As Kris Victory in MOPE at Ensemble Studio Theater
"As Kris Victory, an older male adult performer, J. Stephen Brantley gives a truly raw performance. He stalks around the stage during the transitions like the ghost of Christmas future, menacingly reminding Trevor of where he is headed. " -Theatermania
"As Kris Victory, an older male adult performer, J. Stephen Brantley gives a truly raw performance. He stalks around the stage during the transitions like the ghost of Christmas future, menacingly reminding Trevor of where he is headed. " -Theatermania
As Scrooge in Blessed Unrest's A CHRISTMAS CAROL
"J. Stephen Brantley is a delightfully sour, unreformed Scrooge, a man who bares his teeth in place of a smile. On Christmas Day, after the ghosts have persuaded him to change his ways, he is endearingly tentative in his efforts to transform." -Laura Collins-Hughes, The New York TImes
"The vocally and physically impressive J.Stephen Brantley with his lean and athletic physique and bearded, gaunt face is a great Scrooge. Mr. Brantley’s rich voice has a sinister timbre while declaiming Scrooge’s famous lines but is quite touching in the redemptive finale" -TheatreScene.net
"J. Stephen Brantley is a delightfully sour, unreformed Scrooge, a man who bares his teeth in place of a smile. On Christmas Day, after the ghosts have persuaded him to change his ways, he is endearingly tentative in his efforts to transform." -Laura Collins-Hughes, The New York TImes
"The vocally and physically impressive J.Stephen Brantley with his lean and athletic physique and bearded, gaunt face is a great Scrooge. Mr. Brantley’s rich voice has a sinister timbre while declaiming Scrooge’s famous lines but is quite touching in the redemptive finale" -TheatreScene.net
As Roderick in THE JAMB
"Commanding the stage like a muscled-up rooster in combat boots, J. Stephen Brantley stars in his own play as a forty-year-old gay punk rocker on an angry mission to stop the love of his life from wasting away on Stolichnaya and crystal meth." -The New Yorker
"J. Stephen Brantley anchors the play with a nuanced performance... He expertly portrays Roderick with a boiling frustration just under his skin. When he does break his strong facade to show real emotion, he does it in subtle tones that just crack the window into the deep hurt he’s feeling. It’s a compelling performance." -nytheatreguide.com
"Brantley displays an unparalleled depth of emotion onstage as Roderick, which both terrifies and transfixes. His performance ranks among the most believable and visceral that I have seen on stage in some time. " -myentertainmentworld.com
"Commanding the stage like a muscled-up rooster in combat boots, J. Stephen Brantley stars in his own play as a forty-year-old gay punk rocker on an angry mission to stop the love of his life from wasting away on Stolichnaya and crystal meth." -The New Yorker
"J. Stephen Brantley anchors the play with a nuanced performance... He expertly portrays Roderick with a boiling frustration just under his skin. When he does break his strong facade to show real emotion, he does it in subtle tones that just crack the window into the deep hurt he’s feeling. It’s a compelling performance." -nytheatreguide.com
"Brantley displays an unparalleled depth of emotion onstage as Roderick, which both terrifies and transfixes. His performance ranks among the most believable and visceral that I have seen on stage in some time. " -myentertainmentworld.com
As Doc in Guild Hall's THE NIGHT ALIVE
."Brantley excels in this delicate role" -Aileen Jacobson, New York Times
"The actors are solid all-around, especially J. Stephen Brantley, who brings a touch of Art Carney to the role of Doc. This may be the one stock character in the play: the mentally challenged sidekick with a fine-tuned sense of humor and a special instinct for the heart. It’s not easy to drag these elements out of the realm of cliché, but Mr. Brantley gives Doc a quirky energy and offbeat optimism that makes his mistreatment in the play all the more affecting." -Kurt Wenzel, The East Hampton Star
."Brantley excels in this delicate role" -Aileen Jacobson, New York Times
"The actors are solid all-around, especially J. Stephen Brantley, who brings a touch of Art Carney to the role of Doc. This may be the one stock character in the play: the mentally challenged sidekick with a fine-tuned sense of humor and a special instinct for the heart. It’s not easy to drag these elements out of the realm of cliché, but Mr. Brantley gives Doc a quirky energy and offbeat optimism that makes his mistreatment in the play all the more affecting." -Kurt Wenzel, The East Hampton Star
As Saul in Theatre 167's THE CHURCH OF WHY NOT
"Brantley gives a gripping portrayal of Saul, a frequent guest at the soup kitchen who was a rocker in his younger days. "Back then we didn't call it homeless," he remarks. "We were just on tour." With a face covered in gray whiskers through which he delivers a terrifying hack of a cough, Brantley's performance feels real and urgent. (A man of many hats, Brantley also serves as the program's graphic designer.) And he even remains onstage playing his guitar through the intermission." Zachary Stewart, TheaterMania
"Brantley gives a gripping portrayal of Saul, a frequent guest at the soup kitchen who was a rocker in his younger days. "Back then we didn't call it homeless," he remarks. "We were just on tour." With a face covered in gray whiskers through which he delivers a terrifying hack of a cough, Brantley's performance feels real and urgent. (A man of many hats, Brantley also serves as the program's graphic designer.) And he even remains onstage playing his guitar through the intermission." Zachary Stewart, TheaterMania
