JERSEY BOYS | MELBOURNE, MARCH 2019

MAN IN CHAIR

“… Lucente brings authentic gravitas to mob moneyman Norm Waxman … Hill and Lucente are particularly successful at changing their appearance and body language in a range of other roles.”

ASSASSINS | Sydney, JUNE 2018

AUDREY JOURNAL

“…Lucente brings acting fire and a powerful vocal range to the role of gunman Guiseppe Zangara…”

ARTSHUB

“…Lucente as assassin Giuseppe Zangara gave a powerful and hypnotic performance…”

BROADWAY WORLD

“… Lucente gives Giuseppe Zangara a tortured maniacal expression as the Italian immigrant suffering from chronic abdominal pain….”

RENT | BRISBANE, MAY 2018

THE BLURB

“…Lucente is an ultimately-passionate Roger and his ‘One Song Glory’ solo rock ballad sing about his dying wish to leave his mark on the world is a sensitive and expressive early show highlight.”

STAGE WHISPERS

“Appropriately, the show begins musically too, with lone musician Roger (Lucente) sitting atop a table, playing his electric guitar - his acting work equal parts exciting and passionate…”

YOU'RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN | MELBOURNE, JUNE 2016

MAN IN CHAIR
"…Lucente is loveable as wise beagle Snoopy, bringing down the house with dazzling solo showstopper 'SUPPERTIME'..."

THEATREPEOPLE
"...Stealing the show, Louis Lucente plays Snoopy. He adopts a suitably cool and aloof nature and retains the audience in the palm of his paw right through to his rapturous “SUPPERTIME”..."

AUSTRALIAN STAGE
"...Lucente’s Snoopy had swagger – he sings, he dances. He scats. We like that...."

HERALD SUN
"...Louis Lucente capers and sings as Snoopy, playfully giving this much-loved, doggy character a human personality as he does his funky dude dancing and dreams of being a World War One Flying Ace fighting the Red Baron from the comfort of the roof of his kennel..."

THEATRE PRESS
"...And while Snoopy was played by human Lucente, he captured all of Snoopy’s attitude and some beguiling beagle-like behaviour as well: if only dinner time was always that entertaining...."

TICK TICK BOOM | MELBOURNE, APRIL 2016

THEATREPEOPLE
"...From his opening line, Louis Lucente commands the stage and delivers a stunning performance as the struggling New York musical theatre composer, Jonathon Larson. An accomplished pianist, Lucente provides his own accompaniment for some of the show, adding to the realism of this story. His performance is simply captivating..."

STAGE WHISPERS
"...The majority of style and class comes from Louis Lucente, surely one of the most amazing, largely unheralded, leading men in the country. Lucente’s performance is the jewel in the crown and worth seeing for its own sake. Oozing with talent, he also gives us an overdose of charisma and dynamic energy. It is as if he has somehow crawled into Larson’s skin and understands every tick tick of the composer’s psyche. He is gob-smackingly good and deserves the super-stardom that has so far eluded him..."

ARTSHUB
"...Lucente takes centre stage as Jon and the role allows this exciting performer to demonstrate the full range of his talents. He plays the piano throughout the show, sings the rock-inflected score thrillingly and creates a character who is restless, neurotic and full of doubt. Lucente’s performance is full of fierce energy and heartfelt passion; he is simply wonderful...

"MAN IN CHAIR
"The incredible lead performance from Louis Lucente is just one reason to catch Pursued by Bear’s all too brief season of tick, tick…Boom! ...Surely one of the most talented music theatre performers in Australia not to have been exclusively snapped up to the big time, Lucente delivers another nuanced, sensitive, finely honed performance in this ideal showcase for his talents. Intensely focused but entirely natural, Lucente has a surreptitious charm that makes his characters highly empathetic and relatable..."

THEATREPRESS
"...The role of Jonathon Larson is played by Louis Lucente. He is simply brilliant. The audience immediately empathizes with the heightened anxiety of his character and – through the passing of time (which is likened to the strict timing of the metronome) – are captivated with his journey as an artist. Lucente is compelling as he delivers his soliloquies to the audience. Through superb timing and natural alliance with the character, he is able to bring out the comedy in an otherwise ‘serious’ plot. Moreover, Lucente is perfectly cast as he also is an impressive musician/pianist and rock vocalist. His playing of the piano is interwoven superbly into the music of the show. His performance of ‘Why’ was particularly moving, and the ‘out of tune’ piano was a perfect vessel for his emotions...."

