Schmopera

In Review:  MADAMA BUTTERFLY

MADAMA BUTTERFLY by Puccini
Canadian Opera Company
2014

 

"As Goro, I have to doff my cap to Mr. Ahn. Flying around that stage, singing some very pattery dialogue and singing with a light, free, and open tenor that had an agility that sparkled on the few runs and flourishes Puccini gave him. Suzuki's assault is a full-on physical attack, executed in such a complete physicality that it makes me excited for the future of opera if our comprimarios (like in Falstaff) are doing such excellent stage/character/physical work while still providing beautiful singing."

Opera News

TURANDOT

TURANDOT by Puccini
Michigan Opera Theatre
2014

 

"Eugene Villanueva (Ping), Julius Ahn (Pang), and Scott Ramsey (Pong), dressed in lively, brilliantly colored costumes, were smartly matched in vocal power and skill, giving us an extra dose of credibility and humanity instead of pandering for comic relief.  Ahn in particular gave a lithe, multi-faceted performance."

Examiner

STUCK ELEVATOR often soars in Festival of Arts & Ideas production in New Haven

STUCK ELEVATOR by Au Yong & Jafferis
International Festival of Arts and Ideas
Long Wharf Theatre
2013

 

"Even though the character Guang remains trapped between floors in a New York tower in the new musical STUCK ELEVATOR, his portrayer, the marvelous Korean-American tenor Julius Ahn, allows Guang to soar, as he sings of his dreams for a future life for his family in this country and recounts his journey from China as an undocumented immigrant."

"All of this is told through a musical score that is never less than fascinating and, in Ahn's glorious tenor voice or in quartets or quintets with his cast mates, has moments of transcendent beauty and power. It's more of an operatic score than a musical comedy one, but it retains a gentle honesty that respects Guang and empathizes with his predicament."

"Ahn is on stage for virtually the entire show but any exhaustion he exhibits is clearly in service to his character. He essentially sings throughout the entire show as well, and his voice keeps its clarity and strength right up to the end. Guang is clearly a role he relishes."

Hartford Courant

Entertaining STUCK ELEVATOR at Long Wharf

STUCK ELEVATOR by Au Yong & Jafferis
International Festival of Arts and Ideas
Long Wharf Theatre
2013

 

"Julius Ahn, a melodious tenor with fine dramatic chops"

"Ahn is in glorious voice and takes us on Guang's multiples journeys with a deep sense of humanity."

Broadway World

BWW Reviews:  STUCK ELEVATOR a hit at A.C.T.

World Premiere
STUCK ELEVATOR by Au Yong & Jafferis
American Conservatory Theater
2013

 

"Julius Ahn is brilliant as the unassuming delivery man, neatly balancing the passive nature of a man who needs to remain invisible from the police with the deep desire to be seen and known for who he really is. His powerful voice molds itself around the operatic melodies provided by Yong, and we get our first glimpse of the real Guang; commanding and brave beneath the veneer of docile deliveryman."

Huffington Post

STUCK ELEVATOR - Audacious, Compelling, and Hugely Imaginative

World Premiere
STUCK ELEVATOR by Au Yong & Jafferis
American Conservatory Theater
2013

 

"Given the circumstances — confinement in a metal box that measures four by six feet — much of the narrative has to take place in the mind of its protagonist, named Guang.  The role is discharged with depth, subtlety and a beautiful voice by Julius Ahn."

SFist

SFist Reviews:  STUCK ELEVATOR at A.C.T.

World Premiere
STUCK ELEVATOR by Au Yong & Jafferis
American Conservatory Theater
2013

 

"As Guang, the delivery man stuck in the elevator, Julius Ahn is a commanding and impressive presence. Playing a pathetic character in a more pathetic circumstance, he sings with power and plays his character with admirable subtlety. Also admirable is how he never leaves the stage in the course of the play's 81 minutes."

San Francisco Chronicle

STUCK ELEVATOR Review:  Top-Flight

World Premiere
STUCK ELEVATOR by Au Yong & Jafferis
American Conservatory Theater
2013

 

"Half the drama - the part in much-abridged real life - is virtually a duet between golden-toned Julius Ahn as takeout deliveryman Guang and the confining, moving platforms within the towering skeletal elevator shaft that dominates Daniel Ostling's remarkable set."

Chicago Tribune

Name's Bond. Jason Bond, circa 1649.

GIASONE by Cavalli
Chicago Opera Theater
2010

 

"There is not a weak link in the young, attractive, energetic cast."

"The comic roles of stuttering hunchback Demo and drag nurse Delfa are winningly taken by tenors Julius Ahn and Tyler Nelson, respectively."