Judy THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME
Phoenix Theatre Company
"...Kelly Pekar is gripping as the mother whose betrayal and guilt tear at her heart.”
- Broadwayworld
“Kelly Pekar is touching but fearsome as Christopher’s two-timing mother.” - Curtain Up, Phoenix
“With well-nuanced portrayals, Michael Kary and Kelly Pekar are perfect as Christopher's complicated but truly caring parents. The scenes they share with Nussen, which include moments that show they are desperately hoping for a clear sense of bonding and human connection with their son, are heartbreaking, as Christopher can't bear anything more than to have their fingertips touch.” - Talkin’ Broadway
Halina/Manke/Dorothee, etc. INDECENT
GableStage Theatre
"...She has a palpable chemistry with the luminous Pekar, and the
women make the scenes between Rifkele and Manke — and the
Yiddish theater actresses portraying the characters — tender and powerful." - Miami Herald
"...By contrast, Kelly Pekar’s wide, daring eyes instill prostitute Manke
with a sense of primitive seduction. Together, the pair, the lesbian
lovers of The God of Vengeance, share an alluring chemistry.
- Theatre Criticism, Miami
Kristen DIKE
Urbanite Theatre
"The stellar cast was brilliant in each of their roles and magnificent as an ensemble, delivering quick paced dialogue and exuding chemistry. Miss Pekar as Kristen was moving and intense as the older sister wanting for acceptance." - Broadwayworld
"Kelly Pekar is dazzling as the Kristen, the hopelessly-prim gravitational center of the story..." - Bradenton Times
"As older sister Kristen, it is a performance of nuance and emotional strength, to anchor the production." - Talkin' Broadway
Kyra SKYLIGHT
Mad Cow Theatre
"Kelly Pekar plays Kyra and does so in a way that brings the audience along on her journey. Though she is younger than I expected, Pekar speaks in a way that makes Kyra seem like she has lived through two lifetimes. Pekar as Kyra feels natural with a chip on her shoulder. She balances guilt and pride masterfully...Kelly Pekar shines in Mad Cow's Skylight." - Broadwayworld
Clara Johnson THE LIGHT IN THE PIAZZA
freeFall Theatre
“Pekar nails all of the emotional gymnastics required of Clara, and sticks the landing...”- Tampa Bay Times
“Pekar is one of two people that are part of the freeFall rep--they are in every show, and we, the audience, are thankful for this gift. With her expressive eyes--where we understand her limitations, confusions, and pure love for Fabrizio--this is her strongest performance I've seen (and she is sterling in every role she conquers). Her Clara is so layered--innocent yet on edge, child-like with the passion of a young adult. And she doesn't fall into the trap of overplaying her affliction, but we know something is wrong from the start. It's an astonishing performance.”- broadwayworld.com
Mrs. Gibbs OUR TOWN
freeFall Theatre
“Kelly Pekar, playing Mrs. Gibbs, once again shines. All of the cast must pantomime the various props, and Pekar is by far the finest mime of the group. She's so good in the role that we want to see her in every show in the area, not just freeFall’s.” - Broadwayworld
“Standout performances include Kelly Pekar as Mrs. Gibbs and Trenell Mooring as Mrs. Webb. Mrs. Gibbs and Mrs. Webb work in an tandem, neighbors in parallel roles as wives and mothers. The movement between Pekar and Mooring is just one example of what makes this play a real accomplishment.” - Tampa Bay Times
Resident company member Kelly Pekar as Mrs. Gibbs, in her ninth freeFall show, and Taylor Simmons as George Gibbs, Emily Webb’s sweetly fumbling farmboy paramour, also evoked tangible emotion - Articulate Suncoast
Molly Aster PETER AND THE STARCATCHER
freeFall Theatre
*Theatre Tampa Bay Nomination, outstanding leading actress in a play
“…then there’s Kelly Pekar, whose Molly is assertive, courageous, incipiently affectionate, and in every other way a credit to her gender.” - Creative Loafing Tampa
“Scenes between Peter (Lucas Wells) and Molly (Kelly Pekar) on the ship’s deck provide the show’s sweetest and most captivating moments. It is a credit to everyone involved that none of this wonderment comes across as the least bit cloying.”- Tampa Bay Times
“Equally as good as Crawford is Kelly Pekar's Molly. Her strength as well as her vulnerability (and love for Peter) shines through in an amazing portrayal.”- broadwayworld.com
Gwendolen Fairfax THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST WITH ZOMBIES
freeFall Theatre
*Theatre Tampa Bay Nomination, outstanding featured actress in a play
"As Jack's love interest, Gwendolyn Fairfax, Kelly Pekar is radiant and hits just the right notes..." - broadwayworld.com
