Click here to read my own reviews of other plays.
Acting
“…Intoxicating… charming, funny, and passionate…” – Mike Fischer, JS Online
“McDaris radiates magic!” – Lauren Whalen, Chicago Theater Beat
“…AMAZING vocal quality…” – Shawn Andrew Smith, Chicago Stage Standard
“Comic gold!” – Rick Maurer, Geek N Out Review
“McDaris exudes all the spellbinding conviction of a renowned thespian.” –Kelsey Lawler, Broadway World
Directing
“I cannot recommend this show enough… 4 out of 4 stars.” (The Wayward Women, 2016)
“Dark subject matter handled deftly, surprising moments of humor and pathos.” (Countess Bathory, 2016)
“Quite possibly one of my favorite live theatre experience
“Masterfully Delivered.” (Twelfth Night, 2014)
“Such a great show!” (A Thousand Times Goodnight, 2015)
Writing
“McDaris’ use of language and quick wit closely conjures the rhythm of Elizabethan comedy, a literary feat worth hearing alone.” (A Thousand Times Goodnight, 2013)
“I was astounded this wasn’t an actual Shakespeare play that I somehow missed- [McDaris] displays such a talent for writing dialogue that I will endeavor to see any play he’s written.” (The Wayward Women, 2016)
“McDaris’ script is not only exquisitely paced and structured, but it is incredibly intelligent as well.” (Countess Bathory, 2016)
“Indefatigable in eloquence. In the beginning, I was wondering which bard this was. I realized the truth and it made me laugh. What a gifted and utterly unique writer.” (The Wayward Women, 2017)
THIS PRISON WHERE I LIVE, by Angela Iannone
TheaterRED, Milwaukee (Midwest Premier)
ROLE: Edwin Booth (2018)
“One cannot imagine a finer portrayal of Edwin Booth than the one given by Chicago actor and playwright Jared McDaris. He manages to hold the audience’s attention throughout the play. McDaris’s mercurial moods as Edwin Booth provide an effective emotional flow that carries throughout this unique piece of theater.” – Anne Siegel, TotalTheater
“McDaris exudes all the spellbinding conviction of a renowned thespian, while simultaneously crumbling within the confines of Edwin’s mental and emotional distress.” – Kelsey Lawler, Broadway World
“Jared McDaris deftly wields precision and perfection in his portrayal of the brother haunted by the ghost of an assassin. … relentless focus tempered by passion.” – Russ Bickerstaff, The Small Stage
“This small cast is truly without flaw… McDaris is tempered with his delivery. He brings Edwin’s naturalistic style to the interpretation of the reserved character, which elaborates the desperation as Edwin descends into madness.” – Kimberly Laberge, The Drama Den
“McDaris gives a remarkable performance as Edwin.” – Marilyn Jozwik, Wisconsin Theater Spotlight
“Stellar acting.” – Harry Cherkinian, Shepherd Express
“Please please PLEASE SEE this show—it was some of the best theater I’ve seen in my life” – Kira Renkas, Aura Theater Collective
THE PASSION OF BOUDICCA, by Jared McDaris
We Three, Chicago (World Premier)
POSITION: Director (2017)
“Exhilarating and inspiring historical fiction!” – Mark Anthony Child
“A shout out… to playwright/director Jared McDaris, for hoodwinking me completely into thinking I was watching the genuine article, a “forgotten” Elizabethan play that had escaped my attention all these years.” – Herb Metzler
THE WAYWARD WOMEN, by Jared McDaris
TheaterRED, Milwaukee (MKE Premier)
POSITION: Playwright (2017)
“Every character is a show alone. The plot is a Shakespearean twist that alludes to so many plays and it’s a delight to hear it if you’ve done your homework. It’s a marvelous play… indefatigable in eloquence. In the beginning, I was wondering which bard this was. I realized the truth and it made me laugh. What a gifted and utterly unique writer.” – Bill Jackson
“Wayward Women was an amazing show… intricate, yet accessible, and my cheeks hurt from laughing afterwards.” – Natasha Mortazavi
SHERLOCK HOLMES: ALMOST GOT HIM, by Jared McDaris
Devonshire Playhouse & EDGE Theatre, Skokie
POSITION: Playwright (2017)
“With a plot and action-movie-like fight sequences that unfold like a graphic novel, each actor gets their moment to shine under Orion Couling’s direction, as five (or six!) stories unfold beautifully under fantastically designed lighting and impeccably classic costuming. A fun 90 minute escapade through the mysteries of London!” – Sarah Sapperstein
COUNTESS BATHORY, by Jared McDaris
We Three, Chicago
POSITION: Director (2016)
“Folks, go see Countess Bathory: A New Elizabethan Tragedy by Jared McDaris if you can! It’s donations-welcome and an epic darkly funny deeply unsettling Elizabethan style play with fantastic language and fantastic performances!” – Alyson Grauer
“Dark subject matter handled deftly, surprising moments of humor and pathos… it was very pleasant to hear non-Shakespearean verse that was just as passionate and fiery as the Bard’s.” – Jeremiah Barr
