PRESS, REVIEWS AND AWARDS

VIDEO: Critics Circle Award w/ presenter Jake Robards

Caryn played Sonia in Hartford Stage’s Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike til June 22, 2014. The 2014 Connecticut Critics Circle Awards  voted Caryn “Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play”  for that portrayal, amidst many exceptional NYC and local actors nominated in the seasons at Long Wharf, Yale Rep, the Goodspeed Opera etc. and 4 of the Hartford cast.

“Caryn West, an actress who is new to me, is heart-breakingly stunning as the sad, frustrated Sonia, who in Durang’s crisp, savage dialogue delivers some of the funniest and honest descriptions of despair and loneliness one may ever encounter on a stage. As an adopted sister, she may feel isolated, but the sly West brings the audience along on her character’s transition into a wickedly modern riff on a Maggie Smith discovering her “prime.” She also gets to transition, with great assistance from costume designer Tricia Barsamian, from Sonia’s casual, laid-back wardrobe into a shimmering green gown complete with sequins. The actress also has the audience hanging on every word in a telephone call that Sonia receives, for which we only hear one side. The audible disappointment from some audience members at a certain point in the conversation indicates how much West has enabled us to invest into her character.”– EXAMINER.com

AMERICAN THEATER  April 2015

NY TIMES “...Caryn West’s deliciously dejected Sonia…But an even more complicated feat is writing a comedy that can make audiences feel bitter and grateful while they’re laughing. “Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike,” which won last year’s Tony Award for best play, does just that. And Mr. Williams and his marvelous cast at Hartford Stage have brought it vividly to life”. (left: our cast on the April 2015 cover of AMERICAN THEATRE magazine, 8 more lovely notices for the show – see Reviews and Press” section of the Hartford Stage site)

Caryn recently shot a top of show Guest spot on CHICAGO PD that airs on NBC Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2016 10pm,  and the indie feature DEADLY DEVOTION in late August. She played Mrs Charles Dickens in HOUSEHOLD WORDS by Gerald Murphyin a NYC workshop for Parity Productions. She guested on the 2013 season premiere of GREY’S ANATOMY directed by Chandra (“Bailey”) Wilson.  Her top of show guest role as DCS Dept head Karen Fox for NCIS  Nov. 11, 2013 was the number one show on tv that with week with nearly 19 million viewers. She was in the company of GOOD PEOPLE at the Geffen Playhouse May 2012 . She is a principal in the indie feature “ I DO ” a festival favorite that had a nationwide release and can now be seen on ON DEMANDand Hulu/Imdb services . She shot a lead in the horror feature THE JOKESTERS in Feb. 2014.  She co-wrote the Italian/U.S. short THE FATHER, which has been seen in 5 European festivals in 2011. She recurred last as Dr. Susan Heyworth on the CBS series THREE RIVERS, shot and starred in THE CLEAN HOUSE at the International City Theatre in 2010, played a the Kate Hepburn lead part in The Interact Co.’s STATE OF THE UNION which was cited as  LA Theatre for 2010: “One of the Top Productions” by BroadwayWorld.com
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StageSceneLA.com 2010 Award Lists:

I.C.T. Equity production of THE CLEAN HOUSE by Sarah Ruhl (Sept. 2010):

“OUTSTANDING PERFORMANCE BY A LEAD ACTRESS/COMEDY”

For Larger Theaters (300 seats or more)

Lane in THE CLEAN HOUSE

THE CLEAN HOUSE September 2010 notices: “The endearing cast deftly manages Ruhl’s tricky balance of quirk and pathos, …Audiences who demand naturalism or explained foreign zingers may be befuddled. That scarcely keeps this pristine “House” from reaching our funny bones and, ultimately, our hearts.”- LOS ANGELES TIMES 

Caryn West is likewise remarkable as Lane, gently growing from self-righteously officious to genuinely befuddled by Charles’ choice of a new soulmate to finally able to turn to others for help and friendship” –BACKSTAGE WEST

“In terms of acting performances, Galindo and West were both mesmerizing as the leading two ladies of The Clean House …” BUZZINE.com

“Caryn West adeptly carries the pivotal most serious role as a successful doctor, discovering she’s not as successful a wife, sister or boss. ..” Buena Park Independent

” WOW! THE CLEAN HOUSE A Ruhl play requires just the right touch to make it work…..Fortunately director caryn desai and her accomplished quintet of actors know exactly how to play by the Ruhl… A terrific Caryn West gives Lane just the right blend of the acerbic and the no- nonsense to make lines like “I did not go to medical school to clean my own kitchen” sound as funny as all get-out …” – StageSceneLA.com

FRONTIERS.com Theater Review: The Clean House by Christopher Cappiello
: “Caryn West is the most nimble interpreter of Ruhl’s challenging material. Her powerful presence and assured skills are a perfect fit for the uptight doctor, making her ultimate meltdowns that much more affecting. In the end, Clean House is Lane’s journey, and happily West charts it for us with precision, intelligence and nuance.”

TOYS IN THE ATTIC  as a lead and directed by Jessica Kubzansky at the Colony Theater, the production garnered

• Los Angeles Drama Critics’ Circle Award  “Best Production for 2003”
• 2003 Ovation Award for “Best Play in a Larger Theater ”- LA Stage Alliance
• Backstage West 2004 Garland Award for production, direction, set, costumes and performance

Backstage West: “director Jessica Kubzansky and her cast, designers, and crew have turned Hellman’s gold into something even alchemists couldn’t have dreamed of… Anna, eldest sister and too long responsible for the family’s welfare, is played by Caryn West with an almost saintly affection.”–

VARIETY: “Toys in the Attic… hits one melodramatic hot button after another — incest, insanity, impotence, interracial relationships. “Toys,” which garnered five Tony noms in 1960, remains gripping and hypnotic…Caryn West is subtle and affecting as Anna.“

LA Daily News ***1/2 stars “There are moments in “Toys in the Attic” — more than a few, in fact — that likely would have drawn gasps from the audience in 1960. It’s to the credit of Kubzansky and her marvelous cast that “Toys in the Attic” still has that capability more than 40 years later…”