REVIEWS
Verse Coaching for All’s Well That End’s Well at Chicago Shakespeare Theater
She’s got pace, energy and all of Helen’s requisite vitality, but what makes the performance so notable is how present and spontaneous she appears. Helen creates her world in this play by grabbing her own destiny and we see freshly minted Helen coming up with improvised plans in real time. Or so [Alejandra] Escalante makes it feel. - Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune
All’s Well is decidedly not one of Shakespeare’s more accessible plays, but the cast at Chicago Shakes—especially Escalante’s ultra-relatable Helen and [Ora] Jones’s powerfully regal Countess—make the language piercing in its clarity. - Catey Sullivan, Chicago Reader
CTS’ lucid account is a poster illustration for text-first Shakespeare. - Lawrence B. Johnson, Chicago On the Aisle
Come for the giggles, stay for a talented troupe making this material accessible and easily understandable for a new generation. - Stephen Best, stageandcinema.com
How the cast handles the text is the closest I’ve heard Shakespeare sound like conversational speech. It’s all in service of simple, clear, direct storytelling. - Nathaniel Fishburn, Newcity Stage
Measure for Measure at Chicago Shakespeare Theater
Linington is a likable cad as Lucio, whose dialogue sounds totally natural and realistic. - Colin Douglas, chicagotheatrereview.com
Junk At Milwaukee Rep
Linington commands our attention with an almost casual cruelty as he stalks the stage. - Dominique Paul Noth, Urban Milwaukee
Linington effortlessly conveys cold determination in his performance as trader (or, as Time Magazine dubs him, "job killer") Robert Merkin...Linington's skills make the character truly come alive. - Caitlin Elftman, On Milwaukee
The Book of Will at Northlight Theatre
Newcomer to Chicago, but with a roster of noteworthy national credits, Gregory Linington is a revelation as Henry Condell. He’s the glue that often holds his friends together in their quest to create the First Folio. But more than that, Mr. Linington breathes an honesty into this character that bespeaks a real humanity and an affection and solidarity for his friends. Audiences will be eagerly watching for more from this terrific actor in the future. - Colin Douglas, chicagotheatrereview.com
Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? at Ford's Theatre
[Linington] finds the formidable acerbic edge to George, the mixture of controlled rage and sense of the absurd that stokes the character’s comic fire, that permits George to keep up with Martha, even earning her admiration. Something in Linington’s turn here reveals an aspect of George that’s rarely considered: courage. The actor exhibits it not only in George’s psychological mastery of physically imposing Nick, but also in his dealing forcefully with Martha’s ferocious mocking of his failures. His pugnacious George proves to be a partner for this Martha, in and out of the ring. - Peter Marks, Washington Post
Linington is masterful as George, a man who takes passive aggression to the level of an art form. What is most striking about Twyford and Linington is not, however, the gladiatorial pleasure they seem to receive in tearing each other down – it is in those subtle and revealing moments of connectedness they display that help to explain why on earth these people are still together after all they have done to each other. - Michael Poandl, DC Metro Arts
...The real revelation was Gregory Linington’s portrayal of George. He was intelligent and articulate, but combined those qualities with a bitter edge that made him a perfect foil in this dysfunctional marriage. It’s the first production where I’ve ever felt theirs was a fair fight, and I relished every delicious confrontation. - Steve McKnight, DC Theatre Scene
In Linington’s incarnation, George is a fast-talker; a Groucho Marx without the joy, who delivers his takedowns conversationally, as he might deliver background in a history lecture. - Tim Treanor, DC Theatre Scene
The Night Alive at Round House Theatre
...it's Gregory Linington's charming and compelling portrayal of childlike Doc that is the surprise breakaway performance of the show. It's nearly impossible to take your eyes off of him as he plays quietly into the quirks of what could have easily become an outsized character in an otherwise too realistic world. - Greg Alcock, BroadwayWorld.com
...Gregory Linington’s portrayal of the perennially comic, tragic wise-fool, Doc, is undoubtedly the standout performance of the evening. While his character might be chronically – and clinically – 5 to 7 seconds behind the rest of us, Linington’s performance is always a few paces ahead. - Chris Williams, MD Theatre Guide
The Tempest at Shakespeare Theatre, DC
Gregory Linington, in fact, nearly steals the show, so subtly funny and slyly malevolent is his Antonio, Prospero's usurping brother. - Eric Minton, shakespeareances.com
Tartuffe at South Coast Rep
The speech from Cléante (Gregory Linington), Orgon’s brother-in-law, about Tartuffe being the opposite of a sincere religious devotee is as straightforward and accessible as I’ve ever heard... - Tony Frankel, stageandcinema.com
Romeo & Juliet at the Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles
I have never seen a Mercutio take command of his scenes and dismantle an argument, challenge, or single word with as much clarity and color as Linington does. He always makes the surprising choice. I mean, come on…this is a Mercutio who, after being fatally stabbed, still refuses to acknowledge it and instead goes to his café table for another sip of espresso where he sits, drops the cup, and crawls on his knees to pick up the broken pieces before dying. Because you never know what he will do next, you can’t take your eyes off of him. - Ellen Dostal, shakespeareinla.com
Julius Caesar at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival
Gregory Linington blends idealism, resentment and a dash of political paranoia, then serves up the mixture with pointed, bitter sarcasm. - Marty Hughley, The Oregonian
Gregory Linington nearly steals the show with his fierce portrait of the "lean and hungry" Cassius, who fires up the conspiracy against the Roman leader in an electric performance that cries doom from his first appearance. - By Caroline Crawford, Bay City News
Love's Labors Lost at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival
As the lovers part, master interpreter and performer Gregory Linington, as Berowne, simply breaks our hearts as he bids his love adieu. - Tony Frankel, stageandcinema.com
The Merchant of Venice at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival
Other notable performances include Gregory Linington‘s bombastic turn as Gratiano, who took Bassanio’s lines about his loud voice to their fullest extent. The man must have a third lung. His friendly, wince-inducing enthusiasm was set off by his decided nastiness toward Shylock, bordering on homicidal hatred. - Claire Kaplan, La Jolla Playhouse Examiner
Welcome Home, Jenny Sutter at The Kennedy Canter, DC
The casting director struck gold with all the actors, but especially with Gregory Linington who casts aspersions and uncomfortable truths that nobody wants to hear and own up to, sometimes launching them inconsiderately like grenades. - Debbie Jackson, dctheatrescene.com
Intimate Apparel at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival
Mr. Marks (Gregory Linington), a Jewish fabric merchant, is constrained by his religion...scenes between Esther and Mr. Marks are among the most touching, romantic and achingly sad moments in the play. - Adina Kettler, East Bay Times
Gregory Linington is the most conscientious person in show business. - Scott Carter, Executive Producer - HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher
Gregory Linington is a beautiful extreme. - Bill Rauch, Artistic Director, Oregon Shakespeare Festival