tHeater
BROADWAY
BROADWAY
MARY POPPINS
Miss Andrew (original Broadway cast)
Directed by Sir Richard Eyre
Reviews
Ruth Gottschall, as George's heartless former nanny, who gets a dose of her own nasty medicine, [is a] standout in the large cast."
Joe Dziemianowicz
New York Daily News
"Then there is Ruth Gottschall, who is initially glimpsed as Queen Victoria in a marvelous dance-fantasy sequence choreographed by Matthew Bourne, but who seizes control of the Banks household and the audience when she arrives, witch-like, as Miss Andrew, a nanny from hell."
Malcolm Johnson
Hartford Courant
"As Miss Andrew, the most hateful of nannies, Ruth Gottschall provides an amusing, villainous turn in her song, "Brimstone and Treacle" - when she hits the high note at the end, all the curtains in the house flap."
Toby Zinman
Philadelphia Inquirer
"A kind word is also due Ruth Gottschall, who screeched most effectively as that governess from the past, the dreaded Miss Andrew."
Clive Barnes
New York Post
"Ruth Gottschall, however, is such a stitch -- in a Margaret Hamilton way -- as ghoulish nanny Miss Andrew that she not only steals the scenes she's in, but may have some observers wishing she were at the center of the musical."
David Finkle
theatermania.com
"Though Miss Andrew is little more than a mild threat for Mary to vanquish, Gottschall invests her with the courage of her demented convictions in a way that throttles you to attention unlike anything else here."
Matthew Murray
talkinbroadway.com
"The minor roles are also well taken, notably...the terrifying nanny that stunted the childhood of George Banks, Miss Andrew, as acidly etched by Ruth Gottschall."
John Simon
Bloomberg News
THE MUSIC MAN
Eulalie MacKecknie Shinn
Directed by Susan Stroman
Reviews
"It’s very rare that an actor stops a show, let alone without uttering a syllable. But that’s exactly what the brilliant Ruth Gottschall does when her Eulalie MacKecknie Shinn corrects the mayor’s poop/peep blooper. The actress virtually silences the action with her elastic mug, rolling, saucer-size eyes and withering glare. She’s a first-rate clown in the tradition of Beatrice Lillie and Carol Burnett, and Mrs. Shinn’s terpsichorean ode on a Grecian urn is worth all the gold in Agamemnon’s tomb."
Wendell Brock
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
"As the indomitable Eulalie Mackecknie Shinn, Ruth Gottschall performs with such inspired lunacy that she rates a special Tony for Best Replacement Performance of Any Recent Season!"
John Kenrick
Musicals101.com
A FUNNY THING...FORUM
A FUNNY THING...FORUM
Domina
Directed by Jerry Zaks
LAUGHING ROOM ONLY
Ruth
Directed by Robert Johanson
THE GOODBYE GIRL
Mrs. Koslowski
Directed by Michael Kidd
LIZA - STEPPIN' OUT
Demon Diva
Directed by Fred Ebb
CABARET
Sally Bowles u/s
Directed by Hal Prince
THE DESERT SONG
Clementina
New York City Opera
THE BEST LITTLE...
in TExAS
Ginger
Tommy Tune/Pete Masterson
LEGS DIAMOND
Flo u/s
Directed by Robert Allan Ackerman
PRINCE OF CENTRAL PARK
Officer Washinski
Directed by Tony Tanner
Off-Broadway/Regional/ Workshop/Int'l (Select)
A LITTLE NIGHT MUSIC
Madame Armfeldt
American Theater Group
Directed by Hunter Foster
Reviews
"Ruth Gottschall’s Madame Armfeldt delivers acerbic lines throughout, providing a tonic to the romantic misadventures of the show. She handles her musical memoir “Liasons” with comic skill"
Allen Neuner
White Christmas
Martha Watson
Bucks County Playhouse
Directed by Hunter Foster
Reviews
"Ruth Gottschall shines...as lodge manager Martha Watson. Her 'Let Me Sing and I'm Happy' may well be worth the price of admission."
