays the groundwork for the slapstick antics that are to follow in this most satisfying, marvelously written farce by Itamar Moses." Beverly Cohn, Santa Monica Mirror
"Although the entire cast was enjoyable, I found Rob Nagle's performance to be outstanding. Nagle's grasp of heightened language is only surpassed by his flawless comic timing. His speech at the opening of Act 2 was a major highlight of the play." Anonymous Goldstar Member
THE GREAT TENNESSEE MONKEY TRIAL
"Rob Nagle gives Attorney General Stewart a warm Southern accent and a pit bull’s personality, while he and Arye Gross, as defense attorney Arthur Garfield Hayes, engage in wonderful comedic interplay..." Andrew S. Hughes, South Bend Tribune
"Heading the prosecution, Rob Nagle looked and sounded somewhat like Fred Thompson when Fred Thompson still had his wits about him, as in the Watergate hearings. Nagle's brass tacks performance Friday firmly complemented Asner's embodiment of a mythic figure." Jay Harvey, Indianapolis Star
THE SCHOOL OF NIGHT
"The three main villains Ian Bedford, Mark H. Dold and Rob Nagle make the most of their opportunities as three really bad guys with fleeting moments of comedy and mock (and not so mock) violence." Laurence Vittes, Hollywood Reporter
"The ensemble cast is exceptional throughout, with particular nods to... LA treasure Rob Nagle as Nicholas Skeres, a guy equal parts comfortably convivial friend and covert hired assassin." Travis Michael Holder, Entertainment Today
"Mark H. Dold and Rob Nagle are excellent as the nefarious duo Robyn Poley and Nicholas Skeres." Jim Farber, Daily Breeze
TAKING STEPS
"...brilliant slapstick moments... laugh riot.... one of the very best comedy productions of 2008..." Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
"Nagle, a big, bearlike man sporting surfboard size sideburns for the role, showcases his skills as a physical comedian." Paul Hodgins, Orange County Register
"With his ludicrously long sideburns and embarrassingly tight fitting trousers, Nagle's Roland seems like an ex porn star gone to seed." Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times
"Booming voiced Nagle proves that a huge man can expertly do physical comedy." Dany Margolies, Backstage
"Rob Nagle leads the way delightfully as an irascible, pompous, yet strangely likeable husband Roland." Joseph Sirota, Event News
"Nagle proves himself a master of stage inebriation." Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
"Nagle, the big delight of the show, helps the over drinking Roland to his feet with great timing and accents, before being pressed into service in a painfully funny encounter with a rollaway bed." Cristofer Gross, Theater Times
"...the key to the comedy's success is Rob Nagle, whose boozy, bearlike performance as Roland steals the show. Confidently clad in a garish lime green leisure suit and equally horrible toupee (that covers just half of his bald pate), Nagle's a scream in the role." Pam Kragen, North County Times
JAMES JOYCE'S THE DEAD
"Nagle's low key performance is filled with a passionate undercurrent that defines the character well." Jay Reiner, Hollywood Reporter
"...nothing short of superb... (Nagle) achingly sings one of literature's most haunting, final perorations... This is about as close to a flawless production as you can get." Lovell Estell III, LA Weekly
"...Nagle's touching Gabriel and Demson's sensitive Gretta require forbearance at the finale, wheretheir exposed feelings distort intonation in favor of emotional heft. It isn't snow falling softly at the end of this heartfelt revival but bittersweet Joycean tears." David C. Nichols, Los Angeles Times
"The extremely talented Rob Nagle plays Gabriel with wit, intelligence, and depth of feeling... Nagle does a masterful job of keeping us from being lulled by the music and poetry while at the same time showing us its beauty." Robert Machray, Stage Happenings
"Rob Nagle as Gabriel Conroy gives a compelling and sensitive performance. His vocal stability is challenged when he gets caught up in the emotion on the final number, 'The Living and The Dead,' but his depth of commitment is a joy to watch." K. Ann Ross, Backstage
Rob dedicated his performance in this production to the memory of his father-in-law, Barry H. Kurtz, who died just a few hours before the curtain went up on opening night.
THE LAST DAYS OF JUDAS ISCARIOT
"Rob Nagle's closing monologue as Butch Honeywell, a simply affecting declaration of loss, is a subtle and powerful piece of acting." Terry Morgan, Variety
"Rob Nagle excels in a profound climactic monologue as a jury member with his own cross to bear." Les Spindle, Backstage
BUG
"Rob Nagle's unbelievable fight sequences with Peter are among the most shocking and realistic ever seen, and while we know he's the antagonist, we almost side with him as Peter takes out his frustration and revenge on him in a bloody, gory, life ending fight." Jose Ruiz, Review Plays
"...the play provides plenty of rich material for an absolutely superb cast, which includes Rob Nagle as a psychiatrist who may have a shocking hidden agenda." F. Kathleen Foley, Los Angeles Times
"Rob Nagle,who in one brief but unforgettable scene provides one of the most shocking moments ever staged on any intimate 99 seat house." Travis Michael Holder, Review Plays
WHERE'S POPPA?
"Director Gordon Hunt, knowing that 90% of great directing is getting the right cast, has hired two great supporting players (Rob Nagle and Ellen Ratner) to round out the ensemble." Mary Burkin, Burbank Leader
"Rob Nagle is a wonder playing five smaller roles." Pat Taylor, Tolucan Times
BEAUTIFUL CITY
"...Nagle, as Paul, is compelling. He gives an honest portrayal of an insecure, unhappy man trying to change his life. In scenes that center on Paul, Walker’s dialogue frequently sparkles, and Nagle makes them memorable." Jeff Favre, Backstage
MOONLIGHT AND MAGNOLIAS
"Nagle is sympathetic and convincing as Selznick, conveying both the man's desperation and his genuine desire to do the story justice in a funny and forceful perf." Terry Morgan, Variety
"Nagle is utterly dynamic and charming as Selznick, playing the producer as a quirky visionary." Jennie Webb, Backstage
"Just watching Rob Nagle as Selznick, do a ten minute synopsis of the story, enacting all the parts, is worth the price of admission." Ingrid Wilmot, Will Call
"Nagle plays Selznick with just the right glint of zealotry in his calculating eye, although we fail to glimpse the street fighter under Selznick’s professorial exterior." F. Kathleen Foley, Los Angeles Times
LOOT
"Most of the guffaws come from Rob Nagle as Inspector Truscott." Jose Ruiz, Review Plays
"Nagle handily embodies Orton's contempt for authority figures..." Wenzel Jones, Backstage
THE VOYSEY INHERITANCE
"Rob Nagle is a barrel chested, boneheaded, career military type, but his portrayal falls short enough of slapstick to add some subtlety to the stereotype, his military bearing peeling off until he turns into the sort of morally undisciplined stripling that he so despises." John Barry, Baltimore City Paper
EIGHTEEN
"The bombastic Nagle and the effectively reserved Bledsoe are excellent." Los Angeles Times
"Rob Nagle and Jennifer Bledsoe are terrific as the couple in conflict, creating exciting chemistry between them... The play is like an orgasm waiting to erupt, probing for just the right touch to release the flood of emotions... and we are not disappointed." Jose Ruiz, Review Plays
ANGRY
"Rob Nagle evokes laughs in the pivotal role of the harmonica-playing postman, delivering much more than mail to these households." Les Spindle, Backstage
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
"...the proceedings vibrate with understated rancor whenever Nagle takes command of the stage." Julio Martinez, Variety
"Rob Nagle’s hissable villain gets to hurl a tennis ball into the wings to demonstrate his temper." Don Shirley, Los Angeles Times
LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST
"Rob Nagle is a scholar of dullness as the good Constable Dull, Shakespeare's antidote to all the other characters' high flying language. You could watch Nagle all evening and not get bored. His facial gestures and literal minded fidgets bring the other characters' absurdities into sharp focus." Jennifer de Poyen, San Diego Union Tribune
"And if you still didn't get it, don't worry. Neither did Constable Anthony Dull (Rob Nagle), who was simply hysterical as the dim witted policeman completely confounded by the fast talking aristocrats." Rob Hopper, San Diego Playbill
SCHADENFREUDE
"Particularly successful is Nagle's incredibly haughty Forster, whose inept failure as a colonialist reduces him to the state of bumbling idiocy." Julio Martinez, Variety
"Nagle summons a ferocious emotional energy while brilliantly capturing a kind of German ness that studiously avoids stereotype." Laura Weinert, Backstage
THE SLEEP OF REASON
"Though Cook cries out at times, almost all his eloquence is in his anguished face and movements. The rest comes through Nagle, his unobtrusive yet well-tuned accompaniment perfectly keyed to Cook's every look." Lawrence Bommer, Chicago Reader
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST
"...a refined and talented actor who keeps his booming baritone voice in place while dressing in drag to play the part of Lady Bracknell. The site of lace, mascara and blush on the linebacker like frame of Nagle is in itself a comedy. But Nagle's ability to pull off the part of the meddling aunt is a tribute to his versatility." Phil Smith, Times Union
"Nagle's interpretation of Bracknell can best be described as towering." Marcia Fulmer, The Elkhart Truth
A FEW GOOD MEN
"Nagle's Jessup is truly hypnotic, like a snake uncoiling." Marcia Fulmer, The Elkhart Truth
DON JUAN IN HELL
"Rob Nagle's flawless Juan pours out a fast flowing stream of eloquence." Lawrence Bommer, Chicago Reader
"Brendon Fox's direction is... crisp... and his company does him proud -- especially Rob Nagle, with his relentless Juan..." Tony Adler, Chicago Tribune
GOD BLESS ADRIAN, MICHIGAN
"Pungently right... Rob Nagle's manic, self-proclaimed bad boy." Lawrence Bommer, Chicago Tribune
"The burned-out men of Adrian are eerily real. Rob Nagle's bull-like Dirk and Dennis McNitt's self-effacing, simpering Harv are both frightening and pathetic." Adam Langer, Chicago Reader
"...But it is Rob Nagle as the intrepid, if rather morally corrupt reporter Andy Kramer... who commands the stage from start to finish, assisted by his height and distinctive voice as well as his remarkable ability to completely infuse his being into the heart and soul of his character." Shari Barrett, Broadway World
"Nagle, one of the most consistently great actors in L.A. theatre..." Terry Morgan, Stage Raw
"The always brilliant Nagle is honest and touching as Andy but, if there’s a big catharsis in the confrontation of his character’s 'truths,' it isn’t quite there yet—in the writing, that is, not in how thoroughly the actor has mined what he can with what the script offers him." Travis Michael Holder, TicketHoldersLA
"...the popular columnist Andy Kramer, forcefully portrayed by Rob Nagle..." Cynthia Citron, Santa Monica Daily Press
"Andy is played by Rob Nagle, who delivers solid work in a different new play just about every three months, or so it seems." Don Shirley, LA Observed
"...the wonderful actor Rob Nagle... is obliged to convey a variety of competing motives and traits from scene to scene." Margaret Gray, Los Angeles Times
“Rob Nagle... gives a truly powerful performance that is layered and nuanced which in my mind eclipses other performances I have seen of his.“ Ellyn Stern
APPLE SEASON
"...the sparse explosive scenes really make their mark with the experienced acting chops of Rob Nagle... Nagle totally inhabits Billy, the neighboring farmer to the Fogerty's apple orchard... As he's done with the wide range of roles I've seen, Nagle packs this role of Billy with all the contrasting emotions of a three-dimensional person - this time, a thinking, doubting, insecure, moral citizen of the farmland." Gil Kaan, BroadwayWorld
"As always — and I defy any Los Angeles reviewer ever start a critique of this particular actor without beginning the first sentence with “as always” — Rob Nagle is exceptional in what could be a completely servile role, infusing his sheepish nebbish in an omnipresent John Deere ballcap with more raw emotion between his lines than when Billy gracelessly blurts out his feelings and the conflicted memories he shares with Lissie." Travis Michael Holder, TicketHoldersLA