THE BLURB
"...Sensitive, poignant and energetic, tick, tick… BOOM! is a wonderfully engaging musical about the trials and tribulations of a struggling, angst-riddled creative artist who is about to turn 30 with success continuing to elude him - His name is Jon and he is portrayed with high-octane verve by Louis Lucente. It really is a “jump-out-of-your skin” performance. If ever an artiste deserves success, Lucente ensures we – the audience – are continually rooting for Jon..."

AUSSIE THEATRE
"...Lucente in particular can’t seem to drop the twinkle from his eye for much of the 85-odd minutes running time and this is a wonderful thing when he spends much of his time directly communicating with and guiding the audience... 

At the end of the day however the piece is catapulted from good to great by the charm and wit of Lucente’s Jon. The audience is on his side right from the beginning and you desperately find yourself wishing for his success..."

KALEIDOSCOPE | SYDNEY, JUNE 2015

AUSSIE THEATRE
"...Lucente’s voice is like mercury, heavy silver that slides, lightning fast, from something soft and yearning to a glittery bombast, full-throated and emotional and very strong but so pure. “Bird of Prey” becomes mesmerising, his arrangements so new and enthralling that they somehow move from being so not Morrison to being so intensely Morrison..."

THE DAILY REVIEW
"...There’s a surprising amount of vigour considering how stripped back this arrangement is, but it’s when Lucente relaxes a little into the material that the show really soars. His performances of I Can’t See Your Face and Bird of Prey are particularly impressive... the sheer force he brings to the cabaret stage is a rare quality..."

DOGFIGHT | SYDNEY, MAY 2015

 SYDNEY MORNING HERALD
"...Lucente and Cole are first-rate in their roles. The chiseled Lucente looks pure soldier, has the acting chops to trace Birdlace's trajectory from cocky youth to broken man, and he possesses a voice that can crack a song open..."

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH
"...Lucente conveys the ­emotional turmoil ­beneath Eddie’s tough ­exterior in a beautifully understated ­performance that moves from bravado to brokenness. Both moved me to tears...."

THE AUSTRALIAN
“Lucente is heartbreakingly good...”

 THE DAILY REVIEW
"...The book, adapted from a 1991 film written by Bob Comfort, is at its best when it explores the subtly shifting, awkward and funny relationship between the unlikely pair. And it’s performed with great nuance and detail by Hilary Cole and Louis Lucente, who are perfectly matched and generate a hell of a lot of electricity in the intimate Hayes space, as they throw ideas back and forth and learn about each other....""...Lucente has fewer moments to impress vocally, but his final number Come Back is full of intensity and gorgeously sung, as he suffers from the horrors of wars and struggles to grow up as quickly as he’s required to..." 

AUSSIE THEATRE
"...Lucente has a leading man voice, assured and full and rich with a vulnerable twinge, like something could crack if he reaches inside too far and hits the right nerve, and that’s what we need from him, and from Eddie Birdlace..." 

STAGE WHISPERS
"...Dogfight is a terrific piece of musical theatre writing, but it really demands two charismatic, talented leads of the calibre this production has united, to lift it above this ugliness and engage us with the journey. It’s sensitive, transformational performances from Louis Lucente and Hilary Cole in the pivotal roles of initially tough young Marine Eddie Birdlace, and the insecure young waitress Rose, that take the piece to a whole different place. A warmth, truth, wit and humanity grows between them. Both also have versatile, to-die-for musical theatre voices and the dramatic instincts to take us to the heart of their songs..."

THE MUSIC
“...Louis Lucente plays the male protagonist, the male ego, with a cutting truth. He has bravado and feelings (who woulda thunk it?) and the two aren’t quite separate. He negotiates them with vigour and nuance despite their garish demands...”

KALEIDOSCOPE | MELBOURNE, JANUARY 2015

★★★★★ THEATREPEOPLE
“45 Downstairs on Flinders Lane has a reputation for presenting work that dares to challenge and confront audiences. The rewarding pay-off is often in the journey, and Lucente's new one - man show is a particularly shining example - Taking no prisoners with his show’s high energy execution, Lucente’s Kaleidoscope would have made Morrison very proud..."

★★★★ MELBOURNE. ARTS. FASHION.
“This performance is a far more intimate portrait than a biography could ever be because this is all about Morrison himself...Kaleidoscope refers to how Morrison is presented to us in this evening of fabulous music and deft performance. We see Morrison as a continually moving image, coming in and out of focus, a mass of barely integrated prisms of light..."

