Roland Jaquarello

Theatre and Radio Director/Producer

Theatre Reviews

Courtesy of Venessa Hawkins
Lisa Eichorn as Susan McFarlane and Vincent Riotta as Tom McFarlane in 'Enduring Freedom by Anders Lustgarten

'Roland Jaquarello's production squarely confronts the violence.'
The Times.

'The playing in Roland Jaquarello's production could hardly be better.'
The Financial Times.

'Wonderfully acted by this all Dublin cast, particularly by Colm Meaney as Hatchet and Chris Gannon as Ha Ha. It is excellently directed by Roland Jaquarello.'
Time Out.

'The performances in Roland Jaquarello's intense production are good but Cathryn Harrison's and Mark Drewry's are great.'
Time Out

'Roland Jaquarello's direction is elegant with a nice touch of the abstract and intelligent performances.'
The Times.

'Roland Jaquarello's sparce production and the fine performances from his cast really give you the sense of just how McCarthyism got under the skins of people.'
Time Out.

'Ray Winstone gives a sensitive performance as the anguished Hinkemann struggling against humiliation and rejection with soul-searching moral dignity.'
Time Out.

'That a cast of thirty can be managed in an above-pub theatre is something of an achievement. That the direction ( Roland Jaquarello) is both clear and imaginative is a great feat.'
The Independent.

'One reason for the success of Roland Jaquarello's production is without doubt his meticulous fidelity to Miller's intentions.'
The Independent.

'The best thing Jaquarello has done at The Lyric'
The Stage.

'Both plays directed by Roland Jaquarello are given depth and clarity by the performances of Tim Woodward as the mad king, chewing his thumb and groaning in self pity and as the man with the flower, an angular impassive figure who gradually unleashes the storms raging inside him.'
Evening Standard.

'Untidy, stimulating, ugly, cruel, sensitive play, brilliantly produced by Roland Jaquarello.'
The Scotsman.

'The performances under Roland Jaquarello's direction, are finely observed, notably Dan Gordon as the victim and Mike Dowling as a fellow patient.
Evening News.

'A powerful and impressive interpretation under Roland Jaquarello's sharp direction.'
The Stage.

'A splendid production, nicely paced and full of light and shade'.
Time Out.

'Roland Jaquarello directs with a sensitiveness I respect'
The Daily Telegraph.

'Roland Jaquarello's fine and steady production'
The Times.

'It is the merit of the production that even the most minor role is registered and firmly slotted where it belongs.'
The Stage.

'Jaquarello's production works because - beyond its farcical invention-it seizes the two big opportunities of leaving farce behind.'
The Independent On Sunday.

'Notable performances in this production by Roland Jaquarello. Brid Brennan is outstanding as the pregnant tinker girl determined to have her child in 'The Honey Spike' or lucky hospital', hundreds of miles from the Antrim coast.'
The Scotsman.

'Roland Jaquarello's production and cast rise aggressively to the occasion.'
City Limits.

'Roland Jaquarello's excellent revival'.
Time Out.

'Heart, urgency and thrilling lick of the new.....this feisty production'
Time Out.

'With a backdrop of stonewashed US flag and soundtracked by Springsteen, Dylan and Young, 'Enduring Freedom' is a thoughtful meditation on loss and differing notions of patriotism.'
Morning Star.

'Led by Roland Jaquarello, his confident interpretation brings power to the piece.'
Extra! Extra!

'A carefully crafted contemporary drama intelligently performed.....great credit goes to Roland Jaquarello.'
Eastbourne Herald.

'Jeff Thomson's intimate play enjoining the remains of child stardom with the hunger of the media to pick over it's bones is lovingly conceived.'
The Argus.

'Directed with a deft touch by Roland Jaquarello.'
Eastbourne Herald.

'Felicity Dean was flawless in her delivery of Charles Leipart's priceless and hilarious two hander.....while Roland Jaquarello's stunning direction helped create this shimmering snapshot of someone who, down to her last 20 million must finally resort to choosing between Moet and Dom Perignon.'
The Argus.

'There are lovely grace notes in Brad Birch's intimate father-son tale. Andy Robinson's abstract set sets the tone.....Director Roland Jaquarello is careful not to over impose'.
Time Out.

'Brad Birch's thoughtful portrayal of human relationships is both honest and touching.'
WhatsOnStage.

'The acting is a real pleasure.....Peter Warnock, empathetic as the man, his sense of self truly shaken by divorce and teenager Richard Linnell as his son, struggling both to navigate his place in the family and make some sense of his father's actions. Sensitively directed by Roland Jaquarello.'
Remote Goat.

Courtesy of the Lyric Theatre Belfast
Roma Tomelty as Martha White and Mark Mulholland and Rabbie White in 'Over the Bridge' by Sam Thompson.

'In a quiet, understated way, this is a gem of a production'.
The Daily Mail.

'A miniature masterpiece'.
The Times.

'An evocative story of theft and perception'.
The Observer.

'Exquisite afternoon play deftly directed by Roland Jaquarello'.
The Stage.