"Darin Anthony directs three superb actors, beginning with the always extraordinary Nagle, following The Little Fox’s despicably despotic Oscar Hubbard, The Judas Kiss’s hearbreakingly broken Oscar Wilde, and Sucker Punch’s feisty South London boxing trainer Charlie Maggs, with yet another hundred-eighty-degree turn as salt-of-the-earth-personified Billy." Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
"...director Darin Anthony helms a three-person cast that features the redoubtable Rob Nagle as Billy Rizz, a former basketball star, now a reclusive farmer who comes to make an offer on the Apple Orchard next door after the patriarch passes on." Leigh Kennicott, Showmag
"...director Darin Anthony’s carefully-calibrated actors turn in solid performances, all three being gifted at their craft. The heat between Nagle and Fernandez is palpable and Huen is properly off-the-rails." Dale Reynolds, Hollywood Revealed
SUCKER PUNCH
"Rob Nagle effortlessly inhabits his role of the seemingly in-command Charlie. Nagle's Charlie doesn't just bust his fighters' balls, Nagle wears Charlie's desperateness on his sleeve, not always successfully hiding it as he thinks." Gil Kaan, Broadway World
“Nagle’s performance is so piercingly right-on, and his accent so meticulous, and his drunk scene so convincing, that at times I swore the play is about Charlie (in some ways I think it is, as he represents the old world trying to keep up with the new)." Tony Frankel, Stage and Cinema
"...Rob Nagle, superb... is once again brilliant as all get-out..." Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
"Rob Nagle is fantastic as Charlie, a man who only wants the best for himself and his daughter. But, Charlie has issues... His performance is terrific." Joe Straw, Joe Straw #9
"Nagle’s performance is the most solid... an unsurprising fact considering the theater veteran’s long list of credits... However, even his steady cadence and sympathetic portrayal of a man about to lose his last chance at making a name for himself within the sport isn’t able to balance the shakier performances in the play." Lara J. Altunian, Stage Raw
JULIUS WEEZER
"Troubie favorites Matt Walker, Beth Kennedy, Rick Batalla and Rob Nagle can make anything funny. They might also convince you that a pun isn’t just a pun when it comes to comparative literature..." Margaret Gray, Los Angeles Times
"The production is greatly enriched by the appearance of LA’s resident intimate theatre god Rob Nagle as a Brutus who, in his too-short toga and Prince Valiant wig, might just be the long-sought secret lovechild of Moe and Curly of The Three Stooges... It was amazing to hear some of the original play’s more infamous 420-year-old speeches, especially when delivered by actors such as Nagle, who is uncannily able to switch between comedic and dramatic delivery on a dime..." Travis Michael Holder, TicketHoldersLA
"...But the play, as written, belongs to Brutus (splendid Rob Nagle), the noblest Roman of them all." Paul Myrvold, Theatre Notes
“Rob Nagle's excellent Brutus... It's inspiring to watch Nagle move through the serious role while dressed in an above-the-knee tunic and mop top wig, purposely plopped on top of his head like the fifth Beatle, without batting an eye.“ Ellen Dostal, Broadway World
"Nagle is great as the dignified Brutus, in a balanced performance that juxtaposes deep dramatic acting with the abrupt humping of a fellow actor’s head (which seems like a consummate Troubie combo)." Terry Morgan, Stage Raw
"Rob Nagle hews to Shakespearean high standards as Brutus." Leigh Kennicott, ShowMag
THE JUDAS KISS
"...breathtakingly brilliant… the incredible Nagle is at his best as Wilde… As the crushed man desperately tries to appear brave and dispassionate, the actor playing him must still successfully land a continuous barrage of thrown-away Wildean bon mots, which Nagle utters with a dry comic timing so perfect it would amaze Chaplin himself… The character pontificates throughout the play about life, love, honor, courage, trust—and the courage to trust—with the entire audience privy to the tragic facts about his impending doom. Only an actor as smooth and honest as Nagle could possibly pull this off; in lesser hands, the entire production would fall flat… Nagle’s uncanny ability to assay both stoicism and despair at the same time… an actor as gifted, as magical, as absolutely perfect and heartbreaking as LA treasure Rob Nagle… I was mesmerized by his golden, gossamer portrayal of poor Oscar… His is a performance I will never forget.” Travis Michael Holder, TicketHoldersLA
"Expect too to be talking about the prodigiously gifted Nagle’s career-redefining Oscar… A half-dozen recent lead roles may have scored Nagle a pair of L.A. Stage Star Of The Year Scenies, but no previous performance will prepare admirers for his remarkable transformation, both physical and emotional, into Oscar Wilde in all his grandeur, his vulnerability, his recklessness, his compassion, and his heart." Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
"As Wilde, Nagle is superb, in a performance filled with subtlety, dry wit and emotion that cannot quite be restrained. He’s great at portraying small, human details (how Wilde is more moved to tip the hotel staff than to think about self-preservation), and equally strong in big, passionate speeches, as when he defends his right to make what seems a disastrously bad decision. I’ve enjoyed Nagle’s work for years now, and was amazed to realize that, at some point in this production, I was no longer seeing this actor at all but only seeing Wilde. It’s a terrific portrayal, and one of Nagle’s best." Terry Morgan, Stage Raw
"There is remarkable beauty in the writing of their scenes and in the playing of them by Nagle and Bates... Nagle is a revelation as Wilde, perhaps giving a career-defining performance even though he still has a long career ahead of him. His Wilde easily spits out the witticisms but it is in his quieter moments that the tragedy of his life becomes shatteringly real. It’s a marvelous portrait of a genius ruined by his baser appetites and his love of beauty." Rob Stevens, Haines His Way
"...when Wilde speaks it’s eloquent, thought-provoking, (and) riveting..." Carol Edger Germain, ColoradoBoulevard.net
"Director Michael Michetti knows this world and guides his talented cast in the kind of elegantly detailed work which would, no doubt, please Wilde himself. Michetti is also well aware of the script’s major challenge, a main character who seems indifferent to any kind of progression. That is where the skill and dexterity of a performer like Rob Nagle makes all the difference in the world. He inhabits Oscar with the kind of conviction that makes every moment telling. Whether showing the hero or the coward, the lover or the artist, Nagle is effortlessly convincing. He spends 90% of the second act in a chair, but his bon mot crackle, his arguments nearly pierce Bosie’s self-absorption, and his performance is so dynamic that the character’s physical and mental immobility is immaterial." Michael Van Duzer, Showmag.com
"Chameleon Rob Nagle has once again transformed himself into another fully-fleshed out characterization (CHURCH & STATE's Charlie Whitmore, IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE's Freddie Filmore, THE LITTLE FOXES' Oscar Hubbard, to name a few past roles). Nagle's Oscar Wilde, as expected, spouts endless bon mots of wisdom and insight. What's pleasantly surprising (besides Nagle's nimble command of the word-heavy monologues / dialogues of Oscar) is Nagle's fresh interpretation of Oscar as a person with much warmth, deep humanity and internal strength. Nagle COMMANDS the stage every second he's on it. Bravo, Mr. Nagle!" Gil Kaan, BroadwayWorld
"...director Michael Michetti, whose most valuable asset is Rob Nagle, the splendid actor chosen to play the tragic central role. Nagle, in every respect and in every scene, is a taut and anguished, intelligent yet flawed and ultimately self-destructing Oscar Wilde." Sylvie Drake, Cultural Weekly
"...the one thing truly bold about Michael Michetti’s... direction is the casting of Rob Nagle as Wilde, considering Nagle was not born to play Wilde. Comedy was his forte many years ago, but recent turns with drama (and boy oh boy is Wilde ever dramatic in this play) have shown that Nagle is consistently growing. This is his magnum opus. More than ever, Nagle is performing de profundis, offering breathtaking emotionality." Tony Frankel, Stage and Cinema
"...in a fabulous, performance... Nagle’s highly nuanced, immersive, tour de force performance including gestures, pacing, and his modulated vocal delivery, are gems in their own right and worth the price of admission alone... as talented as this cast is, the evening belongs to Rob Nagle as Oscar Wilde. His astonishing performance is a true star turn worthy and of the great Noel Coward’s comment about talent. One has to have “star quality” to make it in this business. Nagle’s stamina is stunning in its execution... delivering an actor master class on how to hold an audience in his thrall." Jack Lyons, Desert Local News
"The problem of this production — if it can be said to be a problem — is that Nagle gives such a towering performance that he threatens to dwarf all those in his orbit. A fixture on local stages, Nagle is known for thoughtful portrayals — but seems like the role he was born to play. Full of bluster, bravado and pathos, his Wilde is nature’s gentleman and fortune’s fool, putting his authentic self on display in defiance of his time. In a performance not to be missed, Nagle shows us the internalized anguish behind Wilde’s deceptive passivity — the thwarted brilliance and loss behind his valiant savoir-faire." F. Kathleen Foley, Los Angeles Times
"At the center of the play is the larger than life raconteur, lecturer, playwright and poet Oscar Wilde, embodied in the often astonishing performance by Rob Nagle... the Lord Alfred “Bosie” Douglas of Colin Bates... manages to stay right in step with the grandiosity of Nagle’s accomplishment..." Bill Reese, Table to Stage
"With Nagle in the role of Wilde, praise reaches its pinnacle. One of the thorniest challenges an actor can face is in taking on the role of a historical figure who has undergone a multitude of interpretations at the hands of others is to succeed in making it their own. Nagle surmounts this apparent Everest of difficulties, and does so seemingly in a single bound." Ernest Kearney, TheTVolution
"Rob Nagle‘s uncanny portrayal of the iconoclastic Irish playwright is definitive." Barlo Perry, PARISLA
"... a powerhouse performance. Rob Nagle shines... Nagle’s performance as the larger-than-life poet and playwright is riveting. In portraying the depths of this romantic individualist and tragic victim, Nagle navigates a dizzying symphony of emotions and decisions, never losing his scintillating wit. Hare’s text is full of lines that make you snort with laughter or laugh outright, yet Nagle never lets you forget the heartbreaking drama that simmers beneath his ripostes... The breadth and depth of Nagle’s towering and sensitive performance is astonishing." Pauline Adamek, ArtsBeatLA
“...But it was the sincerity and depth of humanity which Rob Nagle brought to the role of Wilde that served as the most memorable feature of a rather forgettable show.” Ernest Kearney, Tvolution (Best Theatre of the Year)
“You invite and allow the audience to see you (and thus Wilde) from every angle. Rather than wrapping the character around you, you strip yourself and show us Wilde inside of you. It is a profound lesson in the simplicity of great acting.” Justin Okin, actor & producer
"Rob Nagle is giving one of the best performances I have ever seen on stage - don't miss it." John Perrin Flynn, producer & artistic director
"...bearing witness to the sort of portrayal of Oscar Wilde that embodies an honesty so stunning it's as if i met the man himself." Betsy Zajko, actor, producer & director
“I have enjoyed Rob Nagle in pretty much every play I’ve seen him in, but this time he has outdone himself. His performance in The Judas Kiss at the Boston Court theatre in Pasadena is a revelation. As Oscar Wilde, he has turned himself into a master of nuance and irony, you simply hang onto his every word. His voice (and excellent ‘Oxbridge’ accent) is mellifluous and resonant, yet he doesn’t flaunt it; or play it like an instrument; he lives in it. David Hare’s excellent script paves the way for Rob to give us a character who is witty, wounded, blazingly intelligent, truculent, vulnerable, deeply in love and yet achingly aware of impending betrayal. You simply cannot take your eyes off of him. Los Angeles doesn’t know how lucky it is to have an actor of his caliber on the theatrical scene. Bravo, Rob!” Catherine Butterfield, playwright & actor