Marakay Rogers
"Ruth Gottschall is the primary trooper at the rescue. The instant she comes on stage, Foster’s 'White Christmas' takes on new light and new life. Energy and assuredness are her secrets. She’s so good, she enlivens everyone around her. Scenes and numbers including Gottschall have a perky wit and surefire tone that disappears when she’s in the wings. [She] moves the production away from ordinary and shows that veteran know-how can prevail when all seems as if it might be irretrievably lost."
Neal Zoren
U.S. 1 Princeton, NJ
ANNIE
Miss Hannigan
Ogunquit Playhouse at The Music Hall
Directed by James A. Rocco
MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS
Helen Hubbard
Ogunquit Playhouse
Directed by Shaun Kerrison
Review
"Gottschall, as the over the top spitfire, is wonderful as she spews a series of witty one liners while always eager to search for her next husband."
Dan Marois
Broadwayworld.com
OKLAHOMA!
Aunt Eller
Pittsburgh CLO
Directed by Dontee Kiehn
Reviews
"Ruth Gottschall was such a delight to watch on stage. She brings tons of sass to the character, and had the audience laughing on many occasions. I honestly wouldn't have minded if the entire show was about Aunt Eller."
Jade Goodes
Pittsburgh in the Round
"At the center of everyone’s business is Ruth Gottschall, a fiery, funny Aunt Eller."
Maria Sciullo
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
GREASE
Miss Lynch
Pittsburgh CLO
Directed by Barry Ivan
THE DROWSY CHAPERONE
Tottendale
Goodspeed Opera House
Directed by Hunter Foster
42nd Street
Maggie Jones
Bucks County Playhouse
Directed by Hunter Foster
GUYS AND DOLLS
General Cartwright
Bucks County Playhouse
Directed by Hunter Foster
My Fair Lady
Mrs. Pearce
Cape Playhouse
Directed by Hunter Foster
Sense & Sensibility
Mrs. Jennings (Henry Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical)
Denver Theater Center
Directed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge
James and the Giant Peach
Striker
Goodspeed
Directed by Graciela Daniele
The Blue Angel
Guste
NYC
Directed by B.T. McNicholl
Mame
Doris Upson
Kennedy Center
Directed by Eric Schaeffer
The Pirates of Penzance
Ruth
Pittsburgh CLO
Directed by Leland Ball
Review
"...pirate maid Ruth [was] wonderfully played by Ruth Gottschall. Each time she's on stage she commands attention and provides many of the laugh-out-loud scenes."
Carol Waterloo Frazier
The Daily News
First Lady Suite
Margaret Truman
Transport Group
Directed by Jack Cummings III
Review
"...the Carol Burnett-ish Ruth Gottschall (in a series of sharp cameos) deserve[s] special mention for [her] combination of gusto and depth."
Adam Feldman
Time Out New York
Broadway (The Play)
Ruby
Pittsburgh Public Theater
Directed by Ted Pappas
Review
"Nor can you ignore for long Ruth Gottschall's delightfully coarse and frowsy Ruby..."
Alice T. Carter
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Anything Goes
Reno Sweeney
Riverside Theater
Directed by Marcia Milgrom Dodge
Review
"Ruth Gottschall is a hoot...sassy and fun."
Pam Harbaugh
Florida Today
"Heading the cast is red-haired Ruth Gottschall, who brings to mind Carol Burnett in her portrayal of Reno Sweeney.... Gottschall has a face for comedy, and her powerful voice, put to good use in a particularly rousing 'Blow, Gabriel Blow,' sets the bar for the rest of the cast."
Brian Bixler
Vero Beach Press-Journal
Comedy of Errors
Courtesan
Hartford Stage
Directed by Mark Brokaw
Damn Yankees
Lola u/s
Paper Mill Playhouse
Directed by George Abbott