The AGE
"…Kaleidoscope evades traditional biography, Lucente instead inhabiting Morrison's persona... Lucente is an immensely talented singer, and his piano arrangements are impressive - It's in the moments of comparative quietude that Lucente is most captivating; his rendition of Bird of Prey is particularly powerful..."

STAGE WHISPERS
“…It’s not in any form an impersonation of the singer, but rather an artistic expression of the undoubted poetry in Morrison’s persona. Lucente’s overall musicality is flawless; he knows when to pull out all the stops with his huge vocal range, and when to caress and seduce us. In both cases he raises goosebumps and is mesmerising. Lucente is an artist in every sense and Morrison would have killed for the chance to sing one tenth as well -

This is cabaret of the highest order, and you certainly don’t need to be a Doors fan to enjoy it (though it certainly would be a bonus). Just go to see an astonishing Australian talent at work before the rest of the world steals him from us..."

STANDING (INN)OVATION
"...the most incredible part of the performance is Louis’ voice. The power and control he displays are sure to make any seasoned performer jealous - get your tickets now to see this transcendent performance by Louis Lucente, Australia’s next big musical star..."

PARADE | MELBOURNE, SEPTEMBER 2014

STAGE WHISPERS
"...Louis Lucente IS Leo Frank. His pain runs deep; his understanding, even resignation, of the hatred towards him for being a Jew is uncomfortable to watch, but oh so necessary. His intensity cuts like a knife and makes us cry. Quite simply he is superb and this is the best performance I have seen by an actor in a musical in many a year. Perhaps Lucente astounds us because the performance is so unexpected to most of the audience. Unless you saw him play the title role in Pippin for Magnormos, his monumental talent is usually buried in the ensemble – and that’s a tragedy. He creates magic through naturalism and complete truth in a performance that will stay with you for days, months, maybe years. His singing is beautiful, and the one chance he has to show his dancing chops in the licentious “Come Up to My Office?” (in which he is portrayed by witnesses as a letch) is a blissful bonus. Beyond that, Lucente shows us Leo’s journey from stitched up defensive Jew to a man of humanity and humility with deep love for his wife. Just breathtaking..."

THEATRE PRESS
"...Louis Lucente as Leo Frank, the Jewish factory superintendent who is accused of murdering young Mary Phagan (Jemma Plunkett), turns in a performance perfect from head to toe. Lucente portrays Frank as a man whose alienation from the community has left him a lonely sensitive soul with a icy, defensive exterior – not shying away from the more strident aspects of Frank’s personality, Lucente intertwines them in such a way that they strike a delicious note of ambiguity over whether Frank is capable of committing murder. His plain-spoken appeal to the jury, ‘It’s Hard to Speak My Heart’, is heartrendingly beautiful..."

ARTSHUB
"...Lucente’s portrayal of Leo is hard to put into words, but I’ll try. He is all stuttering idiosyncratic nervousness coupled with such unabashed conviction and strength that it is an overwhelming performance. Lucente also brings such a grounded sense of realism to the role that you almost forget this is practically a through-sung musical; you are simply swept up in it. He totally immerses himself in the challenging role and tackles the musical requirements of the material with amazing assuredness and flair..." 

THEATREPEOPLE
"...With sheer grit and determination, Louis Lucente, in the role of Leo Frank, ploughed through an intense role, building to a pleasing crescendo at just the right time. It’s a role that’s easily overplayed, however Luigi delivered a measured, well-constructed and soulful performance. His capability as an actor knows no bounds and his attractive voice was well suited to the role..." 

MAN IN CHAIR
"...In a towering achievement, Louis Lucente portrays Leo Frank with every fibre of his being. Taking us on the journey of a repressed, fastidious man’s discovery of love and optimism in the worst of circumstances, Lucente’s achievement is both uplifting and profoundly heartbreaking. The gift of the venue is that Lucente can give an introverted, delicate performance that probably would not pass the footlights of the Regent Theatre and yet touches every heart at fortyfive downstairs. Lucente really reveals the depth of his triple threat talents in the extraordinary courtroom number “Come Up To My Office,” a fantasy scene in which Lucente channels the big bad wolf, by way of Bob Fosse, as we see the ludicrously villainous Leo Frank that the prosecutor is trying to convey..."

KALEIDOSCOPE | PERTH, AUGUST 2014

AUSTRALIAN STAGE
"...Introspective as much as retrospective, with beautiful vocals and talented piano playing to carry the bizarre antics that live on as part of the Morrison’s myth as much as his music, with a novel yet respectful presentation of the many broken pieces that form the lasting memory of a man, a band and part of an era..." 