"When will the rest of the country discover the national treasure that is Rob Nagle? One of the finest actors it has even been my honor to work with." Dakin Matthews, actor & dramaturg
"As I sat there in the dark a thought occurred to me. This IS Oscar Wilde. This is not acting, this is something else, something magical. An alchemy of two souls separated by more than a century.I began to experience being in the presents of Oscar Wilde himself. It was thrilling. To be in a room with this Titan of humanity and I understood why the world could not get enough of him until they could... You lived him.... and he lived you. An astonishing achievement. One I will never forget." Freddy Douglas, actor
IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE
"Still, the most amazing turn of the evening is LA treasure Rob Nagle, narrating the tale and also playing the mean-assed Mr. Potter and every dang one of Bedford Falls wildly eclectic townspeople, switching with lightning speed from one persona to another in conversations that could be taped and studied as perfect examples of Dissociative Personality Disorder... Nagle admitted after the show he’s never done voiceover work professionally although he’s tried to break into that field for years. Note to all LA voiceover casting directors: get your asses down to Pasadena Playhouse before the 23rd, ‘cuzz Nagle makes an auspicious debut in your field that’ll have you whipping out contracts on the spot." Travis Michael Holder, TicketHoldersLA
"The cast is wonderful and is the main reason to see the show. The phenomenally talented group includes Rob Nagle as Freddie Filmore, host of radio station WBFR in Manhattan, and playing a myriad of roles within the story including Uncle Billy Bailey and notorious Mr. Potter." Don Grigward, BroadwayWorld
"Rob Nagle anchors the show not only as the radio announcer but a myriad of characters, including the irascible Mr. Potter." Alisa Hayashida, South Pasadenan
"Haneefah Wood... is exquisite in all of the other female roles while Rob Nagle (Co-Artistic Director of the Antaeus Theatre Company) does narrator, the wretched Mr. Potter and daft Uncle Billy with equal aplomb and bring giggles as the Bailey’s younger boy." E.M. Fredric, The Hollywood Times
"Rob Nagle and Ryun Yu voice all the male roles—I repeat all—(outside of Simon’s “George,”) with gusto and definition. And in addition, Rob masterfully plays the host of the fictional radio program that’s presenting this production." Karen Salkin, It's Not About Me
"...it is Nagle as both the main narrator and the tyrannical Potter who runs away with the show; this actor uses his sonorous voice to excellent effect, whether he’s simply recounting the story or, as the mean banker, growling at underlings with ill-tempered panache." Terry Morgan, Stage Raw
THE LITTLE FOXES
“Nagle and McShane are delightfully conniving as the wicked brothers.” Erin Conley, On Stage & Screen
“Another scene of comic gold involved the conspiratory double-talking of the commanding Rob Nagle as the ambitious Oscar Hubbard…” Gil Kaan, BroadwayWorld
"Since the war, the Hubbards have made enough money — unethically — to act like aristocrats, but as McShane and Nagle vibrantly convey, they’re thugs... Nagle’s Oscar is both crueler than Ben and worse at hiding it. Judging by the ham-handed con jobs he works up with his silly, spoiled son, Leo... he’s also not nearly as smart." Margaret Gray, Los Angeles Times
“Mike McShane and Rob Nagle are wonderfully subtle playing Ben and Oscar. As with the acknowledgment of Regina’s charm, director and actors recognize that to have successfully done as well as they have, neither character could be disagreeable all the time. The vestige of the Oscar that made Birdie believe he loved her is there.” Samuel Garza Bernstein , Stage & Cinema
“Nagle hits just the right note as Oscar, skillfully transmitting the man’s greed, crudeness, cruelty and deep- seated sense of inferiority. His multi-layered performance suggests a concealed cowardice that’s masked by his bullying whoever might be a convenient target.” Iris Mann, Stage Raw
"LA theatrical royalty Deborah Puette leads the Hubbard pack as Regina (and) brings... a less concealed coldness and nastiness that makes the character even more frightening than ever. As her equally ruthless brother Oscar, Rob Nagle, who is quickly becoming the go-to resident Simon Lagree for any play produced in LA over the last few years, is once again so delightfully creepy he could almost twirl a handlebar moustache and get away with it, while Mike McShane holds his own splendidly working against the formidable Puette and Nagle as the third Hubbard sibling Ben. As this horrific triumvirate, each of whom would bury anybody in their path while careening forward on their breakneck quest for wealth, these three powerful actors should win one special collective award for performance, bouncing off one another with a palpable electricity and a creative bravery seldom seen even when assaying the senior members of the Hubbard clan." Travis Michael Holder, TicketHoldersLA
"...Nagle excels as the manipulative Oscar." Terry Morgan, Talkin' Broadway
"Cameron Watson has directed the piece as if it were a malevolent concert, with each actor getting at least one solo spot to shine, and these actors don’t misplay a moment in the spotlight... Nagle is blustering, peevish and violent." Rob Stevens, Haines His Way
"Impressive performances throughout by the entire cast most notably by Rob Nagle as Oscar Hubbard and Jocelyn Towne as wife Birdie Hubbard, whose fermented hatred and cynicism for one another foam as each respectively triumphs and falls." Tracey Paleo, Gia On The Move
“Rob Nagle as, Oscar, the middle brother of the Hubbard Clan, often short-changed with his share (and with life) can show both childish manipulation and boyish charm within one look. We can see how he got Birdie (played with beautiful elegance and hopeful sorrow by Jocelyn Towne) to marry him in the first place.“ Jeanette Farr-Harkins
"The performance is true and on point. Especially effective are the scheming brothers Oscar (Rob Nagle) and Ben Hubbard (Mike McShane)..." People's World, Eric A. Gordon
FOREVER BOUND
“Nagle, a staple of the L.A. theater scene who seems constitutionally incapable of ever rendering a bad performance, is mesmerizing as the villain.“ Deborah Klugman, LA Weekly
“Nagle is powerful and memorable as Thomas, and steals the limelight with the intensity and skill of his acting.” Terry Morgan, Stage Raw
"Nagle as the villain, takes over the entire stage with such power and absolute stillness that the psyche of the character is perceptually normalized to a frightening degree." Tracey Paleo, Gia On The Move
“Nagle is terrific in his scenes with Goss. He brings humor and humanity to a role that could be played as a cartoon in the wrong hands.” Samuel Garza Bernstein, Stage and Cinema
"Nagle commands the stage in the perfect follow-up role to last year’s fearless and formidable Unclemike in Sharr White’s Stupid Kid." Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
“…played with much gravitas… Nagle's most convincing in his explanations for his actions and in his declarations of love.” Gil Kaan, Broadway World
"Thomas, played by Rob Nagle rounds out the cast with a coolly controlled energy that enhances the piece." Terry Kate, Discover Hollywood Magazine
"As Thomas, well… without giving too much away, let me just say that Nagle even surpasses his several previous turns playing some of the creepiest Hannibal Lector-clone villains to ever step before an audience. In one scene and with his character at a considerable physical disadvantage, Nagle’s subtle eyerolls and quietly amused facial expressions as the Laurel and Hardy of criminals try to solidify their plans, are perfection." Travis Michael Holder, TicketHoldersLA
"Nagle chills as a pedophilic pedant skilled in the art of self-justification." F. Kathleen Foley, Los Angeles Times
"...precise and sonorous Rob Nagle..." Michael Sheehan, On Stage Los Angeles
"...knockout performances by fantastic actors... Rob Nagle, as that tweedy professor type, pushes right up to the edge of stereotype without descending into it." Anthony Byrnes, Opening the Curtain
THE HOTHOUSE
"The insinuating Lush, as played to perfection by Mr. Nagle, stands in contrast to the others with a louche sloppiness as he liquors himself up." Paul Myrvold, Theatre Notes
"Indeed, Pinter serves up so much food for thought that even without two extraordinary casts (completed by Adrian LaTourelle and Rob Nagle as the insubordination-prone Lush), to pick from, The Hothouse is worth, indeed almost demands, a repeat visit." Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
"Lush (Rob Nagle), a man who enjoys listening to himself speak almost as much as he enjoys his whiskey, uses amiable charm to wheedle his way into Roote's graces." Sharon Perlmutter, Talkin' Broadway
"...Rob Nagle wins some of the best laughs in the show as the not-quite-exemplary employee, Lush." Michael Van Duzer, Showmag
"...horrifyingly so with Rob Nagle (Lush) and Paul Eiding (Tubb) rounding some of the most hilarious whatabouts in the play." Tracey Paleo, Gia On The Move
"The main occupation of Lush (a finely tuned comic performance by Rob Nagle) seems to be imbibing Roote’s liquor as the two get sloshingly drunk." Rob Stevens, Haines His Way
STUPID KID
"...and while every player was superb I give a special nod to Rob Nagle as Unclemike, the kind of man you will love to hate." Ron Irwin, Los Angeles Post-Examiner
"...a DESPICABLY DELICIOUS Rob Nagle..." Pat Taylor, Tolucan Times
"To this already potent mix, White adds a menacing uncle (Rob Nagle)... All good-ol’-boy friendliness on the outside, he is chillingly sadistic just underneath." Daryl H. Miller, Los Angeles Times
"Special mentions go out to Rob Nagle who played Unclemike with delicious villainy..." Javier Ronceros, NoHoArtsDistrict.com
"Nagle steals the show with his ferocious performance as Unclemike — one of the most evil characters I’ve ever seen on stage. It’s said that villains are more enjoyable to play than heroes, and Nagle is having a ball here, as he commands the proscenium with funny and frightening brilliance." Terry Morgan, Stage Raw
"As usual, Nagle is one of those actors it’s hard to take one’s eyes off of, if you’ll excuse the intentionally bad but emphatic grammar. He steals the show in his every scene, his monstrous, oily, physically imposing Unclemike so goddam creepy I asked the actor after the show if he was having any trouble sleeping while playing this role. The fact that he said no with a wide Unclemike grin, relating that he’s been sleeping like a baby these days, may make me a little more apprehensive when greeting the guy at any future point in time, even if he is madly in love with a beloved ancient pug named Roosevelt." Travis Michael Holder, TicketHoldersLA
"Last but definitely not least, a sensational Nagle is both fearless and formidable as a good ol’ boy hulk with whom you do not under any circumstance wish to tangle." Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
"They say the body knows when danger is near. That if you pay attention, you will know when evil is closeby. I paid attention. I knew. The evil at large tonight was in the persona of... Rob Nagle! Never have I seen a more chilling villain. But all the smiles, the charm, the good deeds could not conceal the black soul that ... I spent this evening with. He made Richard III seem like Mr. Rogers. If you can take it, see his portrayal of Unclemike. It’s hard to watch but a must see, once in a decade, performance by an actor of enormous gifts." Millee Taggart Ratcliffe, writer
"Nagle was riveting and absolutely amazing... I was sitting near the back of the theater and his power and menace made the rails vibrate. Every second on stage, (he) radiated threat, power, control and dominance… It was a really phenomenal performance and definitely one of the best I have seen in 2017." Ladd R. Sullivan, playwright
"Nagle is a big man, and his Unclemike moves and speaks with the assurance of a guy who is accustomed to successfully gaming the system. As charismatic as this actor can be, his character is utterly repulsive, something of a dramatic straw man in a play that underlines its socially conscious agenda." Evan Henerson, CurtainUp
CHURCH & STATE