THE WAYWARD WOMEN, by Jared McDaris
We Three, Chicago
POSITION: Director (2016)
“I cannot recommend this show enough… It is original, playful, hilarious… A solid 4 out of 4 stars.” – Patrick Bushnell
A THOUSAND TIMES GOODNIGHT, by Jared McDaris
The Unrehearsed Shakespeare Company, Chicago
POSITION: Director (2015)
“We had an awesome time!! Brava/Bravo to all the actors, playwright, and production team! I love seeing theatre that leaves you energized at the end.” – Emily Brantz
“Such a great show! Laughed a lot, booed, cheered, hissed, clapped, all sorts of good feels.” – Peter Hammer
THE ILLUSION, by Tony Kushner (freely adapted from “L’Illusion Comique,” by Pierre Corneille)
The Right Brain Project, Chicago
ROLE: “Matamore” (2015)
“Jared McDaris makes a swashbuckling Matamore, with all the wink-and-nudge humor of Inigo Montoya.” – Colin Douglas, Chicago Theatre Review
“Jared McDaris’ pompous pirate/plot device [scores] the biggest laughs.” – Kerry Reid, The Chicago Tribune
MACBETH, by William Shakespeare
Accidental Shakespeare, Chicago
ROLE: “Duncan/Porter/Doctor” (2014)
“McDaris is an extremely dynamic actor, switching convincingly and quickly through majestic, hilarious, frantic, and quietly concerned through each of the roles he plays.” – ailelie
TWELFTH NIGHT, by William Shakespeare
H+D Productions, Milwaukee
POSITION: Director (2014)
“Masterfully delivered… Director Jared McDaris staged each scene with purpose, allowing the actors to thrive… a brilliant overall production.” – Local Trolley
“Under the direction of Chicago-based Jared McDaris… they capture something about the play that more respectful productions don’t always: it’s really, really funny.” – Jeff Grygny, Milwaukee Theatre Examiner
LOVE’S LABOURS LOST, by William Shakespeare
The Right Brain Project, Chicago
POSITION: Director (2014)
“These interactive scenes made you gasp, laugh, and made it impossible to keep your eyes off every actor scattered amidst the attending guests… each actor held up their end equally with suave gender fluidity that I truly wish all theatre groups would take note of.” – Jacqueline Arbelo, D20 Girls Magazine Online
“Quite possibly one of my favorite live theatre experience
“Loves Labors is an amazing theatrical
AMADEUS, by Peter Schaffer
World’s Stage Theatre, Milwaukee
ROLE: “Mozart” (2014)
“Jared McDaris is intoxicating as a show-stealing Mozart: brash, crude and shamelessly egotistical, but also charming, funny and passionate. Even more impressive, McDaris captures the emotional depth of a character who rightly tells us that while ‘my tongue is stupid, my heart isn’t.’ ” – Mike Fischer, JS Online (McDaris’s Mozart Hits Right Notes In World’s Stage’s Amadeus)
“[Gretchen Mahkorn] and McDaris have good chemistry, and the scenes they share — some infectiously joyous and others heartbreaking — are consistently convincing.” – Mike Fischer, JS Online (McDaris’s Mozart Hits Right Notes In World’s Stage’s Amadeus)
“McDaris does a really good job of bringing a very human and very passionate artist to the stage.” – Russ Bickerstaff, Express Milwaukee (A Close-Up For Amadeus and Salieri)
“McDaris makes a most convincing Mozart.” – Jeff Grygny, Milwaukee Theater Examiner (Murdered by His Century: World Stage’s Colorful “Amadeus”)
A THOUSAND TIMES GOODNIGHT, by Jared McDaris
TheaterRED, Milwaukee
POSITION: Writer/Director (2013)
“McDaris’ use of language and quick wit closely conjures the rhythm of Elizabethan comedy, a literary feat worth hearing alone… acted with complete confidence by an accomplished, brave cast.” – Postscript: Performing Arts
RED HAMLET, by Aaron Sawyer
Red Theater, Chicago
ROLE: “Polonius/Ghost” (2013)
“McDaris… has an AMAZING vocal quality for Shakespeare.” – Shawn Andrew Smith, Chicago Stage Standard
“Hamlet hears the voice of his father’s ghost (Jared McDaris) in a delivery that sent shivers up my spine… The command of range shown by the cast is formidable.” – Joy Campbell, Chicago Theater Beat
THE TEMPEST, by William Shakespeare
Accidental Shakespeare, Chicago
ROLE: “Ariel” (2013)
“McDaris radiates magic as sprite Ariel, bringing whimsy to each syllable and completely comfortable jumping around and making mischief.” – Lauren Whalen, Chicago Theater Beat
“Only Jared McDaris – as the duke’s magical slave, Ariel – has the vocal chops needed for Shakespeare’s rich poetry.” – Albert Williams, Chicago Reader
MARAT/SADE, by Peter Weiss
The Right Brain Project, Chicago
ROLE: “Kokol” [Singer] (2011)
“Robbel has rightly cast solid vocalists and strong instrumentalists and they shine… And the ensemble itself is a huge, moving, breathing, moaning unit.” – AWG:Chicago
“The large ensemble constitutes brilliant bits three through 30.” – Tony Adler