“Sakata has moments of piercing authenticity — devastating pleas of understanding”
“Sakata has moments of a piercing authenticity — devastating pleas of understanding from marginalized immigrant corners.”
Los Angeles Times
Charles McNulty
“Sakata…underscores the continuing tragic repercussions of the riots”
"Sakata is very good in several roles, but it’s her performance as the Korean-American shopkeeper admitting her loss of faith in America…that underscores the continuing tragic repercussions of the riots.”
ArtsBeat LA
Terry Morgan
“Sakata is so touchingly, desperately beseeching that you may feel the need to call your own mother”
“Ms. Sakata is so touchingly, desperately beseeching that you may feel the need to call your own mother as soon as the curtain falls.”
The New York Times
Ben Brantley
“Sakata’s performance lights up the stage”
“Natsuko is manipulative, bigoted, unpleasant and downright cruel… Yet Jeanne Sakata’s performance lights up the stage, showing the hurt and vulnerability behind her bitterness, and the sparks of joy..."
Mountain View Voice
“Knows how to keep us coming back for more”
“Ms. Sakata knows how to keep us coming back for more as we try and figure out just who this Natsuko really is. Before the end of the play, the talented actress reveals sides of her character that show there is a heart doing more than just sustaining the life of this hardened-by-time-and-tradition woman she plays.”
Talkin’ Broadway
“Invigorating… stalwart honesty and comedic timing”
“Jeanne Sakata is invigorating as Min’s Wife both in her stalwart honesty and her comedic timing.”
DC Metro Arts
“An incredible performance…gentle and compassionate”
“Sakata gives an incredible performance…gentle and compassionate.”
Theatre Sensation
“Local treasure Jeanne Sakata makes mincemeat of Marceline…especially riotous”
“Local treasure Jeanne Sakata makes mincemeat of Marceline, especially riotous at the tribunal to stake her claim on Figaro…a knee-slapping blast.”
Los Angeles Times
“Sakata’s Marceline…reveals the L.A. treasure’s comic gifts as never before”
“Sakata’s booming-voiced Marceline reveals the L.A. treasure’s comic gifts as never before.”
StageSceneLA
“Sakata vibrates… a delightful romp”
“Jeanne Sakata vibrates with frustrated passion as Marceline…a delightful romp.”
San Gabriel Valley Tribune
“Veteran scene-stealers Jeanne Sakata and Nelson Mashita command the stage”
“Veteran scene-stealers Jeanne Sakata and Nelson Mashita command the stage for every scene they’re in for the Los Angeles premiere of Julia Cho’s ‘The Language Archive’….This delightful couple wonderfully essayed by Mashita and Sakata have and make the most fun on stage as they expressively bicker and needle one another while obviously still very much in love.”
Culture Spot
“Laughs galore… then every bit as touching as hilarious”
“Sakata and Mashita have the great good fortune to play the bickering spouses of untraceable geographic origin. The veteran stage and screen duo earn laughs galore when bickering in English, then prove every bit as touching as they’ve been hilarious.”
StageSceneLA
“Uproarious and touching”
“Mashita and Jeanne Sakata devour these universal Bickersons to uproarious and touching effect.”
Backstage
“The sensational actress Jeanne Sakata”
Just take a peek at the sensational actress Jeanne Sakata in the role of Po Mama. A petite lady with an elegant silvery chignon, she…is the essence of genteel femininity. But she wields a meat cleaver as if she were operating a guillotine.”
Chicago Sun-Times
“Elegant and totally engaging”
“Sakata is slender, elegant and totally engaging as Po Mama….Sakata’s skill almost makes it appear as if she is creating and tasting the wonderful broth that eludes her son.”
Evanston Review
“A marvelous, no-nonsense portrayal”
“A marvelous, no-nonsense portrayal by Jeanne Sakata.”
Lake County Journals
“The masterful Sakata… sweet comic homage”
“Po Mama’s cooking videos—performed live by the masterful Sakata…..sweet comic homage to both stomachs and hearts.”
Los Angeles Times
“Sakata magnifies his words… a humorous and exuberant portrayal”
“On the opposite end stands Sakata, who also shined in the East West revival of MASTER CLASS. Lin’s most poetic and expressive material is saved for Po Mama, and Sakata magnifies his words through a humorous and exuberant portrayal…..She is completely believable as an independent woman who found fame by combining old world cooking techniques with a home attitude. She’s the Taiwanese version of TV chef Paula Deen…..The scenes with Po Mama are too few and fly by too quickly.”
LA Downtown News