"Seventy-eight minutes isn’t a lot of time to build three characters and one big idea. Williams manages that with a disarming trick. He writes an unlikely hero, then someone casts a remarkable actor, Rob Nagle, who makes him breathe. Nagle (the senator) is unerringly genuine. He has a gift for the seemingly interrupted aside, for the pregnant pause, and for the endearing peek at the boy-in-the-man he offers up. The play is built around the Paul-on-the-ol’-Damascus-road epiphany, but it would only have consequence with a consequential actor in the part. It’s Nagle’s play." Kathleen Campion, The Front Row Center
"Rob Nagle is the candidate you wish existed, but is also realistic as the man whose crisis of morality is haunting him... We see the ethical dilemma etched all over Nagle’s face and then see his strength to stand up and speak from the heart." Suzanna Bowling, Times Square Chronicles
"...from the moment he enters the play... There was something – an alertness, a mischievous eye gleam, the totally reassuring ease of a natural stage animal – which made me pay attention." David Noh, Gay City News
"Rob Nagle is excellent as the conflicted senator. He’s sincere and convincing (I was ready to give him my vote)." Elyse Trevers, Long Island Herald
"It is a mid-life crisis on steroids and Rob Nagle portrays the Senator’s dilemma with extraordinary authenticity and strength. Mr. Nagle’s bravura performance is the fulcrum of Jason Odell Williams’s engaging play. Although the themes of Mr. Williams’s play are not unfamiliar, recognizing the sanctity of truth over conventional wisdom is given renewed importance by this actor’s craft." David Roberts, Theatre Reviews Limited
"Nagle, as Senator Whitmore, inhabits his role like a second skin. He has his Southern accent down pat and portrays his political character with convincing psychological angst." Deirdre Donovan, CurtainUp
"Rob Nagle turns in a fine performance as the conflicted Senator, drawn with humor, psychological insight, and emotional depth, and delivered with three-dimensional range and nuance. He is both funny and sensitive as the development of his character demands, transitioning from flagrant evasions and silly trivialities... (to) sincere realization..." Deb Miller, DC Metro Theater Arts
"Nagle gives the play ballast by making Whitmore believably sincere and emotionally vulnerable; his big, emotional speech about guns is especially well handled." Samuel L. Leiter, The Broadway Blog
"As Whitmore, Rob Nagle suggests a more affable, thoughtful Mike Huckabee; he is slyly amusing when cowering, ever so slightly, in front of Sara and Alex, and later is genuinely rousing when delivering the great give-'em-hell speech of his career." David Barbour, Lighting and Sound America
"The four cast members are stellar. Rob Nagle is ideal as the somewhat bewildered and virtuous politician, as he questions his faith and tries to do the right thing." Miles Marter, ZEALnyc
"Nagle has Whitmore down to a tee, both the annoying grandstanding of the Mitch McConnells of the world and the deeper introspection of this unique individual." Marc Miller, TheaterScene.com
"...the husband and wife political team are expertly played by Rob Nagle as Senator Charles Whitmore and Nadia Bowers as his very southern sassy wife, Sara. They debate and fight their way through the belief systems that have helped form their marriage and create the foundations of their political successes. Lovingly connected, these two really pay attention to the other even when they can’t believe what is coming out of their partner’s mouth. They listen to each other’s different opinions in a way that really draws us into the Senator’s dilemma because it is as authentic as it can get." Steven Ross, Front Mezz Junkies
"...Nagle has the suavity of the long term politician and the naiveté of the downhome local boy who has made good. His interaction with his women as he reveals small pieces of the situation he has gotten himself into is very amusing." Victor Gluck, TheaterScene.net
"The cast is superb, especially the outstanding Rob Nagle as the conflicted senator who changes his position on gun control after a shooting in his children’s school." Cheryl Benton, The Three Tomatoes
"Taking on the pivotal role of Senator Whitmore, Rob Nagle took the exuberance of the character and managed to bring out honesty and sincerity when it mattered. He stood firmly to his beliefs and helped to prove that anybody with a heart can change." Michael Black, Theatre in the Now
PLEASE DON'T ASK ABOUT BECKET
"...LA theater royalty Deborah Puette and Rob Nagle... appear as the twins’ parents... Graf’s characters... are tenderly conjured and arrestingly brought to life by these incredibly gifted actors led by the vision of a truly innovative director." Travis Michael Holder, Arts in LA
"...the performers are gripping, particularly Nagle as a self-made man whose own past regrets mire him in inaction." F. Kathleen Foley, Los Angeles Times
"The parents Rob and Grace are perfectly portrayed by Rob Nagle and Deborah Puette... Their emotional descent as Becket's world falls apart will tear at your heartstrings." Shari Barrett, Broadway World
"In his fourth major role in just the past ten months, Nagle once again proves himself one of our best and most versatile acting chameleons as a Hollywood power-broker at his wits’ end where family is concerned." Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
"Nagle and Puette are professionals to the core and their two characters are never overplayed in their need for sympathy. Nor are they so emotionally strung out that they are paralyzed in their parenting." Dale Reynolds, Edge Los Angeles
"...Nagle, as Rob, shows powerful vulnerability as a father desperately trying to do the right thing by his son..." Kelly Hartog, Westside Today
"Nagle and Puette offer fine support by avoiding the clichés of the over-protective parent." Rob Stevens, Haines His Way
"Nagle shines as their dad, a Hollywood exec, particularly in a scene where he bonds with Emily over his inability to help his son." Terry Morgan, Stage Raw
"Their father (the always excellent Rob Nagle) is the head of a movie studio or something..." Cynthia Citron, Santa Monica Daily Press
"Rob Nagle plays the studio executive father with heart-breaking reality." Patricia Foster Rye, Larchmont Chronicle
"Actor Rob Nagle is exceptional. Nagle has developed a very subtle and highly nuanced character in Rob." Tracey Paleo, Gia On The Move
"Nagle was a standout as their father, blinded by his own pride and need to keep up appearances to the point where he will stop at nothing to make things 'right.'" Erin Conley, On Stage And Screen
CHURCH & STATE
"At his splendid best... Nagle’s portrait of a good ol’ southern boy, including his nuanced relationship with his wife, truly is flawless, and sweeps us to a stirring catharsis." Deborah Klugman, Stage Raw
"The performers, particularly the regularly excellent Nagle, are simply superb..." F. Kathleen Foley, Los Angeles Times
"Rob Nagle gives a stellar turn as Charlie Whitmore, a first-term Republican senator from North Carolina of the pro-gun, tax-cutting and Bible-thumping mold..." Bill Raden, LA Weekly
"Nagle takes our breath way as Charlie... As his emotional state darkens his demeanor and, later, in the delivery of the senator’s impassioned speech about his dilemma and plea for assistance from his constituents to help him get the feet under him again, Nagle is dazzling." Travis Michael Holder, Arts in LA
"Nagle gives yet another career-best performance, convincing us every step of the way in Charlie’s Southern charm, his politician’s charisma, his life-changing crisis of faith, and his absolute sincerity in all of the above." Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
"...a career-enhancing performance by Rob Nagle as Whitmore. Looking nebbishy, with that shit-eating grin Southerners get by with, his about-face is remarkable, realistic as can be, and lively." Dale Reynolds, Edge Los Angeles
"Rob Nagle... held me the entire show. He's funny, he's relatable, he's a true talent on stage." Patrick Chavis, LA Theatre Bites
"...a sensitive and bravura performance by lead actor Rob Nagle..." Morna Murphy Martell, Theatre Spoken Here
"...it is the actors who make this production exquisite. They are the most effective ensemble I’ve seen in quite a while. Especially Rob Nagle, as Senator Whitmore, whose emotionally charged speeches and angry tirades are the very heart of this production." Cynthia Citron, Santa Monica Daily Press
"Rob Nagle, who plays senator Charlie Whitmore, has the southern drawl and confident gait so down pat it feels like he could be Frank Underwood’s nicer, non-homicidal twin. His stage presence is captivating; you’ll find yourself leaning in closer to catch every word he whispers and cringe back in your seat when his impassioned bellow makes an appearance. Nagle’s emotional range is superb and earnest and he makes Whitmore an easy candidate to get behind." Taylor Gates, Starry Constellation Magazine
POCATELLO
"Under John Perrin Flynn’s incisive direction... Nagle’s desperate-to-split Nick, Peterson’s sexy, shaggy bad boy Max, and Paladino’s hard-edged but gentle-hearted Isabelle are all three terrific." Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
"Hunter's play is compelling... with his writing, he has allowed director John Perrin Flynn the ability to make it all alive via casting... His entire cast, especially Elkins, Nagle, Byrd and Taylor make the play easy on the ears and the eyes." Dale Reynolds, Stage Happenings
"Rob Nagle as Eddie’s brother matches this largeness with boiling-over emotions, Pocatello and all it encompasses being a 'hot stove' memory he’d rather keep at a distance." Marc Wheeler, Gia On The Move
THE KILL-OR-DIES
"...the always impressive Nagle, adding professional hit man to his lengthy list of credits and investing the role with unexpected depths." Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
"When Maggie’s irate boyfriend Billy shows up, backed by his large and terrifying henchman Lawrence (Rob Nagle), each of the women has to do some fast-talking to get out of trouble... Nagle negotiates the nuances of his menacing hit man with aplomb." Pauline Adamek, Stage Raw
OF GOOD STOCK
"Nagle’s Fred is the true star of this play by contrasting his flabby, coach-potato physicality with his subtle insight and wisdom, compassion and dry humor... He was a nice supporting player in last year’s 'Rest' and he shows his chops as an excellent lead in 'Stock.'" Peter A. Balaskas, LA Splash Magazine
"Lora understands that Jess desperately needs to cling to her caretaker role as a way to go on; her scenes with Nagle are beautifully layered and filled with unspoken tension... And Nagle brings wisdom and rumpled affability to Fred, a food writer whose years of experience with the warring sisters has taught him how to ride out the rough spots." Paul Hodgins, Orange County Registrar
"Lora and Nagle are two of our most treasured regulars on both regional and 99-seat SoCal stages, and though In Good Stock has them performing opposite each other for the first time, their work here has the truthful ring of a couple with a twenty-five year history. Nagle could not be more delightful in Fred’s irascible moments, nor more powerful when digging deep into the heart of a man facing the possible if not probable loss of a beloved spouse." Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
"Rob Nagle in a winning portrayal..." Ben Miles, StageMag
"Among the men, Rob Nagle as Fred is the most fully developed — an oversized teddy bear whose bulk dwarfs the slender Lora but who manages to convey the deepness of his love." Tom Titus, Daily Pilot
"Melanie Lora and Rob Nagle (as the eldest sister Jess and her husband, Fred) deliver wonderfully nuanced performances that most actors could only envy." Jordan Young, Examiner
"Jess, obviously, hit the jackpot landing a guy like Fred---and the audience is completely on board thanks to some great acting work by Nagle, who does a great job selling his character as the likable EveryMan. At times sweet, at times protective, and at other times a court jester, Nagle's Fred is almost the fantasy version of what someone like Jess needs to survive the day-to-day ailments of life with cancer and, above all, to feel truly loved and supported in every which way." Michael L. Quintos, Broadway World
"The story’s emotional payoff, therefore, hinges on Rob Nagle, an engaging if hammy actor who, especially in the first act, overdoes it a bit. But his fierce commitment to the role, like Fred’s to Jess, ultimately wins us over." Margaret Gray, Los Angeles Times Margaret clearly hadn’t seen much of Rob’s work if she thought THIS performance was hammy.
