 |  |  |  |  |  |  |
LIVE PERFORMANCE Zerlina, Don Giovanni “Karla Hughes (her sweetish voice tinged with just the right touch of tartness) was a sexed-to-the-gills Zerlina whose hormones had clearly outpaced her street smarts”. Patrick Dillion, Opera Canada Zerlina, Don Giovanni “Soprano Karla Hughes … was delightful as the peasant girl Zerlina. Nimble of voice and feet, the spicy Hughes offered some of the afternoon’s few light moments”. Steven Cornelius, The Toledo Blade Zerlina, Don Giovanni “Karla Hughes’s Zerlina was sprightly sung and flirtatiously acted”. Mark Stryker, Detroit Free Press Flora, Turn of the Screw “Karla Hughes, directed to be hyperactive and almost bratty at times, was exceedingly convincing as Flora and sang very well in a bright, girlish soprano”. David Shengold, Opera News Flora, Turn of the Screw “Twenty-something Karla Hughes was equally convincing as the little sister. She frolicked and cavorted; she sang with wonderful energy”. Steven Cornelius, The Toledo Blade Lucy, The Telephone Lola, Gallantry “Soprano Karla Hughes and baritone Tracy Herron took the prime roles in both Moore’s silly hospital soap opera and Menotti’s giddy tribute to the beguiling telephone, singing the wistful lines with sufficient purpose and finesse.” Rhonda Holman, Opera News Yum-Yum, The Mikado “The richness of Sullivan's score, including the beautiful "The sun, whose rays are all ablaze," as sung by Karla Hughes's Yum-Yum, shines above the slapstick (not that there's anything wrong with slapstick!). Hughes gets extra "best in show" points for valiantly singing for 15 minutes or so while her right hand was stuck in her costume after a quick onstage change into a fancy wedding kimono. Despite serious struggles trying to wave her fan with her hand wrapped into her sleeve lining, she finally ripped viciously at the offending piece of material and emerged victorious and (seemingly) unflapped”. Laura Kennelly, CoolCleveland.com Yum-Yum, The Mikado “They say good things come in small packages, and Karla Hughes portraying Yum-Yum proved that axiom true with her giant soprano voice and convincing character. Hughes also demonstrated her superb acting talent when things didn’t go quite right in Act II with a “wardrobe malfunction” when the elaborate sleeve or her costume got twisted. Every actress worth her salt knows that mistakes happen. But that didn’t stop Hughes from singing her solo in top form or from weaving the error right into the script. Needless to say, the audience ate up her performance like candy.” Leslie Pearce-Keating, The Daily Record Yum-Yum, The Mikado "Karla Hughes is a percolating perky, helium-voiced Yum-Yum, and she's finely matched by Ken Lavigne's Nanki-Poo; they both toy happily with the conventions of the "romantic leads," while turning in some fine vocal performances in "The Moon and I" and "A Wandering Minstrel." James D. Watts Jr., Tulsa World Mabel, The Pirates of Penzance “A powerhouse Mabel … Karla Hughes is pert and forceful as Mabel. Her Poor Wandering One has the boom of a well-placed cannon blast”. Nancy Gilson, The Columbus Dispatch Valencienne, The Merry Widow “... and his wife Valencienne was the luscious soprano, Karla Hughes”. Kelly Frejutz, CoolCleveland.com Valencienne, The Merry Widow Mabel, The Pirates of Penzance "... soprano Karla Hughes stylishly sang the role of Mabel (General Stanley’s daughter) in Pirates, then brought her supple and impressive coloratura to the role of Valencienne in Merry Widow". Daniel Hathaway, ClevelandClassical.com Liesl, The Sound of Music “ … but the most convincing performance is turned in by Liesl, played by OLO cast member Karla Hughes ..." The Daily Record Liesl, The Sound of Music “The children, led by vivacious Karla Hughes as Liesl, were adorable”. Donald Rosenberg, Cleveland Plain Dealer Lydia, Pride and Prejudice “The Bennet daughters, especially flighty Lydia (Karla Hughes) are exactly as we imagine them from the book or even the various film versions”. Kelly Frejutz, The Times / CoolCleveland.com Cunegonde, Candide "Karla Hughes' soprano voice is more than lovely. She's a lovely Cunegonde. Her "Glitter and Be Gay," a parody of 19th-century valse aria, is punched up with Hughes' comic take". Diane Lewis, The Wichita Eagle RECORDINGS Yum-Yum, The Mikado (Albany Recordings) "Karla Hughes's lilting Yum-Yum pairs beautifully with Kyle Knapp's suave Nanki-Poo". Carol E. Davis, Opera News Yum-Yum, The Mikado (Albany Recordings) "... and Karla Hughes sings with purity as Yum-Yum". Stephen Eddins, All Music Guide |
| REVIEWS (Click on photos only once to view full size) |
Don Giovanni
"Zerlina"
"Zerlina"
| The Turn of the Screw "Flora" |
The Mikado
"Yum-Yum"
"Yum-Yum"
| The Merry Widow "Valencienne" |