"Then there’s Kelly Pekar, whose Gwendolyn is a young Lady Bracknell-in-the-making: although smitten with Jack, her interactions with him and Cecily already betray a domineering side that’s bound one day to bloom tyranically." - Tampa Bay Times
"Some of the most enjoyable moments in the play are the interactions of Gwendolyn and Cecily, who both believe they are in love with men with the name Ernest. Kelly Pekar plays the striking and refined Gwendolyn Fairfax who becomes incensed with jealousy that her beloved resides with the young and pretty Cecily Cardew (Maya Handa Naff), his ward. If the tension in the room had mass, you could literally cut it with a knife."- Creative Pinellas
Nurse Ruth Kelly HARVEY
freeFall Theatre
*Theatre Tampa Bay Nomination, outstanding featured actress in a play
“It's also fun to watch bickering between Nurse Ruth Kelly (Kelly Pekar) and handsome young Dr. Lyman Sanderson (Chris Jackson). It's a familiar trope — the couple so meant for each other they appear not to like each other at all. But they play it so well, when they finally do embrace (and Nurse Kelly later reappears with her hair and cap askew), you just want to cheer.” - Tampa Bay Times
“Standout Kelly Pekar is enchanting as the R.N., and the dashing and flirtatious Chris Jackson works well with her….” - broadwayworld.com
Lucy Brown THE THREEPENNY OPERA
Marvell Repertory Theatre
*Drama Desk Nomination (Best Revival of a Musical)
“Kelly Pekar is a hoot as not-really-pregnant-after-all Lucy Brown and gets high marks for her impassioned wailing of “The Jealousy Duet," and “Lucy’s Aria.” - Curtain Up, NY
“…and she and the excellent Kelly Pekar milk plenty of hilarity from the later scene in which they cautiously find common cause in their love for Macheath.” - Theatre is Easy, NY
“As his three lovers, Emma Rosenthal (Polly), Ariela Morgenstern (Jenny), and Kelly Pekar (Lucy) bring unique personalities and beautiful singing voices to their roles.” - Backstage
Cinderella INTO THE WOODS
freeFall Theatre
“If Morrison brings us the image of turpitude, Kelly Pekar as Cinderella is the epitome of goodness. Pekar’s Cinderella is lovely inside and out, well worthy of any prince’s attentions (the superb Nick Lerew has the wit to marry her), and then softly sorrowful when, in Act Two her consort turns out to have a wandering eye…” - Creative Loafing, Tampa Bay
“…while others rise to an even higher level of performance with absolutely stunning singing voices (the radiant Joanna Mandel as Rupunzel and the pulchritudinous Kelly Pekar as Cinderella)…” - broadwayworld.com
Julie Jordan CAROUSEL
Greensboro Arts Alliance
“The two leads (Pekar and Marshall) have the right blend of chemistry and talent to make Carousel work. Pekar has a clear, crisp tone that carries great emotion; you can hear a tenuous tremor in her singing voice a her character considers whether to get wrapped up in Billy’s complicate life…” - Burlington Free Press
“John Marshall, a Sharon native, and Kelly Pekar sang beautifully, and were sympathetic as the doomed couple…” - The Times Argus
Maria THE SOUND OF MUSIC
Showpalace Dinner Theatre
“Kelly Pekar is adorable as the exuberant, dewey eyed Maria…Pekar’s lovely voice does not disappoint. From the opening number “The Sound of Music,” to the numbers with the children - “Do Re Mi,” and “The Lonely Goatherd” … The synergy between her and Minyard is exciting…combined with the loveliness of Pekar, in the romantic number “Something Good” is spell-bindingly romantic.” - Tampa Bay Times
Emma HAPPY WORST DAY EVER
New York Fringe Festival
“…their best friends, Emma and Chris (played by Pekar and Moore, respectively) are far more than just the tag-along best buddies, and both actors finely delineate the razor’s edge between wanting to be accepted by their peers while at the same time being cannily suspect of the demands of the demands made upon them…” - Examiner
Featured Singer - Angel CIRQUE DREAMS HOLIDAZE TOUR
Cirque Dreams
“…the cast was uniformly gorgeous, talented, and above all, winsome. They are definitely the hardest working cast I’ve seen in a long time, unflagging in their enthusiasm, while performing quadruple duty as actor/singers, circus acts, set changers, and sometimes scenery itself. The three soloists (Kelly Pekar, Emily Matheson, and Jared Troilo) given the huge, but largely thankless task of being singers in a circus (?!?), handle their roles with earnestness, and often, grace….” - KDHX Community Media
Countess Charlotte Malcolm A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC
Festival Playhouse - Wright State University
“…and the delightful duo of Jerome Doerger and Kelly Pekar as bickering couple Count Carl-Magnus and Countess Charlotte Malcolm…Pekar’s lyric-driven version of Every Day a Little Death was an emotional highlight opposite Lindsay Flick as the flighty Anne Egerman.” - City Paper
