DAVID MACALUSO
David Macaluso
The tailor Ko-Ko [is] brilliantly brought to life by the Chaplin-esque singing comedian, David Macaluso. His performance is a Broadway caliber, high energy turn, worth seeing the show for by itself.
"David Macaluso, as Sir Ruthven, continues to impress as a musical theater comedian."
Variety
MIKADO: "[This ] delightful production is more in the vein of 1920s musical comedy.
This is especially apparent in the snazzy performance of David Macaluso, who... plays Arthur Sullivan in the prologue before emerging as the hapless tailor turned Lord High Executioner, Ko-Ko. Prancing about the stage with exuberant showmanship and handling Gilbert's verbal wit with crackling dexterity, he's the evening's energetic comic engine."
BROADWAY WORLD
"David Macaluso’s Ko-Ko... his singing could not be faulted, and he used his Phil Silvers smile to good effect." The New York Times
"In the central role of Ko-Ko (as well as appearing in the Prologue as Arthur Sullivan), David Macaluso demonstrated impeccable timing, much in the manner of Groucho Marx ..."
THEATRE SCENE
"Macaluso was able to embody Ko-Ko’s comedic potential while making the character accessible to a modern audience, whether he was dragging an absurdly large axe around stage behind him, rolling around stage on an anachronistic kick scooter or just singing about all of the people he included on his list for execution (including the conductor, members of the audience, the people who adapted Les Mis to a movie, and both houses of Congress). Macaluso stole the show. "
THE MERCER CLUSTER
Mr. David Macaluso’s truly funny Ko-Ko is indeed a tailor out of his element. Even when he wants to take advantage of his new rank of Lord High Executioner, this Ko-Ko knows something is bound to go wrong. It is just a question of What Now? Yet for all Ko-Ko’s foolery, Mr. Macaluso also develops a subtly sympathetic side that really works well in his wooing of the daunting Katisha.
BROADWAY KINGDOM ENTERTAINMENT
The part of Koko, Lord High Executioner of Titipu, was portrayed by Mr. Macaluso with admirable physicality that garnered much laughter from the audience. His desperate courtship of Katisha could be considered a lesson in clowning. This made his tender aria "Willow, Tit-Willow" even more soulful by contrast.
VOCE DI MECHE
"David Macaluso splendidly delivers the Major-General's signature patter, including a clever bit where he overtakes the orchestra and waits for them to catch up."
BROADWAY WORLD
"Doubling is inevitable in a small-cast "Pinafore"; as it turns out, it's part of the fun. Here, the third Tar in the line (David Macaluso, a youngish, skinny fellow with eyes that pop out) dons not only the wig of Sir Joseph but the hoop skirt of poor Buttercup as well. While Captain Corcoran is the skipper and Ralph Rackstraw the ablest seaman, it's Macaluso who makes this saucy ship a beauty (in the words of Sir William)."
VARIETY
The highlight of the show is the trio "My Eyes Are Fully Opened," ... Here Burke and Holmes are joined by David Macaluso as Robin...the three singers expertly spit out the intricate words faster and faster, reaching a dizzying and delightful climax."
Backstage, New York
"Buffo Macaluso, as the hapless true heir to the baronetcy, distinguished himself with his rapid-fire “My Boy, You May Take It From Me” and “Away, Remorse!”"
Q Onstage
"David Macaluso sang ably and acted admirably as the pastoral poet Archibald Grosvenor, Bunthorne’s rival and Patience’s long-lost childhood love."
THE NEW YORK TIMES
"...It demands that its interpreters somehow make silly manoeuvres look serious – well, at least half-serious. In David Macaluso, NYGASP commands a comedian who actually sings Robin Oakapple without recourse to quasi-Sprechgesang, and who exudes charm as well as whimsy."
The Financial Times
The Three Musketeers:
David Macaluso is also quite good as the devious Cardinal Richelieu.
The New York Times
Ruddigore” Delights w/star turns of David Macaluso & Caitlin Burke:
When do you encounter a BOOK, 19th-century BOOK of a musical, that’s actually that witty and well delivered?... the excellent David Macaluso, who is as adept with slinging, one-liners, and physical comedy as he is with singing the vocally demanding, tongue-twisting score. He strikes 19th-century acting poses with the command of a Booth
The Steven Holt Show Blog
"... and David Macaluso as Samuel stand-out among the cast though, for their timing. If they could take their character that extra step without going too far, they did and it was brilliant!"
The Rogers Review
"The Vortex Theater Company's "Kiss of the Spider Woman" is the antithesis of Disney's "The Lion King"; the entire physical production would fit in the back of a large SUV, with the seats removed. Even so, the staging by Gisela Cardenas is perhaps second only to Julie Taymor's wizardry for sheer theatricality on the New York musical stage at present.
This "Spider Woman" may not be for everyone, but Cardenas and her talented associates have created a musical theater experience out of the ordinary. With a limited number of performances remaining and less than 50 seats per, a quick trip to the Vortex may well be in order. "
VARIETY