The Horse and Carriage
Prologue Theatre
"Kari Ginsburg plays Adelaide with a perfect blend of kindness undergirded with steel. As a stay-at-home mom, Adelaide is wrestling with her sense of self and worth, having given up her passion for writing poetry and “grown-up” activities. One gets the sense that she could teeter over the edge, but her solid inner core keeps her rooted. Ginsburg layers the nuances beautifully, toggling between quiet desperation of longing for something different, to “go somewhere and be someone,” and her current satisfying life. She’s too thankful for her blessings to feel stuck and truly adores her husband, children, and life. To quote one of the Waiter’s lines, she’s kind of “stewing in the joy of ennui.” DC Metro Theater Arts
"Kari Ginsburg embodies the disaffected housewife, frustrated by a life that leaves her feeling unnoticed and insignificant... The actors are well matched. When they were shown to their table, it took a few moments for the audience to realize that they were not fellow theatre goers. The intimacy and intensity of their conversation was riveting, occasionally causing this audience member to wonder if she wasn’t eavesdropping on the next table rather than watching a performance" MD Theatre Guide
Incognito
Constellation Theatre Company
"As the newly out neuropsychologist who drinks to hide her many layers of heartbreak, Kari Ginsburg commands the stage, especially as she so seamlessly switches then to scorned New Jersey housewife. She evokes your pity and your cheers in one fell swoop. " MD Theatre Guide
"Four actors play a host of twenty characters, some more central to the plot than others, but all enthralling in their own way (indeed, some of the smaller roles stood out almost as noticeably as the central characters, thanks to the actors' fun interpretations). Ginsburg's portrayal of Martha was touching and frustrating, and it was really wonderful to see her character navigate her changing world." Broadway World
"The role-juggling performers largely ace the realism and specificity that such dialogue demands. Ginsburg is particularly persuasive in shading exasperation into the Midwestern-nice aura of Harvey’s meatloaf-cooking wife." The Washington Post
Recent Tragic Events
Prologue Theatre
"Kari Ginsburg as Waverly is an inspired blend of headstrong energy tempered with clutching fear." DC Metro Theater Arts
"Ginsburg and Feuer are the undeniable standouts of Prologue’s holistically excellent production. Ginsburg, though running on and off the stage and spending half of her time tied to a cordless phone, manages to hold the center of the story while swinging between wildly manic and deeply vulnerable. Her delivery of drag queen-esque quips like “”It was a really bad day for Kevin Bacon,” when discussing how it seems like everyone knew someone in New York on 9/11 and heart-shattering lines like “Why did you even tell me this?” are equally memorable and affecting." DC Theatre Scene
The Wild Party
Constellation Theatre Company
"Ginsburg matches her castmate’s forceful presence and vocal prowess, while adding touches of sneaky humor, turning Kate into a diverting troublemaker whose raucous manner can’t quite hide her vulnerability." The Washington Post
"...The fabulous Kari Ginsburg’s entrance as Kate, a boozy, bedraggled partygoer who lusts after Burrs, is a climax unto itself, with the actress bursting onstage to perform “Look at Me Now.” A rousing force of talent, tenderness, and moxie, Ginsburg shifts the gravity onstage, projecting a maturity of experience that’s mostly missing from the other members of this uniformly young cast. Few in the cast convey scars of life as surely as Ginsburg. Where her Kate has been and where she’s going is of far more compelling interest than whether Queenie will steal away the handsome stranger who accompanies Kate to the party, the mysterious Mr. Black." Metroweekly
"And don’t take your eyes off Kari Ginsburg’s Kate. As the self-described “Life of the Party,” Ginsburg eschews all cliché with her flapper hemline and raccoon eye shadow. Kate is one sloppy party girl, but there’s no mess here." Brightest Young Things
Next to Normal
Keegan Theatre
"Essential for Next to Normal's success is a dynamic performance by its leading lady...
