**Paragon Theatre’s “Love Song”
1.)"John Kolvenbach's potent dramedy,
"Love Song," makes a tender case for
welcoming love into your life — in
whatever form you may be luck enough to
get it."
"Beane, is circling the drain of life. He's dancing the
edge between autistic and
idiot savant. In a sharp
and always intriguing performance, Brian Landis Folkins
gives us a self-obsessed man sadly lost inside himself."
"The pursuit of love can either obliterate us or, in the case of Beane, it can give back to a lonely, barely existing man his fingerprints. "
(3 out of 4 Stars)
-John Moore DENVER POST
2.)"Rarely do you see performances as perfect as those delivered by (the Love Song) actors, who give the text every ounce of required emotion while still exercising subtlety and restraint."
"Brian Landis Folkins as Beane ...knows how to go full out, but also imbue quietly whispering moments with such intensity that you lean forward to catch every syllable."
-Juliet Whittman WESTWORD
3.)"
Brian Landis Folkins is a marvel as Beane" "Love Song balances rhapsodies with comic, harsh banter for an affecting, entertaining story...it may be the company's best discovery yet."
"Brian Landis Folkins has truly arrived with his sensitive portrayal of this character. For his performance alone one must rush to get a ticket."
Lisa Bornstein (A-) - ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS (final paper)
"Paragon’s production enchants to such a degree that one must leave you, dear reader, with the mandate to see this play."
-David Marlowe
- OUTFRONT
**Germinal Stage Denver’s “Eccentricities of a Nightingale”
1.) “The cast is anchored by the two leads… Brian Landis Folkins as John. These two are stark contrasts, but also connect well. Folkins’ John is kind and honest, and rebels in his own way against society’s expectations and his mother’s attempts to control him. There was a wonderful tenderness underlying the relationship between the leads on stage, particularly notable given the barriers the characters erect between themselves.
Craig Williamson -
North Denver Tribune
2.)
When Brian Landis Folkins, who plays John Buchanan, walks on stage, you're momentarily disappointed, so nondescript and ordinary does he seem. Eventually, though, you realize this actor has subsumed his personality to the role he's playing; minute by minute, the outlines of the character become clearer, and the performance gains in depth and interest. This is a masterful approach, subtle and relaxed: no fireworks, nothing showy, no intimation that Folkins is acting at all. And it's perfect for the ambiguous role of John, foil to neurotic local misfit Alma, who's besotted with him. We listen to his quiet responses to her effusions and wonder: Is he being polite? Does he genuinely care for her? Is he simply bemused? Or is there a part of him that thirsts for her passionate, yearning energy — because there are yearnings in himself that he has never acknowledged?
Juliet Wittman - WESTWORD
3.)A deep supporting cast led by an effectively grounded Brian Landis Folkins as John. (3 out of 4 Stars)
John Moore - DENVER POST
**New Stage Theatre’s “The Mercy Seat”
“Brian Landis Folkins (Playing Ben) gives the performance it’s emotional weight.
Nientara Anderson -
The Clarion-Ledger (Jackson, MS)
**BETC’s “Fat Pig”
“Of the four actors, the liveliest and most interesting is Brian Landis Folkins, who plays Carter. His thoughts are as superficial as everyone else's, but Folkins gives him vitality and just the hint of an inner life. In fact, the play's one moment of insight comes when Carter remembers going to the store as a teenager with his 300-pound-plus mother, his embarrassment and shame, and the way he turned his rage on her.”
Juliet Whittman -
WESTWORD |