CHICKEN-FRIED CICCONE, A TANGY TRUE TALE OF TRANSFORMATION
"Though the style is casual, intimate--even sly in places--the ideas and values are strongly felt and pack a serious punch." -Martin Denton, nytheatre now
"a free-flowing cowboy cabaret, and Brantley exudes a warm stage presence in a handful of spontaneous moments that wouldn’t be found in a more structured theater piece. "-Curtis Wong, Huffington Post
"Though the style is casual, intimate--even sly in places--the ideas and values are strongly felt and pack a serious punch." -Martin Denton, nytheatre now
"a free-flowing cowboy cabaret, and Brantley exudes a warm stage presence in a handful of spontaneous moments that wouldn’t be found in a more structured theater piece. "-Curtis Wong, Huffington Post
As Jim/Leo in I Like To Be Here: Jackson Heights Revisited, or, This Is A Mango
"J. Stephen Brantley. Not only is he one of the playwrights for the piece, but he plays two starkly contrasted characters to perfection. His performance is so electric on stage that you miss him when he is gone. He has incredible energy and takes such great risks on stage... it is definitely worth seeing the show to watch Brantley on stage." -Arts In Color
"J. Stephen Brantley. Not only is he one of the playwrights for the piece, but he plays two starkly contrasted characters to perfection. His performance is so electric on stage that you miss him when he is gone. He has incredible energy and takes such great risks on stage... it is definitely worth seeing the show to watch Brantley on stage." -Arts In Color
As Jack in PIRIRA
"Playwright J.Stephen Brantley plays Jack, the experienced NGO-worker who spends a lot of his time futilely relaying the same pipes for water. As an actor, Brantley is an expert at playing roles that call for a butch yet sensitive masculinity; his Jack is perhaps the strongest performance in the show." -Dan Dinero, Theatre Is Easy
"Playwright J.Stephen Brantley plays Jack, the experienced NGO-worker who spends a lot of his time futilely relaying the same pipes for water. As an actor, Brantley is an expert at playing roles that call for a butch yet sensitive masculinity; his Jack is perhaps the strongest performance in the show." -Dan Dinero, Theatre Is Easy
More praise for PIRIRA, written by and featuring J.Stephen Brantley:
“Pirira is extremely accurate and probably one of the most important pieces I’ve seen. I wish audiences everywhere could see this.” —Philippe van den Bossche, former Executive Director of Raising Malawi
“Please see Pirira… It will open your mind and heart, not just to the circumstances of people halfway around the world whose particular situations almost certainly don’t find their way into our (American) field of awareness very much; but also to remember important ideas of our shared humanity.“ —Martin Denton, NY Theater Now
“Pirira is marvelously constructed, with themes and emotions and pieces of dialogue from the two stories intertwining as they play out at the same time, only fully revealing their connections at the end… Pirira makes a strong case for the most innovative and moving new shows coming from beyond the established haunts of Off-Broadway.” —John Peacock, Flavorpill.com
“I enjoyed this play so much! I was home!” —Professor Yusuf Juwayeyi, former ambassador from Malawi to the United Nations
July 20, 2011. As the African nation of Malawi erupts in riots around them, American aid workers Jack and Ericka take shelter in the storeroom of a struggling NGO. Half a world away, Malawian student Gilbert and his gay co-worker Chad begin their day in the back room of a Manhattan florist. By day’s end they discover their lives are inextricably linked across continents, language and time.
“Pirira is extremely accurate and probably one of the most important pieces I’ve seen. I wish audiences everywhere could see this.” —Philippe van den Bossche, former Executive Director of Raising Malawi
“Please see Pirira… It will open your mind and heart, not just to the circumstances of people halfway around the world whose particular situations almost certainly don’t find their way into our (American) field of awareness very much; but also to remember important ideas of our shared humanity.“ —Martin Denton, NY Theater Now
“Pirira is marvelously constructed, with themes and emotions and pieces of dialogue from the two stories intertwining as they play out at the same time, only fully revealing their connections at the end… Pirira makes a strong case for the most innovative and moving new shows coming from beyond the established haunts of Off-Broadway.” —John Peacock, Flavorpill.com
“I enjoyed this play so much! I was home!” —Professor Yusuf Juwayeyi, former ambassador from Malawi to the United Nations
July 20, 2011. As the African nation of Malawi erupts in riots around them, American aid workers Jack and Ericka take shelter in the storeroom of a struggling NGO. Half a world away, Malawian student Gilbert and his gay co-worker Chad begin their day in the back room of a Manhattan florist. By day’s end they discover their lives are inextricably linked across continents, language and time.
"...Some of the best transformations come from Brantley, who is supremely entertaining as a diva actor/drag queen, the not-too-bright half of a pair who likes to search for sex with other men together, and a lover scorned." - Cape Cod Times
With the cast of Slap & Tickle at The Provincetown Theatre, July 2010. For more info visit www.slapandtickleonline.com
With the cast of Slap & Tickle at The Provincetown Theatre, July 2010. For more info visit www.slapandtickleonline.com