APPOGGIATURA
"Nagle captures Aunt Chuck's hurt. He's nearly a pill — to even himself — but for such true reasons." Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post
"As Aunt Chuck, Rob Nagle does something even more remarkable – he makes the complexities of grief – the anger, the laughter, the sadness, the bittersweet nature of memory – come vividly to life. Grief is a messy business and intrinsic to its nature are moments of humor – whether it is gallows humor as a coping mechanism or the actual hilarity of past memories with a loved one. Nagle brings a great deal of comedy and pathos to the production with his nuanced depiction of a grieving partner – especially in the second act, you find yourself laughing and crying along with him because the struggle he portrays is both intensely personal and exceedingly relatable. He packs a wallop with his performance and the poignance of his character’s emotional journey had me overcome in the final moments of the play." Maureen Lee Lenker, NeonTommy
"As Aunt Chuck, Rob Nagle portrays the suffering of the recent loss of his partner of nearly 25 years with refreshing underpinnings of well-timed caustic wit." Gregory Thorsen, Boulder Weekly
"...the production plays with the hearts of its audience. The greatest comedy comes at the sake of Aunt Chuck’s (Rob Nagle) frustration -- and poor attempts at speaking Italian..." Jared Quaglieri, The Advocate
COMPLETENESS
"...the ensemble so crisp and so charming... Nagle nails Don’s edgy, guileful essence." Deborah Klugman, Stage Raw
"...Elliot and Molly are both so cerebral that their story would feel a little dry if it weren't tor their assorted other love interests, played with humor and poignancy by Nicole Erb and Rob Nagle... Nagle is especially amusing as Don, Molly’s professor and former lover, whose academic advice is infected by sexual jealousy." Margaret Gray, Los Angeles Times
"Each of these four principal actors... is absolutely pluperfect." Cynthia Citron, Santa Monica Daily Press
"...this mounting is blessed with a quartet of exquisitely multilayered, bittersweet performances that honor and match its author’s tech-swollen dialogue..." Travis Michael Holder, Arts in LA
"Antaeus Company members Erb and Nagle... could not be better as said exes, Erb as the passive-aggressive Lauren... and Nagle as the almost equally complex Don -- both actors doing terrific double duty as well, she as Elliot’s undergraduate student Nell and he as Molly’s fellow grad student Franklin..." Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
ABBAMEMNON
"Perhaps more than any other Troubies spoof, the darker-than-usual ABBAMEMNON offers its cast members the chance to strut their dramatic stuff, and with actors the caliber of Nagle and Walker... classical theater lovers are in for a treat." Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
"This is one of the strongest productions to date with terrific performances... Rob Nagle’s touching dramatic work... it all adds up to a winning production." Ellen Dostal, Broadway World
"Capitalizing... on the troupe’s ability to handle dramatic intensity as nimbly as it does the satirical side of things... (with) Rob Nagle’s acerbically dry Greek Chorus Leader..." Dink O'Neal, Arts in LA
"Maintaining a tightrope balance between grand neoclassicism, sunny '70s kitsch and the company’s inbred topical spontaneity... Walker’s titular King of Malibu... Schneider’s marvelously arch Clytemnestra... Donahoe’s resonant Cassandra and Rob Nagle’s wry Chorus Leader, merge straight-faced declamation to the company’s trademark satirical mayhem." David C. Nichols, Los Angeles Times
REST
"A snow storm approaches a northern Idaho retirement home, a center which has been sold and is soon to be closed down... The skeleton crew staff includes an angsty supervisor Jeremy, a hilariously hyper Rob Nagle..." Peter A. Balaskas, LA Splash Magazine
"Standout work from Cremin, West and Nagle further flesh out the play's preoccupation with what the poet Adrienne Rich once described as 'the rush of purpose to make a life / worth living past abandonment.'" Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times
"The actors... easily take the measure of their roles, with Rob Nagle as a hapless supervisor hilariously 180 degrees removed from his recent Macbeth at Antaeus." Myron Meisel, Hollywood Reporter
"As the painfully inept manager of the rest home, Rob Nagle skillfully underscores his character's inefficiency as he attempts to assert his flagging authority and unveils his more feminine side." Tom Titus, Huntington Beach Independent / Daily Pilot
"Rob Nagle provides comic relief as well as a rounded and humane characterization." Ben Miles, Showmag
"L.A. theater treasures Nagle and West are as splendid as ever, the former vanishing to perfection inside Jeremy’s awkward, uncomfortable skin..." Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
"Nagle also provides much-needed comic relief in a play that, in lesser hands, could have been a major downer." Joel Beers, OC Weekly
"...Nagle finds a way to make a shallow, self-absorbed man the object of our sympathy." Paul Hodgins, Orange County Register
"...the wonderfully nebbishy Rob Nagle... displays impeccable comic timing and nails every awkward pause and exasperated heave to hilarious results (I found myself laughing out loud every single time he cursed for some reason)." Michael L. Quintos, Broadway World
"Jeremy (a very funny Rob Nagle) is the alternately hapless and clueless administrator..." Tom Shelton, Newport Independent
"Nagle, a born scene-stealer, provides comic relief with every line and facial expression." Ingrid Wilmot, WillCall
JAMES JOYCE'S THE DEAD
"Rob Nagle masterfully spearheads the ensemble as narrator-protagonist Gabriel, whose complacency is about to be painfully punctured." F. Kathleen Foley, Los Angeles Times
"A gifted mainstay of the wacky, irreverent, improvisational Troubadour Theater Company plays it straight, and beautifully, in this revival of one of our finest chamber musicals. Gabriel serves as narrator, host, conscience, and ultimately victim in the original Joyce novella, and Rob Nagle embraces each of those roles with conviction and emotional truth." Bob Verini, Critics Pick
"Rob Nagle masterfully dominates the stage and the ensemble... revealing the deepest of his inner thoughts and fears." Gil Kaan, CultureSpotLA
"You also want to sit close to fully appreciate Rob Nagle’s magnificent narration. He has a gift for making you feel like you’re the only person in the room when he speaks to the audience, and his soul-searching honesty reveals a poignant self-awareness of his character’s shortcomings, perplexed by a world that, to him, lacks the respect of days gone by..." Ellen Dostal, Broadway World
"Best of all is Rob Nagle, whose tenures as a staple of Antaeus and Troubadour theater companies didn’t prepare me for the simplicity and sheer rightness of his Gabriel Conroy, who must function as narrator, emcee, party host, and emotional victim before the 90-minute drama is through. Nagle brings nuance and weight to a character that in other hands might be a bland Everyman." Bob Verini, Arts In LA
"Rob Nagle does an excellent job of expressing the hopelessness woven into every word of the story... When he speaks, you want to listen, when he sings you are captivated, and when he hurts you want to comfort him. Bravo to Nagle for breathing life into this character." Michelle Sandoval, Edge Los Angeles
"The journey of the piece belongs to Gabriel... and Nagle charts it with grace and quiet devastation. The final scene in Joyce’s short story offers some of the most gorgeous imagery in 20th-century literature... As Nagle so tenderly delivers them... one feels the weight of time, the ache of love, the chill of the snow and, yes, the pull of the dead." Christopher Cappiello, Frontiers LA
THE LIAR
"A gem... perfect pitch... rhymes and pacing never flag... Cliton (Brilliant Rob Nagle)" Michael Sheehan, On Stage Los Angeles
"The ensemble are all at the highest level of expertise. Standouts include: the ever hilarious Nagle as Cliton..." Don Grigware, Grigware Reviews
COYOTE ON A FENCE
"...the actors – beginning with Rob Nagle as usual – ...exhibiting such high standards, make these characters far more than just theatrical symbols." Dale Reynolds, Stage Happenings
"College-educated John Brennan (Nagle, in a contemplative and wise performance) edits the prison newspaper and writes eloquent obituaries for the men being executed in their penitentiary with alarming frequency and considerable public outcry... (But) Brennan reads us letters he's already written. Even an actor as fine as Nagle can't give that device credence." Steven Leigh Morris, LA Weekly
"Rob Nagle plays John as highly intelligent but not annoyingly so, deeply pained but not weepily so. This character has secrets; and, though Nagle seems to know all of them, he’s not sharing." Dany Margolies, Arts In LA
A MIDSUMMER SATURDAY NIGHT'S FEVER DREAM
"Thisbe is Rob Nagle – much 'More Than a Woman' – who has stolen Miss Piggy’s voice and wrapped it delicately in a shy little milk maid’s basketball-sized bosom. Oh, the things that happen to this poor couple destined to meet at the chink of a wall. Oh, the comedy that ensues when a comedian and a straight man know how to work a scene just right." Ellen Dostal, BroadwayWorld/Musicals in LA
"Two wonderful cross-dressing performances occur in this production — the tall Rob Nagle (also one of the artistic directors of Antaeus Company) as Thisbe and the short Lisa Valenzuela as Starveling. Nagle not only gets some of the funniest sound-effects-aided screams I’ve heard in a Troubie show, but he has also brought his pug dog Roosevelt into the action, as he did last year in Two Gentlemen of Chicago." Don Shirley, LA Stage Times
"Suzanne Jolie Narbonne is wonderful as Hippolyta... as is Rob Nagle in an uproarious turn as Flute." Hoyt Hilsman, Huff Post
"Rob Nagle a dumbfaced Flute so deliciously funny in drag..." Don Grigware, Grigware Reviews
"Without revealing too much, Rob Nagle’s Flute-as-Thisbe is terrifying, archetypal, and may as well be the theater’s answer to the question What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?" Ella Martin, Stage and Cinema
"Contributing mightily to the merriment are scene stealing (in a good way) Rick Batalla as Nick Bottom/Pyramus, Beth Kennedy as besotted and beleaguered Helena and Rob Nagle as Flute/Thisbe (priceless as the latter)." Candyce Columbus, Examiner
I LOVE TO EAT
"...actor Rob Nagle fits the gregarious Beard personality to a well-cooked T... that oddball stitching-together of wry New York sophisticate and down-to-earth Westerner, as if he were part Cole Porter and part Zane Grey: Nagle makes Beard as likable and gossipy an evening’s companion as you can imagine... Nagle shows off some impressive chops, sometimes literally: He’s got real knife skills dicing an onion... Nagle has a natural easy charm, and he can play a crowd." Bob Hicks, Oregon Arts Watch