PERTH ARTS LIVE
"...Lucente is not a baritone, he did not wear leather pants, and he did not use a silly fake drunken slur. And most significantly, this was not a biographical look at the man Jim Morrison. Instead, it was actually what the title indicates, a Jim Morrison kaleidoscope. This is a prismatic, abstract look at the mind, music and words of Morrison. Lucente has pieced together these elements in his one- man, one-piano show directed by Nicholas Christo. The result is entirely unexpected, inventive and surprising..."

THEATREPEOPLE
"...Lucente’s performance is outstanding. Through performing a range of Morrison’s songs, Lucente is able to perform with such a vocal range that he easily masters the classic rock sound, sails swiftly into smooth blues and hits every note with a stunning crystal quality. To accompany his singing, he plays the piano with precision and passion and his performance perfectly captures the absolute essence of the 60’s rock movement. From his first entrance onto the stage, he fills the intimate space with his energy and presence..."

ECU DAILY
"..His performance was sensational. He swept from vocally challenging musical numbers of Morrison to slow-paced blues melodies with such grace and absolute control in his voice. His vibrato was stunning, hitting every high note with energy and power..."

THE AUSTRALIA TIMES
"...It was when Lucente sang People Are Strange that I started to understand why he had chosen the life and music of Jim Morrison. He was a maverick - 1960's Avant garde who appealed to the forward thinkers, the beats, the intellectuals and the experimentalists of a generation. The music of the The Doors fits perfectly into the underground setting of cabaret - as the show borders on the obscure and the absurd..."

"...Louis Lucente is the ultimate performer.. his tribute is tasteful, witty, exciting and most importantly incredibly fitting."

PIPPIN | MELBOURNE, SEPTEMBER 2013

THEATREPEOPLE
"Perfectly cast as hero Pippin, young music theatre performer Louis Lucente gave a breakout performance, all the more sensational for the understated, unshowy manner he adopted for this massive, complex role. The right age to have plenty of experience but also appear wide-eyed, fresh faced and buff, Lucente deftly balanced Pippin’s passion, wonder, narcissism, selfishness and ambition in a completely endearing performance. In fine voice for the soaring ballads, Lucente proved the master at transitioning effortlessly between the spoken and sung word. With all dialogue and songs, Lucente supported the improvised style of the piece by making it appear that the words and thoughts were coming to him spontaneously. One further highlight was a great dance duet with Browne in “On The Right Track.”

THEATRENERD
“...As our hero, Louis Lucente is pitch perfect as Pippin. His youthful, handsome face fits so well, and it's so easy to believe him as the character. His voice is strong and beautiful. Morning Glow and Act 2's Extraordinary we're particular high points...”

STAGE WHISPERS
“...I remembered Louis Lucente from The Last Five Years and he was every bit as good in this title role. He maintained that somewhat lost look so appropriate in the other work and important in this. His light voice was very suitable, and “Corner of the Sky” was the highlight it should have been...”

THE LAST FIVE YEARS | MELBOURNE, JUNE 2013

AUSTRALIAN STAGE
“Louis Lucente as Jamie is simply outstanding. His energy and vocal talents are spot on as he bounds around the stage, falling in and out of love and displaying the manic drive of an artist. It is impossible not to fall in love with this leading man, even as a philandering husband. Lucente brings so much to this role and is an incredible talent....”

THEATREPEOPLE
“Louis Lucente presents an enigmatic, layered characterisation of Jamie Wellerstein, not shying away from the fact that Jamie is the somewhat less likeable of the pair. A highly engaging performer, Lucente has a pure and gently understated delivery that very effectively draws an audience towards his performance. He makes Jamie’s ambition, determination and infidelity entirely believable and understandable, leaving the judgment of Jamie’s actions completely up to the audience. “The Schmuel Song,” Jamie’s upbeat Christmas tale, is a terrific showcase for the sparkle of Lucente’s potent storytelling pizazz...”

ASSASSINS | MELBOURNE, APRIL 2013

THE HERALD SUN
“... Lucente gives a compassionate, complex portrayal of Leon Czolgosz, the downtrodden factory worker who kills President McKinley as a political statement...”

THEATREPEOPLE
“...However, strong and commanding performances by the likes of Mark Dickinson as Wilkes Booth, Nick Simpson Deeks as The Balladeer – both with glorious and assured vocals – and Louis Lucente as Czolgosz, help to keep this production grounded...”