CRITICAL REVIEWS
"As Shylock, Matthew Radford Davies soars. He has such a firm grasp of character and detail that you can’t take your eyes off of him. Mr. Davies gives a subtle, nuanced and masterful performance throughout," Fred Kaufman, GayRVA; Davies inhabits the character with quiet confidence and underplayed mastery. His “If you prick us” speech was the show’s dramatic highlight," Jerry Williams, TVJerry; [It's] difficult to imagine a more masterful or sympathetic depiction of Shylock than Davies’ portrayal. He’s a captivating presence on the stage, Rich Grist, Richmond Style Weekly; The Merchant of Venice, Quill Theatre, Richmond, VA.
"But before the curtain falls, hijinks aplenty unfold. Matthew Radford Davies and Scott Wichmann play rival leading actors of the day, each reveling in the prime opportunity to vehemently chew the scenery," Richard Burbage in Shakespeare in Love for Virginia Rep, Richmond, VA, reviewed by David Timberline, Style Weekly.
"Radford’s performance is charismatic, and he handles the wordy nature of the script with ease," Kovrin in The Black Monk by Anton Chekhov, Breaking String TC, Claire Canavan, Austin Statesman.
"I have seen Alan Howard (opposite Glenda Jackson), Timothy Dalton (opposite Vanessa Redgrave), and Anthony Hopkins (opposite Judi Dench) as Antony, and Radford Davies is a great Antony who rises to my recollection of those others. He comes to the part with such clarity and maintains an intellectual energy from beginning to end of this grueling part that every single line he delivers sparkles," Mark Antony in Antony and Cleopatra, Chesapeake Shakespeare, Eric Minton, Shakespeareances.com.
"Matt Radford Davies as the tree-loving country doctor Astrov is a stand-out of comic timing. His sighs, blank stares, and controlled outbursts delineate a character who has simultaneously been shoved away from society and fled for its edges. He wants to be alone and yet will never be able to shun society. He’s a Russian Thoreau with a severe addiction to the drawing room," Astrov in Uncle Vanya for Breaking String TC, reviewed by Brian Scipione, Austin Live Theater.
"In Austin Shakespeare's production, Matt Radford plays that duke, and with his spectacles, soft Georgia drawl, and air of integrity, he might be a cousin of Atticus Finch. It's that integrity that's most critical to the character in performance, for the duke's actions are often questionable: having his deputy clean up the mess he made in governing poorly, masquerading as a priest to observe secretly his plan in action, defying legal orders, and misleading authorities and even friends to pursue a scheme of entrapment. But if he's played as a man of honor, as Radford does skillfully here, the audience will cheer on his most suspect schemes," Duke Vincentio in Measure for Measure, Austin Shakespeare, Robert Faires, The Austin Chronicle.
"Radford is a master of constraint, and it's astounding how he can silence an entire audience by forcing them to listen to his quiet lines. His tense romance scenes with George and Sweet are reason alone to see this production," Trigorin in The Seagull, Breaking String TC, Avimaan Syam, The Austin Chronicle.
"As the lone accent in the cast, Radford does nothing to dispel the stereotype that British people are simply born knowing how to perform Shakespeare. He might be working himself to pieces onstage, but from the audience, his wonderful performance appears effortless and easy. It's not hard to see his Benedick as a modern-day middle-aged bachelor, a party boy who won't grow up but is fun to have around," Benedict in Much Ado About Nothing, Austin Shakespeare, Elizabeth Cobbe, The Austin Chronicle.
"The impression is of a world driven daft by the heady passions of romance being confined within the constricting conventions of 18th-century English manners, with Matthew Radford's Jack, played with a cleverness at once devilish and serene, the only sane human in a world of madmen," Jack Absolute in The Rivals, Austin Shakespeare, Robert Faires, The Austin Chronicle.
"But before the curtain falls, hijinks aplenty unfold. Matthew Radford Davies and Scott Wichmann play rival leading actors of the day, each reveling in the prime opportunity to vehemently chew the scenery," Richard Burbage in Shakespeare in Love for Virginia Rep, Richmond, VA, reviewed by David Timberline, Style Weekly.