"...Rob Nagle gives an impressive performance, laudable not just for its endurance but for its perfect pitch. Nagle’s delivery of his comedic dialogue, for instance, is spot-on, employing pregnant pauses and arched-eyebrow looks as visual drum stings... when Nagle prepares canapés live, he appears just as in his element as Beard would have been—producing, in addition to delicious-looking hors d’oeuvres, the play’s finest moment... Nagle’s acting is outstanding..." Jonathan Frochtzwajg, Portland Monthly
"...the script, although good, could easily sink, if the Beard role was not in capable hands. In PSC’s case, Mr. Nagle is not only capable but exceeds all expectations! He truly inhabits the role. He has the physical look, the mannerisms and voice and, most of all, portrays the heart and soul of Mr. Beard. He literally has the audience in the palm of his hand, to mold whatever feast he chooses. He plays the quiet moments with as much passion and meaning as the more bombastic ones. I couldn’t imagine this journey without Mr. Nagle at the helm. Or, perhaps to summarize it in Mr. Beard’s own words: 'Goody, Goody!'" Dennis Sparks, Dennis Sparks Reviews
"Nagle brilliantly portrays the larger-than-life iconic figure who elevated cooking to an art form (while keeping it completely accessible) in this one-man show about the legendary chef from Portland... peppered with generous dashes of warmth, honesty, tenderness, passion and beauty, which all come together to fill you up and leave you truly satiated, as if you'd just consumed a wonderful meal presented by the perfect host." Tamara S. Belgard, Sip With Me!
"Rob Nagle absolutely nails his portrayal of Oregon-born icon James Beard... Nagle is not only able to pierce the membrane of a man who popularized the 'American' style of cooking... but he exposes the somewhat lonely soul of a man who not only loved to eat, but laugh, love and LIVE... I could have spent the whole night listening to Nagle channel James Beard and his stories. And isn't that what a good dinner host is supposed to do?" Byron Beck, byronbeck.com
"As Beard, actor Rob Nagle radiates the grace, confidence, wit, and joie de vivre... and director Jessica Kubzansky has helmed a production that feels like an intimate conversation with the gregarious chef." Julie Cortez, PQ Monthly
"...a truly fun, and fabulous, evening with the bombastic James Beard. He is portrayed lovingly by Rob Nagle... The piece is like listening to your flamboyant great-uncle regale you with stories of fantastic experiences, while feverishly multitasking and constantly being interrupted. The pace never lags and Mr. Nagle's warm presence sort of makes you wish the evening didn't have to end." Amanda Valley, Artslandia Magazine
"Ably leading us through with (ahem) relish, is Rob Nagle as Beard, fully embodying these very large shoes, not just in girth, but in Beard’s very wide and full embrace of life. Nagle triumphantly gives voice and body to the vigorous display that was Beard... He delightfully reveals to us, like so many surprise courses in a dinner party, Beard’s many life stories and quirks... There’s even some fun puppetry involved with his TV show sponsor’s iconic trademark character. He also performs a neat trick in the latter part of the performance of continuing to deliver the stories from the script while actually cooking one of Beard’s recipes on stage, for real. Talk about pulling off a culinary hat trick." Faddah Wolf, Portland Stage Reviews
THE BELLFLOWER SESSIONS
"Under Bryan Rasmussen’s direction, the exchanges between ticking time bomb Jack Calvin (the valiant Rob Nagle) and Dr. Wendy Bellflower (an assured Stephanie Erb) carry wild, satiric thrust..." David C. Nichols, Los Angeles Times
"Rob Nagle is fantastic as Jack, and brings us to the pinnacle of total anguish, showing us the torment of loss, and the inability to bring himself out of the darkness." Cathy Wayne, NOHO Arts District
"Under Bryan Rasmussen’s direction, the fabulous Rob Nagle heads the cast as the unemployed, downtrodden Jack, a grown-up, caustic Charlie Brown who sees everyone as the girl who’s about to snatch away the football... Erb’s oh-so-unconventional psychiatrist is a hoot; she and Nagle are a joy to watch navigating some outrageous material." Jennie Webb, Backstage
"...a powerfully focused Rob Nagle..." Pat Taylor, Tolucan Times
"Rob Nagle, the actor who plays lead character Jack, whose rage has taken over his unemployed daily existence, is astounding, perfect, sublime, superb, amazeballs, terrific and awesome." Andrea Kittelson, Examiner
"...an outstanding performance by Rob Nagle... a Shakespearean trained actor who creates such a realistic character that Jack appears to literally snap right in front of our eyes." Annemarie Donkin, Topanga Messenger
"...Nagle’s convincing performance as a troubled man..." George Alexander, Culture Vulture
"...a cast that is mostly exemplary, makes for a fine evening out. Starting with the ever-qualified Rob Nagle..." Dale Reynolds, Stage Happenings
"Rob Nagle is a wonderful actor and he really sinks his teeth into the character of Jack Calvin. Nagle manages to travel the path of his character's total unhinging without once hitting a false note. The character has to go through lots of stages and Nagle is able to capture them all." Robert Machray, StageMage
"The normally funny and intelligent Rob Nagle plays the lackluster lead, John Calvin. It’s unfortunate that director Rasmussen didn’t know what to do with Nagle’s abilities, as the performance remained one-note far too long." Jesse David Corti, Stage and Cinema Hey, wait a minute! That doesn't sound good...
MACBETH
"...Rob Nagle and Tessa Auberjonois heading the cast as the bloody couple. From that heartbreaking opening funeral... the couple’s intensity and depth of feeling for each other is riveting. Mr. Nagle gives the lord a humanity that is by turns appealing and appalling. Ms Auberjonois’ descent into madness is truly effective." Steve Peterson, BroadwayWorld
"Having enjoyed Nagle (one of Antaeus’ new artistic directors) in his camp work with the Troubadour Theater Company, I half-expected him to put on a powdered wig and dance, but eventually his tragic persona convinced me." Margaret Gray, Los Angeles Times
"As Macbeth, the contemporary-feeling Nagle visually recalls Orson Welles, finding black humor within an expanded dynamic range, although this reveals technique as much as character. He works well with Auberjonois, whose double-edged, specific choices as Lady Macbeth exude an affecting humanity within her feverish machinations." David C. Nichols, Backstage
"In the opening scene, both Nagle and Auberjonois brought tears to my eyes with their heart-wrenching, agonizing funeral for their newborn baby. Throughout the rest of the play their range of emotions along their paths to utter destruction and turmoil are brilliantly played." Mickala Jauregui, A Little Night Musing
"Rob Nagle’s full-command of the language and his carefully-used subtlety of humor made his an over-powering performance, full of sound-and-fury, signifying much." Dale Reynolds, Stage Happenings
"In Nagle we see the slow destruction of 'a good man,' much too full of the 'milk of human kindness,' and in Auberjonois a queen torn apart as she watches her husband fall." Robert Machray, StageMage
"Nagle and Noble may not have shared a stage since weeks before, but you’d hardly haveknown it from their impeccably matched work, beginning with that devastating prologue inwhich each expressed the Macbeths’ grief in distinct but equally gut-wrenching ways, thenwent on to paint indelible portraits of power lust gone mad." Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
"Rob Nagle’s brilliant, understated and giving turn as the Thane of Cawdor... compassionately emphasizes every ounce of emotion and feeling. You do not sense an ego as much as a human being at the end of his rope." Radomir Luza, North Hollywood Patch
"...explosive and unstable... in Rob Nagle's hands Macbeth is a promethean, Faustean story about needing to explore unknown potential at the expense of everything else. At the same time... keeping his emotional transitions terrifyingly specific... If new actors stoke their experience with unrelenting stamina and care, then in three or four decades they MIGHT one day be capable of performances like the one I saw last night from Rob Nagle." Tennyson Stead, 8 Sided Forum
TWO GENTLEMEN OF CHICAGO
"Nagle, a born farceur and then some, deftly corsets his natural bravado, building Valentine from droll whitefaced fop to a swain of heroic cupidity." David C. Nichols, Backstage
"What I’ll remember the most from this Troubie production is the participation of Rob Nagle, who doubles as one of the artistic directors of the Antaeus classical company. Not only is it fun to see the classical guy treating Shakespeare with such inspired irreverence, but it’s even more fun to see him in the evening’s most ridiculous costume, designed by Sharon McGunigle." Don Shirley, LA Stage Times
"Nagle is terrific as Valentine in and out of white face and powdered wig, never letting the campy appearance and style make light of his strength and conviction." Don Grigware, BroadwayWorld
"It’s cute, sweet at times, really dumb at other moments, but delivers what it needs to, and byanchoring the material with actors such as Walker and Nagle who have lived the styles, it comesoff as goofy and loopy and a great deal of fun." Dale Reynolds, Latin Heat
"Is it the befuddling grandiosity of one gent, or the true caddish behavior of the other? Valentine (Rob Nagle) makes the case for the former in his candy pink finery, red sweetheart lips, and white powdered wig... It’s worth the price of admission just to see him in his Act II cupid outfit with wings and Roman sandals…and playing the pan pipes." Ellen Dostal, Musicals In LA
"Rob Nagle’s dog Roosevelt, who is sufficiently charming to partly erase the memory of Nagle’s vicious Nazi at Antaeus last year. No soldier of the Third Reich would have a dog so cool." Jason Rohrer, Stage and Cinema
"Nagle gets to play Valentine’s soliloquy 'What joy is joy, if Silvia be not by' straight, and it’s a humdinger of a performance."Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
"A new addition to the company is Rob Nagle, one of the artistic directors of Antaeus, who is comfortable in comedy, the classics, but whose dog Roosevelt the Pug steals the show as Crab. The funniest Crab I have ever seen." Robert Machray, StageMage
"Rob Nagle (Valentine) shines as the emotional, sensitive and somewhat foppish lover. Nagle’s self-effacing humor and comic timing are top-notch." Radomir Luza, North Hollywood Patch
