WHAT THE CRITICS ARE SAYING
It's a Wonderful Life: a Live Radio Play - Washington Stage Guild
"Joe Brack is to be particularly commended for his portrayal of young and cocky radio actor Jake Laurents (who in turn is portraying George Bailey). Brack pays homage to Jimmy Stewart's Academy Award-nominated performance, but smartly never comes close to doing an impression. Instead, he makes this version of George his own, which must be difficult given the archetypal nature of the character and the actor who originally played it."
-Greg Alcock, Broadway World
"Perhaps most enjoyable is the lovely chemistry between Joe Brack and Jenny Donovan when they are playing George and Mary; from the childhood scene in which Mary whispers into George’s bad ear that she loves him to the joyous climax when George realizes how wonderful his life truly is, Brack and Donovan are utterly charming."
-Jessica Pearson, DC Theatre Scene
"In this show, the talent just crackles. Joe Brack is our George Bailey, generating believable sympathy and nice transitions through his life course."
-Brian Bochicchio, Maryland Theatre Guide
"Joe Brack is to be particularly commended for his portrayal of young and cocky radio actor Jake Laurents (who in turn is portraying George Bailey). Brack pays homage to Jimmy Stewart's Academy Award-nominated performance, but smartly never comes close to doing an impression. Instead, he makes this version of George his own, which must be difficult given the archetypal nature of the character and the actor who originally played it."
-Greg Alcock, Broadway World
"Perhaps most enjoyable is the lovely chemistry between Joe Brack and Jenny Donovan when they are playing George and Mary; from the childhood scene in which Mary whispers into George’s bad ear that she loves him to the joyous climax when George realizes how wonderful his life truly is, Brack and Donovan are utterly charming."
-Jessica Pearson, DC Theatre Scene
"In this show, the talent just crackles. Joe Brack is our George Bailey, generating believable sympathy and nice transitions through his life course."
-Brian Bochicchio, Maryland Theatre Guide
The Nerd - Totem Pole Playhouse
"...Joe Brack puts forth not only a memorable deliverance of comedy, but recurring glimpses of an up and coming theatrical great. Brack's witty and somewhat brash facial expressions send audiences into spurts of boisterous chuckles."
-Ben Dennis, The Shippensburg News-Chronicle
"...Joe Brack puts forth not only a memorable deliverance of comedy, but recurring glimpses of an up and coming theatrical great. Brack's witty and somewhat brash facial expressions send audiences into spurts of boisterous chuckles."
-Ben Dennis, The Shippensburg News-Chronicle
Don't Die in the Dark - City Artistic Partnerships
"The mustachioed Brack plays Booth with a fierce gaze and fiery rhetorical style that befits the tragedian he actually was onstage....Brack’s formal style, on the edge of pomposity, makes clear how in love the radically partisan Booth is both with the righteousness of his convictions and with the sound of his own voice....Brack and Smith look and sound the parts: They are stern and no-nonsense, with the somber musical passages lifting this historical portrait into something appealingly moody."
-Nelson Pressley, The Washington Post
"Brack takes us deep inside the twisted mental state of a privileged white man, acclaimed for his artistry and munificently rewarded for it, whose racism came to consume him...But the power of this performance transcends what happens on stage. It becomes what goes on in one’s own mind. The connections Brack uncovers in Booth’s biography keep resonating long after the play ends."
-John Stoltenberg, DC Metro Theater Arts
"The mustachioed Brack plays Booth with a fierce gaze and fiery rhetorical style that befits the tragedian he actually was onstage....Brack’s formal style, on the edge of pomposity, makes clear how in love the radically partisan Booth is both with the righteousness of his convictions and with the sound of his own voice....Brack and Smith look and sound the parts: They are stern and no-nonsense, with the somber musical passages lifting this historical portrait into something appealingly moody."
-Nelson Pressley, The Washington Post
"Brack takes us deep inside the twisted mental state of a privileged white man, acclaimed for his artistry and munificently rewarded for it, whose racism came to consume him...But the power of this performance transcends what happens on stage. It becomes what goes on in one’s own mind. The connections Brack uncovers in Booth’s biography keep resonating long after the play ends."