'Funny, touching, original play. Excellent cast, imaginative production.'
The Daily Telegraph.

'Eavesdropping on intimate emotions the play questions whose vision is defective: Molly (Sorcha Cusack) calmly blind for forty years, the husband determined to make her see again or the surgeon trying to correct her sight who has a dark past. The outcome is heartbreaking.'
The Daily Mail.

'This absorbing play'.
The Observer.

'Brilliantly played by Sorcha Cusack'.
The Times.

'A cool, clear performance by Sorcha Cusack.'
The Independent.

'An engaging performance from Sorcha Cusack'.
The Irish Times.

'Directed with verve by Roland Jaquarello'.
The Stage.

'Friel intertwined the monologues to produce a powerful drama that used the power of radio to reach out in a variety of directions.'
The Mail On Sunday.

'Roland Jaquarello's cast, BJ Hogg, as the policeman, Lalor Roddy his bigoted brother and Trudy Kelly their even more bigoted mother - did it brilliant.....Drumcree' was a notable achievement.'
The Independent.

'A touching story of dashed hopes and quiet determination.'
The Daily Mail

'A lyrical drama of lost hopes and new horizons.'
The Stage.

'An unexpected treat'
The Stage.

'Very funny play........Neil Dudgeon is excellent as Baz the Presley fixated husband.'
Radio Times.

'I don't want to be living with Elvis the rest of my life.' The wife of an Elvis Presley obsessive begins an affair in Rob John's likeable play.'
The Observer.

'Fiona Shaw puts in a bravura performance....Aisling O'Sullivan as her adult daughter, was full of repressed emotions and Gerard McSorley as her husband, shut his eyes to all he didn't want to hear in this disturbing play, directed by Roland Jaquarello.'
The Stage.

'Directed by Roland Jaquarello in a production which evoked the rocky, storm tossed island group off the West coast of Ireland.'
The Stage.

'It could be heavyweight humour but Gelbart uses sharp comedy to keep the satire rattling along.'
The Evening Standard.

'Don't miss this new political satire.'
The Observer.

'Larry Gelbart pulls no punches as he launches a merciless broadside at the Bush administration.'
The Times.

'Brisk, funny, dry and clever.'
The Sunday Times.

'This thoughtful drama.'
The Daily Express.

'Mark Lawson's bullet-sharp dialogue.........Lawson has a knack of bringing political figures to life with humour.'
The Radio Times.

'Effectively claustrophobic reconstruction by Jonathan Myerson of true events in 2002 surrounding the kidnap of a Frankfurt schoolboy, Jacob Von Metzler.'
The Sunday Telegraph

'Martin Lynch cleverly updates Ibsen nineteenth century drama by depicting the courage of a mother (Susan Lynch) standing up for justice after her brother in law is killed in contemporary Belfast.'
The Observer.

'This play brings home the difficulties of challenging hidden atrocities within tight-knit communities Northern Ireland.....Moya McGovern sensitively played by Susan Lynch.'
The Radio Times.

'A new play by John Arden has to be an even...This stars Edward Petherbridge as an ageing journalist, semi retired in Galway, who embarks on a romance with the shady Ute (Sarah Kestelman) which sends sense flying as her past catches him in a sudden conflict with conscience, honour battling with ardour.'
The Daily Telegraph.

'John Arden's new play is based on 'The Memoirs and Confessions Of Capt Ashe' telling the eventful story of a Tipperary born Protestant who took on many roles resorting to murder, blackmail and embezzlement, in his pursuit of power.. Aidan McCardle stars as the entrepreneurial Ashe.'
The Guardian.

'The picaresque tale of Thomas Ashe (Aidan McCardle) scamping through Europe at its most adventurous era. With splendid David Calder and Jim Norton.'
The Daily Telegraph.

'A fascinating slice of history.'
The Guardian.

'Christopher Douglas's touching play.'
The Observer

'It's hard to decide who's more despicable in this drama based on real events - the apartheid regime of South Africa that forbade the talented cricketer Basil D'Oliveira from taking the field with white players in his country of birth, or the cricket administrators so delighted for him to bat and bowl for England after he emigrated in 1960.'
Radio Times

'A play about the last phase of Mrs Thatcher's time in 10 Downing St.....a good listen, an ingenious patchwork of known fact, personal testimonies and parallel fictions. Claire Higgins made Mrs Thatcher believable without turning her into a ghastly waxwork. Stephen More played Denis with style and sympathy. Roland Jaquarello directed neatly.
Daily Telegraph.

This masterful new play. Like the Lambs own 'Tales From Shakespeare', gentle beautifully crafted prose is suddenly invaded by moments of terror. Paul Rhys and Lia Williams play the siblings with empathy and a sprinkling of humour and the twist at the end is sheer genius.'
Radio Times

'Unsettling listening......a woman with intimate knowledge of weather patterns and clouds but little idea of the gathering storm her choices are creating'.
Radio Times. Eddie Mair, Pick Of The Week

'Riveting.....Amy Nuttall demonstrates her range with a fantastic performance that alternately repulses and tugs at the heart.'
The Stage