"Rob Nagle’s hulking Valentine in long curly wig is astudy in pink knee breeches, lacy waistcoat and coat, and painted eyebrows, beauty patches andcupid’s-bow mouth on powder-white makeup... Amid all the hilarity and slapstick, that familiarity with text and form can add occasional notes of unexpected emotional resonance. When Nagle’s Valentine, chastened by loss and betrayal, slowly wipes off his foppish makeup while the band plays 'Colour My World,' it is a moment of genuine pathos." Lynne Heffley, Burbank Leader
PEACE IN OUR TIME
"The cast I saw, featuring Nagle and his fellow 'Stubbs' team, seemed just about perfect..." Don Shirley, LA Stage Times
"As lethally amiable Nazi Albrecht Richter... bravura Rob Nagle (has) unsettling presence." David C. Nichols, Backstage
"Rob Nagle simply triumphs as the SS Man who patrols the neighborhood: this is an actor to watch, for his every glance and movement is positively organic." Tony Frankel, Stage and Cinema
"...how to present a Nazi character that was neither kitsch, schlock, nor comic relief, intended or otherwise... The problem is solved brilliantly in Rob Nagle's rendering of Albrecht Richter, the Gestapo bureaucrat who oversees the pub. Richter's embrace of the Fuhrer's vision is fervent and true, never expedient -- he is a man born to Nazism." Thomas Waldman, NOHO Arts District
FLEETWOOD MACBETH
"Duncan (Rob Nagle) is a gargantuanly bare-and-barrel-chested Sean Connery wannabe." Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
"King Duncan of Scotland (Rob Nagle in white beard and false beer belly) speaks about how old he is which leads to a series of 'You are so old that...' Lynne Bronstein, Review Plays
"Returning company members are delightful... Rob Nagle as Duncan with a spot-on Sean Connery Scots accent." Candyce Columbus, Examiner
"...Rob Nagle, channeling Sean Connery as the murdered King Duncan, and Jason Turner... sweeten this pool of talent." Dink O'Neal, Burbank Leader
"Rob Nagle channels Sean Connery as King Duncan and keeps the show from getting derailed by too many ad-libs and pop culture references from the jokey cast." Pauline Adamek, LA Weekly
"I especially enjoyed Rob Nagle’s blustery Duncan..." Tom Waldman, MyDailyFind
"Rob Nagle galumphs with precision as King Duncan—you've heard of his doughnuts." David C. Nichols, Backstage
THE NORMAL CHILD
"Rob Nagle is exceptionally good as the Louisiana exile who returns to the unhappy homestead of his youth to save his sister from her family and herself. In a good and just world, this production would continue to live on somewhere even after its three remaining weekend matinee performances in the current Fringe." Lyle Zimskind, LAist
PLAY DATES / 3 one-acts by Sam Wolfson
Boy Meets Girl - Dr. Love - Honeymoon Period (remount)
"Nagle, one of the brightest lights of L.A.’s stage scene, proves once again... that Versatility should be his middle name. It seems barely possible that the actor... should be the same thesp whose intense performances in Sidhe and London’s Scars were honored with 2009-2010 StageSceneLA Awards for Drama. In Play Dates, Nagle reveals a mastery of comic timing, full body acting, and improv... As an added bonus, his brief, priceless bit as a gay waiter manages to be spot-on without a hint of hetero-actor condescension." Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
"Her cast, doubling in supporting roles, is spot-on: Nagle and Bond's gonzo dance d'amour and Monahan and Marshall's gymnastic evening ablutions easily worth admission." David C. Nichols, Los Angeles Times
"Rob Nagle steals the show with his deadpan portrayal of a wounded child and intense, over the top talk show host." Mary Mallory, Tolucan Times
"If I have to single one of them out, RobNagle, LA Theatre semi-celeb actor-extraordinaire, is not to be missed." the Networker
THE 39 STEPS
"...two great clowns (Rob Nagle and Larry Paulsen)... who have fully tapped their inner Tim Conway. They execute an endless array of perfectly timed physical gags, quick costume changes and gymnastics of both the verbal and physical variety... the evening really belongs to the comedy team of Nagle and Paulsen, who pull off nearly 50 roles between them — many at the same time. They easily distinguish their many characters with the switch of a hat or a quick dash under a counter. These are clowns both Beckett and Burnett would hail." John Moore, Denver Post
"The burly Rob Nagle is hilarious as a dizzying array of characters ranging from a Scotland Yard detective to a frumpy female hotel clerk to an annoyingly high-voiced newspaper boy." Todd Wallinger, Colorado Springs Gazette
"The hard-working Larry Paulsen and Rob Nagle are the shows chameleons, switching hats, costumes, accents and even genders to play all the other parts... The two stretch their comic muscles to the snapping point, as well as hefting much of the furniture that coalesces so unexpectedly into all sorts of landscapes. They never appear to sweat it." Noah Jordan, 303 Magazine
"Mr. Paulsen and Mr. Nagle portray a few dozen characters, some that will have you rolling in the aisles." Greg Rice, BroadwayWorld
"...supported by some of the most gifted comedic actors to grace Denver stages... wonderfully cast and incredibly funny, Paulsen and Nagle truly brought out all the stops and tirelessly bring each and every moment to life. It's exhausting just to watch, but when the two of them carry on a conversation between four people, it's a sight to behold." Deb Flomberg, Denver Examiner
"Paulsen and Nagle were fantastic and, in my opinion, found a greater variety in each of their characters than the performers I saw on Broadway, especially with their range of effortless dialects." He Said/She Said Critiques, Mile High Critics
"The 39 Steps is the best show in Denver... this is one that you've got to see if you can swing it. Hilarious." Greg Moody, CBS Television, Channel 4, Denver
"Nagle's ultra quick character, costume, and dialect transitions between inspector, straight man, and paper boy are flabbergasting." Bob Bows, Colorardo Drama
"The 39 Steps is a quite simply the funniest show to have ever been staged by the Denver Center Theatre Company... the cast of four is impeccable in the transmogrification of dark suspenseful celluloid into high voltage theatrical farce that's sidesplitting." David Marlowe, Colorado Theatre Guild
"Larry Paulsen and Rob Nagle play everyone else... their timing is impeccable — it has to be — and their antics a hoot." Juliet Wittman, Westword
"It is by far, the boffo ballet of Rob Nagle and Larry Paulsen that brings this roller-coaster to its vaudevillian knees. My jaw was on my chest in simultaneous awe and laughter." Tracy Shaffer, Telluride Inside
LIFE AS WE KNOW IT
"A clever ensemble of improv players (Will Sasso, Melissa McCarthy, Andrew Daly, Rob Nagle) score sly laughs as Holly and Messer’s newfound, nosy neighbors..." Dennis King, Projections
PLAY DATES / 3 one-acts by Sam Wolfson
Boy Meets Girl - Dr. Love - Honeymoon Period
"BOY MEETS GIRL: The best scene is a ballet... In the hands of most actors this would be funny, but when Rob Nagle gets hold of it, the laugh meter shoots beyond the strata. Nagle is a master of comic timing, and he brings an arsenal of expressions and faces that convince the skeptics that this is an overgrown five year old dunked in a wading pool far beyond his comprehension. / In DR. LOVE... Again, Nagle stretches easily to create a devastating caricature of all the 'Doctors' on the air. Dr. Phil and Dr. Laura, watch out!" Jose Ruiz, Review Plays
"Rob Nagle and Elizabeth Bond are delightful as the pre-pubescent couple." Joel Elkins, LA Theatre Review
"Nagle’s transition from kindergarten playground Casanova Sam, a me-me-me, adorable to embittered and then chastened Dr. Love was exquisitely gawky. Bond’s formidable four-year-old Stacey, coltishly-chomping for playground, pre-adolescent romance, contrasted nicely with Nagle’s D-Day landing tentativeness." James Scarborough, What the Butler Saw
LONDON'S SCARS
"Nagle is brilliant (what else?) in a pair of roles, the wily aforementioned investigator and (in adeliciously comic turn) a horny bar patron who succumbs to Mary’s allure." Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
"Rob Nagle gives his character—the investigating British-intelligence agent—a variety of rich, unexpected details. Instead of 'bad acting' shivers and arm-rubbing to show the cold weather, Nagle makes Wiggins sweat itchily through his heavy winter suit." Dany Margolies, Backstage
"The solid cast is punctuated by standouts Nagle, notable for his chameleonic shifts in playing two other minor characters as well, and Bishop, whose tortured intensity is palpable." Mayank Keshaviah, LA Weekly
"...crisp performances all around drive this literate script... Nagle finds unexpected nooks and crannies in his G-man." Charlotte Stoudt, Los Angeles Times
"...blessed by a wonderful cast, especially in Rob Nagle who chameleon-like switches roles a few times, and also by a very talented director fairly new on the scene, Darin Anthony..." Robert Machray, Stage Happenings
"Superb acting from a highly committed, natural cast. The rumors are true: Kenneth Branagh was there, and gave a standing ovation! My thoughts are therefore irrelevant. Just take that information to the bank and go see this show." ty.foster8, Goldstar Member
SIDHE
"Louise's steadiest customer is her alcoholic brother in law, Vernon (the standout Rob Nagle), who remains inconsolable over the shooting death of his philandering wife Amy, whom he'd worshiped unrequitedly." Deborah Klugman, LA Weekly
"Rob Nagle (Vernon) once again proves himself versatility personified, his nasal Chicago accent, working class demeanor, and sad eyes revealing a Midwesterner tormented by guilt and loss." Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
"Rob Nagle’s Vernon churns with rage..." Laura Hitchcock, CurtainUp
"Rob Nagle creates a cuddly cop in Vernon, a sturdy Midwesterner trying to do right. Vernon downs glass after glass of Jameson, and Nagle accurately shows the effects." Dany Margolies, Backstage
"Rob Nagle... is perfect for Vernon. Not only because he has an immense capacity for earnestness but he has a great command of the stage and has the remarkable ability to dance between comedy and tragedy with the dexterity of Mercury." Ann Noble
BACH AT LEIPZIG
"Nagle is superb, a subtle comic with sad truths in his eyes and full dramatic command of the stage." Dany Margolies, Backstage
"Rob Nagle, in the lead as J.F. Fasch, brings a wealth of reality to his farcical role (as everyone must) and is believable throughout." Dale Reynolds, Stage Happenings
"The best moments... come from Rob Nagle’s powerhouse performance as the only thoughtful character." Tom Provenzano, LA Weekly