-John Stoltenberg, DC Metro Theater Arts
The Importance of Being Earnest - Chesapeake Shakespeare Company
"Providing a solid anchor for this "Earnest" is Joe Brack. He seems tailor-made for the role of Algernon, the perfectly cynical London gentleman who invents an "invaluable permanent invalid called Bunbury" in order to slip away for fun in the country whenever he likes. Wilde’s own voice and behavior is most present in Algernon, a connection Brack seems to appreciate deeply."
-Tim Smith, The Baltimore Sun
"...Joe Brack, an accomplished actor who played Algernon with gusto and flair. His muscular, rich voice and comedic timing is a huge asset to the production. In Mr. Brack’s sparring with Mr. Hudson’s Jack, he elicited guffaws from the audience...The two male leads played off each other with strikingly good chemistry..."
-Steve Charing, Outspoken
"Providing a solid anchor for this "Earnest" is Joe Brack. He seems tailor-made for the role of Algernon, the perfectly cynical London gentleman who invents an "invaluable permanent invalid called Bunbury" in order to slip away for fun in the country whenever he likes. Wilde’s own voice and behavior is most present in Algernon, a connection Brack seems to appreciate deeply."
-Tim Smith, The Baltimore Sun
"...Joe Brack, an accomplished actor who played Algernon with gusto and flair. His muscular, rich voice and comedic timing is a huge asset to the production. In Mr. Brack’s sparring with Mr. Hudson’s Jack, he elicited guffaws from the audience...The two male leads played off each other with strikingly good chemistry..."
-Steve Charing, Outspoken
Yentl - Theater J
"A scene stealer of note though he only appears briefly is Sheftel the Tailor (Joe Brack.) Kvetching and moaning, everything from Brack’s posture to his voice smacks of overkill in the most hilarious way possible for this character. His momentary interaction with Anshel derives a great deal of laughter from the audience over a simple pair of pants."
-Amanda Gunther, Theatre Bloom
"A scene stealer of note though he only appears briefly is Sheftel the Tailor (Joe Brack.) Kvetching and moaning, everything from Brack’s posture to his voice smacks of overkill in the most hilarious way possible for this character. His momentary interaction with Anshel derives a great deal of laughter from the audience over a simple pair of pants."
-Amanda Gunther, Theatre Bloom
My Princess Bride - tour 2013
"He’s a dynamic and nimble performer, leaping about the stage and even, at one point, dashing through the audience. But he also slows down enough to share some smaller, more intimate moments about his own life and battles, touching on why the movie meant so much to him. These were the moments that touched on bigger themes, of fitting in and of the unfair way life sometimes unfolds."
-Neil Shurley, The Greenville News
"He’s a dynamic and nimble performer, leaping about the stage and even, at one point, dashing through the audience. But he also slows down enough to share some smaller, more intimate moments about his own life and battles, touching on why the movie meant so much to him. These were the moments that touched on bigger themes, of fitting in and of the unfair way life sometimes unfolds."
-Neil Shurley, The Greenville News
My Princess Bride - City Artistic Partnerships
"...writer/performer Brack is so dang good and loves his subject so much, he threatens to become an icon in Princess Bride fandom himself."..."Brack is a tour de force who performs with a specificity that is rarely seen...".
-Andrew Baughman, DC Metro Theatre Arts
"Brack is totally comfortable in this format and because of this My Princess Bride ranks as one of the best solo shows ever."
- Elliot Lanes, MD Theatre Guide
"...writer/performer Brack is so dang good and loves his subject so much, he threatens to become an icon in Princess Bride fandom himself."..."Brack is a tour de force who performs with a specificity that is rarely seen...".
-Andrew Baughman, DC Metro Theatre Arts
"Brack is totally comfortable in this format and because of this My Princess Bride ranks as one of the best solo shows ever."