"Radford’s performance is charismatic, and he handles the wordy nature of the script with ease," Kovrin in The Black Monk by Anton Chekhov, Breaking String TC, Claire Canavan, Austin Statesman.
"I have seen Alan Howard (opposite Glenda Jackson), Timothy Dalton (opposite Vanessa Redgrave), and Anthony Hopkins (opposite Judi Dench) as Antony, and Radford Davies is a great Antony who rises to my recollection of those others. He comes to the part with such clarity and maintains an intellectual energy from beginning to end of this grueling part that every single line he delivers sparkles," Mark Antony in Antony and Cleopatra, Chesapeake Shakespeare, Eric Minton, Shakespeareances.com.
"Matt Radford Davies as the tree-loving country doctor Astrov is a stand-out of comic timing. His sighs, blank stares, and controlled outbursts delineate a character who has simultaneously been shoved away from society and fled for its edges. He wants to be alone and yet will never be able to shun society. He’s a Russian Thoreau with a severe addiction to the drawing room," Astrov in Uncle Vanya for Breaking String TC, reviewed by Brian Scipione, Austin Live Theater.
"In Austin Shakespeare's production, Matt Radford plays that duke, and with his spectacles, soft Georgia drawl, and air of integrity, he might be a cousin of Atticus Finch. It's that integrity that's most critical to the character in performance, for the duke's actions are often questionable: having his deputy clean up the mess he made in governing poorly, masquerading as a priest to observe secretly his plan in action, defying legal orders, and misleading authorities and even friends to pursue a scheme of entrapment. But if he's played as a man of honor, as Radford does skillfully here, the audience will cheer on his most suspect schemes," Duke Vincentio in Measure for Measure, Austin Shakespeare, Robert Faires, The Austin Chronicle.
"Radford is a master of constraint, and it's astounding how he can silence an entire audience by forcing them to listen to his quiet lines. His tense romance scenes with George and Sweet are reason alone to see this production," Trigorin in The Seagull, Breaking String TC, Avimaan Syam, The Austin Chronicle.
"As the lone accent in the cast, Radford does nothing to dispel the stereotype that British people are simply born knowing how to perform Shakespeare. He might be working himself to pieces onstage, but from the audience, his wonderful performance appears effortless and easy. It's not hard to see his Benedick as a modern-day middle-aged bachelor, a party boy who won't grow up but is fun to have around," Benedict in Much Ado About Nothing, Austin Shakespeare, Elizabeth Cobbe, The Austin Chronicle.
"The impression is of a world driven daft by the heady passions of romance being confined within the constricting conventions of 18th-century English manners, with Matthew Radford's Jack, played with a cleverness at once devilish and serene, the only sane human in a world of madmen," Jack Absolute in The Rivals, Austin Shakespeare, Robert Faires, The Austin Chronicle.
AWARDS & NOMINATIONS
Richmond Critics Circle Best Actor/play (winner) The Merchant of Venice (2016)
Austin Critics Circle Best actor (nom) Deus ex Machina (2015)
Austin Critics Circle Acting in a Lead Role (nom) We Play Chekhov (2014)
B. Iden Payne Outstanding Theatrical Event (win) We Play Chekhov (2014)
International Falstaff Award Best Actor (nom) Antony & Cleopatra (2013)
Austin Critics Table Acting in a Lead Role (nom) Rose Rage (2013)
B. Iden Payne Outstanding Cast Performance (win) Rose Rage (2012)
Austin Critics Table Acting in a Lead Role (nom) Uncle Vanya (2012)
Austin Critics Table Best Ensemble Performance (win) Rose Rage (2012)
B. Iden Payne Lead Actor in a Comedy (nom) The Cherry Orchard (2010)
Austin Critics Table Acting in a Lead Role (nom) Measure for Measure (2010)
Austin Critics Table Acting in a Lead Role (nom) The Cherry Orchard (2010)
B. Iden Payne Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy (nom) Cloud Nine (2009)
Austin Critics Table Acting in a Lead Role (nom) The Seagull (2008)
B. Iden Payne Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy (win) Much Ado About Nothing (2008)
Austin Critics Circle Supporting Actor (win) Richard III (2006)
Manchester Evening News Best Actor in a Lead Role (nom) Misconceptions (2002)
London Time Out Award Best Ensemble (win) Our Boys (1996)