"...Rob Nagle as the forgotten Johann Friedrich Fasch, the play’s most complex character, was good enough to start me hunting through old Baroque recordings for some of his music." Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times
"The marvelously subtle Nagle starts getting laughs with the play’s very first line..." Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
"The ensemble is a director’s dream cast with Nagle at the helm." MR Hunter, Stage Happenings
"The opening monologue by Johann Friedrich Fasch, played with elegance and eloquence by Rob Nagle, lays the groundwork for the slapstick antics that are to follow in this most satisfying, marvelously written farce by Itamar Moses." Beverly Cohn, Santa Monica Mirror
"Although the entire cast was enjoyable, I found Rob Nagle's performance to be outstanding. Nagle's grasp of heightened language is only surpassed by his flawless comic timing. His speech at the opening of Act 2 was a major highlight of the play." Anonymous Goldstar Member
THE GREAT TENNESSEE MONKEY TRIAL
"Rob Nagle gives Attorney General Stewart a warm Southern accent and a pit bull’s personality, while he and Arye Gross, as defense attorney Arthur Garfield Hayes, engage in wonderful comedic interplay..." Andrew S. Hughes, South Bend Tribune
"Heading the prosecution, Rob Nagle looked and sounded somewhat like Fred Thompson when Fred Thompson still had his wits about him, as in the Watergate hearings. Nagle's brass tacks performance Friday firmly complemented Asner's embodiment of a mythic figure." Jay Harvey, Indianapolis Star
THE SCHOOL OF NIGHT
"The three main villains Ian Bedford, Mark H. Dold and Rob Nagle make the most of their opportunities as three really bad guys with fleeting moments of comedy and mock (and not so mock) violence." Laurence Vittes, Hollywood Reporter
"The ensemble cast is exceptional throughout, with particular nods to... LA treasure Rob Nagle as Nicholas Skeres, a guy equal parts comfortably convivial friend and covert hired assassin." Travis Michael Holder, Entertainment Today
"Mark H. Dold and Rob Nagle are excellent as the nefarious duo Robyn Poley and Nicholas Skeres." Jim Farber, Daily Breeze
TAKING STEPS
"...brilliant slapstick moments... laugh riot.... one of the very best comedy productions of 2008..." Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
"Nagle, a big, bearlike man sporting surfboard size sideburns for the role, showcases his skills as a physical comedian." Paul Hodgins, Orange County Register
"With his ludicrously long sideburns and embarrassingly tight fitting trousers, Nagle's Roland seems like an ex porn star gone to seed." Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times
"Booming voiced Nagle proves that a huge man can expertly do physical comedy." Dany Margolies, Backstage
"Rob Nagle leads the way delightfully as an irascible, pompous, yet strangely likeable husband Roland." Joseph Sirota, Event News
"Nagle proves himself a master of stage inebriation." Steven Stanley, StageSceneLA
"Nagle, the big delight of the show, helps the over drinking Roland to his feet with great timing and accents, before being pressed into service in a painfully funny encounter with a rollaway bed." Cristofer Gross, Theater Times
"...the key to the comedy's success is Rob Nagle, whose boozy, bearlike performance as Roland steals the show. Confidently clad in a garish lime green leisure suit and equally horrible toupee (that covers just half of his bald pate), Nagle's a scream in the role." Pam Kragen, North County Times
JAMES JOYCE'S THE DEAD
"Nagle's low key performance is filled with a passionate undercurrent that defines the character well." Jay Reiner, Hollywood Reporter
"...nothing short of superb... (Nagle) achingly sings one of literature's most haunting, final perorations... This is about as close to a flawless production as you can get." Lovell Estell III, LA Weekly
"...Nagle's touching Gabriel and Demson's sensitive Gretta require forbearance at the finale, wheretheir exposed feelings distort intonation in favor of emotional heft. It isn't snow falling softly at the end of this heartfelt revival but bittersweet Joycean tears." David C. Nichols, Los Angeles Times
"The extremely talented Rob Nagle plays Gabriel with wit, intelligence, and depth of feeling... Nagle does a masterful job of keeping us from being lulled by the music and poetry while at the same time showing us its beauty." Robert Machray, Stage Happenings
"Rob Nagle as Gabriel Conroy gives a compelling and sensitive performance. His vocal stability is challenged when he gets caught up in the emotion on the final number, 'The Living and The Dead,' but his depth of commitment is a joy to watch." K. Ann Ross, Backstage
Rob dedicated his performance in this production to the memory of his father-in-law, Barry H. Kurtz, who died just a few hours before the curtain went up on opening night.
THE LAST DAYS OF JUDAS ISCARIOT
"Rob Nagle's closing monologue as Butch Honeywell, a simply affecting declaration of loss, is a subtle and powerful piece of acting." Terry Morgan, Variety
"Rob Nagle excels in a profound climactic monologue as a jury member with his own cross to bear." Les Spindle, Backstage
BUG
"Rob Nagle's unbelievable fight sequences with Peter are among the most shocking and realistic ever seen, and while we know he's the antagonist, we almost side with him as Peter takes out his frustration and revenge on him in a bloody, gory, life ending fight." Jose Ruiz, Review Plays
"...the play provides plenty of rich material for an absolutely superb cast, which includes Rob Nagle as a psychiatrist who may have a shocking hidden agenda." F. Kathleen Foley, Los Angeles Times
"Rob Nagle,who in one brief but unforgettable scene provides one of the most shocking moments ever staged on any intimate 99 seat house." Travis Michael Holder, Review Plays
WHERE'S POPPA?
"Director Gordon Hunt, knowing that 90% of great directing is getting the right cast, has hired two great supporting players (Rob Nagle and Ellen Ratner) to round out the ensemble." Mary Burkin, Burbank Leader
"Rob Nagle is a wonder playing five smaller roles." Pat Taylor, Tolucan Times
BEAUTIFUL CITY
"...Nagle, as Paul, is compelling. He gives an honest portrayal of an insecure, unhappy man trying to change his life. In scenes that center on Paul, Walker’s dialogue frequently sparkles, and Nagle makes them memorable." Jeff Favre, Backstage
MOONLIGHT AND MAGNOLIAS
"Nagle is sympathetic and convincing as Selznick, conveying both the man's desperation and his genuine desire to do the story justice in a funny and forceful perf." Terry Morgan, Variety
"Nagle is utterly dynamic and charming as Selznick, playing the producer as a quirky visionary." Jennie Webb, Backstage
"Just watching Rob Nagle as Selznick, do a ten minute synopsis of the story, enacting all the parts, is worth the price of admission." Ingrid Wilmot, Will Call
"Nagle plays Selznick with just the right glint of zealotry in his calculating eye, although we fail to glimpse the street fighter under Selznick’s professorial exterior." F. Kathleen Foley, Los Angeles Times
LOOT
"Most of the guffaws come from Rob Nagle as Inspector Truscott." Jose Ruiz, Review Plays
"Nagle handily embodies Orton's contempt for authority figures..." Wenzel Jones, Backstage
THE VOYSEY INHERITANCE
"Rob Nagle is a barrel chested, boneheaded, career military type, but his portrayal falls short enough of slapstick to add some subtlety to the stereotype, his military bearing peeling off until he turns into the sort of morally undisciplined stripling that he so despises." John Barry, Baltimore City Paper
EIGHTEEN
"The bombastic Nagle and the effectively reserved Bledsoe are excellent." Los Angeles Times
"Rob Nagle and Jennifer Bledsoe are terrific as the couple in conflict, creating exciting chemistry between them... The play is like an orgasm waiting to erupt, probing for just the right touch to release the flood of emotions... and we are not disappointed." Jose Ruiz, Review Plays
ANGRY
"Rob Nagle evokes laughs in the pivotal role of the harmonica-playing postman, delivering much more than mail to these households." Les Spindle, Backstage
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING
"...the proceedings vibrate with understated rancor whenever Nagle takes command of the stage." Julio Martinez, Variety
"Rob Nagle’s hissable villain gets to hurl a tennis ball into the wings to demonstrate his temper." Don Shirley, Los Angeles Times
LOVE'S LABOUR'S LOST
"Rob Nagle is a scholar of dullness as the good Constable Dull, Shakespeare's antidote to all the other characters' high flying language. You could watch Nagle all evening and not get bored. His facial gestures and literal minded fidgets bring the other characters' absurdities into sharp focus." Jennifer de Poyen, San Diego Union Tribune
"And if you still didn't get it, don't worry. Neither did Constable Anthony Dull (Rob Nagle), who was simply hysterical as the dim witted policeman completely confounded by the fast talking aristocrats." Rob Hopper, San Diego Playbill
SCHADENFREUDE
"Particularly successful is Nagle's incredibly haughty Forster, whose inept failure as a colonialist reduces him to the state of bumbling idiocy." Julio Martinez, Variety
"Nagle summons a ferocious emotional energy while brilliantly capturing a kind of German ness that studiously avoids stereotype." Laura Weinert, Backstage
THE SLEEP OF REASON
"Though Cook cries out at times, almost all his eloquence is in his anguished face and movements. The rest comes through Nagle, his unobtrusive yet well-tuned accompaniment perfectly keyed to Cook's every look." Lawrence Bommer, Chicago Reader
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST
"...a refined and talented actor who keeps his booming baritone voice in place while dressing in drag to play the part of Lady Bracknell. The site of lace, mascara and blush on the linebacker like frame of Nagle is in itself a comedy. But Nagle's ability to pull off the part of the meddling aunt is a tribute to his versatility." Phil Smith, Times Union
"Nagle's interpretation of Bracknell can best be described as towering." Marcia Fulmer, The Elkhart Truth
A FEW GOOD MEN
"Nagle's Jessup is truly hypnotic, like a snake uncoiling." Marcia Fulmer, The Elkhart Truth
DON JUAN IN HELL
"Rob Nagle's flawless Juan pours out a fast flowing stream of eloquence." Lawrence Bommer, Chicago Reader
"Brendon Fox's direction is... crisp... and his company does him proud -- especially Rob Nagle, with his relentless Juan..." Tony Adler, Chicago Tribune
GOD BLESS ADRIAN, MICHIGAN
"Pungently right... Rob Nagle's manic, self-proclaimed bad boy." Lawrence Bommer, Chicago Tribune
"The burned-out men of Adrian are eerily real. Rob Nagle's bull-like Dirk and Dennis McNitt's self-effacing, simpering Harv are both frightening and pathetic." Adam Langer, Chicago Reader