Ginsburg's Diana is perfectly nuanced, capitalizing on the humor and weight of Diana's situation. Yes, humor, because while she may suffer from bipolar disorder, that does not preclude her from making dry observations such as, "Valium is my favorite color." Vocally, Ginsburg is impressive, not attempting to copy Alice Ripley's Tony winning performance and making Diana her own. She's at her peak commanding the production with the anthem "You Don't Know" and the electrically defiant "Didn't I See This Movie?"" Broadway World
"Diana Goodman, played by the remarkable Kari Ginsburg,… brings fragments of the “wife so alive” that Diana used to be, even so much as capitalizing on the brief glimpses of humor that we get into the character. Diana Goodman is set to be this generation’s Hedda Gabler or Mary Cavan Tyrone, and Ginsburg brings a worthy truthfulness to the character. She is heartbreaking in “I Miss the Mountains” and “How Could I Ever Forget?”, but the show stopping “You Don’t Know/I am the One” is her brightest moment." MD Theatre Guide
"...Ginsburg aptly suggests Diana’s vulnerability and disorientation." The Washington Post
“Ginsburg handles the immense challenge that is Diana with veteran poise and a powerful soprano. She narrates Diana’s draining road to recovery with the tired humor and weary resignation of someone who’s really been there. Ginsburg pulls off jarring emotional 180s with unnerving realism – all wild eyes and manic scrambling. Following one very frustrating setback, she unleashes an arresting cocktail of outrage and dread, like a deer in the headlights – totally aware of oncoming disaster, yet unable to step out of the way. And Ginsburg’s touching chemistry with co-star Chad Wheeler provides the show with a compelling emotional anchor point.” DC Theatre Scene
"Played with exquisite talent by Kari Ginsburg, Diana seems to be a normal, well-adjusted housewife as she helps her family prepare for their day… Later Ginsburg’s powerful “I Miss the Mountains” moves the story along, as we see her yearning for normality amidst her inner-turmoil." DC Metro Theatre Arts
"At Keegan that comes through movingly in Ginsburg’s amazing performance as Diana. She never belts it or plays it broad, the way one would expect with more typical, razz-ma-tazz, and less authentic central female characters in male-conceived and -written musicals (like Mame or Gypsy). Ginsburg’s nuanced performance always stays loyal to Diana’s truth, which the creators never betray either." Post-Play Palaver, DC Metro Theatre Arts
When the Rain Stops Falling
1st Stage
"And now we see Elizabeth younger and Elizabeth older onstage at once. They neither see nor speak to each other, but as embodied in two powerful performances by Ginsburg and Castracane they send unspoken emotional depth charges to us in the audience..." DC Metro Theatre Arts
"In 1950’s and 60’s England, Kari Ginsburg rocks the abandoned, yet relentlessly supportive housewife driven to the brink (and to drink) by her husband’s equally relentless inattention/fussiness/sinister mystery." DC Theatre Scene
The 12 Dates of Christmas
NextStop Theatre Company
" Generally, I am not a fan of one-actor productions but Ginsburg made me rethink my personal policy about such shows. She is terrific with voices, accents, postures, making us see the many characters with whom she is interacting...My instincts were well-founded as the actress displayed an unbridled enthusiasm as well as an authenticity that, at times, had me thinking she wrote the script since she seems so genuine in the role."
DC Metro Theatre Arts
"...Ginsburg quickly endears herself to the audience as Mary. Ginsburg is likeable and sympathetic even as she dishes out witty and sarcastic barbs for everything from Christmas to dating to men in general. Mary is the kind of storyteller you want around to liven up a dinner party, and Ginsburg uses the role to exhibit some serious range. To the audience’s delight, Ginsburg shifts gears seamlessly between humor and despondence while showcasing an impressive ability to keep the energy up even as she bounds around the stage, performs some light calisthenics and carries on without a break for roughly 90 minutes." DC Theatre Scene
Every Young Woman's Desire
Washington Shakespeare Company
"This is [another] female role in which a lesser actor might resort to a Days of Our Lives hand-wringing by way of compensation for the unorthodox narrative. But Kari Ginsburg, demonstrating just how versatile an actor she is, digs in deep. From her mousey insecurities to her winsome inner-siren, she is this She. There is not a moment when Ginsburg loses the fiction or the tension. " Metro Weekly