- Elliot Lanes, MD Theatre Guide
The Illusion - Forum Theatre
"...Joe Brack is witty as various types of rivals. All four performers have an easy way with Kushner’s often elevated language..."
-Nelson Pressley, The Washington Post
"Joe Brack attacks his roles first as a hapless suitor tentatively flailing his arms, terrorized at the prospect of taking a sucker punch. In a later vision, he takes on the mantle of the aristocracy wreaking havoc and disdain."
-Debbie Jackson, DC Theatre Scene
"...Joe Brack is witty as various types of rivals. All four performers have an easy way with Kushner’s often elevated language..."
-Nelson Pressley, The Washington Post
"Joe Brack attacks his roles first as a hapless suitor tentatively flailing his arms, terrorized at the prospect of taking a sucker punch. In a later vision, he takes on the mantle of the aristocracy wreaking havoc and disdain."
-Debbie Jackson, DC Theatre Scene
The Santaland Diaries, - City Artistic Partnerships
"Joe Brack is a wonderful performer, and from the first time he appears onstage in full elf regalia, you are totally engaged by his performance. He’s a man of many voices and his Santas, parents, and kids are ‘spot on’ and no two voices sound alike."
-Elliot Lane, MD Theatre Guide
"Joe Brack is a wonderful performer, and from the first time he appears onstage in full elf regalia, you are totally engaged by his performance. He’s a man of many voices and his Santas, parents, and kids are ‘spot on’ and no two voices sound alike."
-Elliot Lane, MD Theatre Guide
bobrauschenbergamerica - Forum Theatre
"...a superb cameo appearance by Joe Brack as Bob, the Pizza Guy. Brack has graced the Washington stage with many fine performances over the years, but has recently elevated his game significantly, and in this compelling performance he shows how the most unremarkable individuals can have stories that will scare you to death."
- Tim Treanor, DC Theatre Scene
"...a superb cameo appearance by Joe Brack as Bob, the Pizza Guy. Brack has graced the Washington stage with many fine performances over the years, but has recently elevated his game significantly, and in this compelling performance he shows how the most unremarkable individuals can have stories that will scare you to death."
- Tim Treanor, DC Theatre Scene
MARY STUART - Washington Shakespeare Company
"Brack is most intriguing to watch as Leicester ... thinks on his feet as forces work against him."
- Missy Frederick, DCist
"... in Brack's suave and self-assured performance, the evening's best ... "
-Peter Marks, The Washington Post
"Brack is most intriguing to watch as Leicester ... thinks on his feet as forces work against him."
- Missy Frederick, DCist
"... in Brack's suave and self-assured performance, the evening's best ... "
-Peter Marks, The Washington Post
AS YOU LIKE IT - Virginia Shakespeare Festival
"Joe Brack as the jester Touchstone... his delivery added a layer of sophistication to a role that many would play for maximum buffoonery."
-Williamsburg Native
"Joe Brack as the jester Touchstone... his delivery added a layer of sophistication to a role that many would play for maximum buffoonery."
-Williamsburg Native
THE RAMAYANA - Constellation Theatre Company
"Scuttling around with simian postures and a hopeful air, Joe Brack is winning as the monkey god Hanuman."
- Celia Wren, The Washington Post
"Scuttling around with simian postures and a hopeful air, Joe Brack is winning as the monkey god Hanuman."
- Celia Wren, The Washington Post
THE SANTALAND DIARIES - City Artistic Partnerships
"Crumpet, portrayed by Joe Brack... remarkable in his ability to simultaneously convey self-contempt and near-sociopathic glee."
-Maura Judkis, Washington City Paper
"Crumpet, portrayed by Joe Brack... remarkable in his ability to simultaneously convey self-contempt and near-sociopathic glee."
-Maura Judkis, Washington City Paper
ON THE RAZZLE - Constellation Theatre Company
"Joe Brack, doing a delightful turn in a small role."
-Celia Wren, The Washington Post
"Joe Brack, doing a delightful turn in a small role."
-Celia Wren, The Washington Post