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Reviews and Testimonials

Perfect Arrangement by Topher Payne, Primary Stages

"Under Michael Barakiva's direction, the cast is uniformly appealing."

                                                                                    - New York Times

UP  by Bridget Carpenter, Oregon Shakespeare Festival

"Astute direction by Michael Barakiva and consummate acting by the entire cast paint an empathetic portrait of a typical dysfunctional American family."

- Adina Kletter

The Clean House by Sarah Ruhl, Syracuse Stage

"Michael Barakiva has done a splendid job of staging and directing The Clean House.  I love the way he handles the scenes of what he refers to as “magic realism,” especially the surgery scene.  Mr. Barakiva and his excellent cast maintain the delicate balance required by this complex play."

- Connie Meng (North Country Public Radio)

"Barakiva directs with cool precision; in a play that soars so high off the ground, he manages to see to it that the lawn chair, this time anyway, comes most of the way safely back to Earth."

- Bob Keefer (The Register-Guard)

Welcome To My Rash & Third by Wendy Wasserstein, Theatre J

"The clever direction, by Michael Barakiva, is inventive and smart."

- David Templeton

"The production is in good hands, carefully directed by Wasserstein's friend Michael Barakiva."

- Michael Toscano

Burn This by Lanford Wilson, Shakespeare Santa Cruz

"Under the taut and impressive direction of Michael Barakiva, the play is fast-paced and beautifully constructed. Timing is excellent, sometimes frenzied and sometimes slyly parodying the cliches of romantic drama."

- Ann Bennett (Santa Cruz Sentinel)

The Music Man by Meredith Wilson, Nevada Conservatory Theatre

"Barakiva's main contribution is that he doesn't over-respect the material. You never get the feeling you're watching a stale classic. There's a self-mocking giddiness beneath these characters that makes the script alive and new."

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"The director has assembled the broadest range of talent in the six-year history of Nevada Conservatory Theatre."

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"Barakiva’s adaptation and his direction polish the sharp edges of Chekhov’s comedic sensibility, presenting a play that cuts you to the quick even as you laugh."

- Anthony Del Valle (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

"It is perhaps director Barakiva's foremost, overarching achievement that he presents a thoroughly credible sense of family with his strong, charismatic cast."

- Brook Stowe

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